For those of you lucky enough to have the day off from work due to snowstorm Juno, it’s a perfect day to hibernate with Netflix and popcorn. I’ve experimented with nutritional yeast in vegan mac and cheese years ago and never really found it to be a substitute for cheese. However, mixed with spices, it can be a tasty topping on popcorn! Nutritional yeast is a good source of B Vitamins and is a complete protein, which means that it has an adequate proportion of all nine essential amino acids. You can purchase it at any health food store, Whole Foods, or even Amazon. This magic dust can practically be sprinkled on anything from chickpeas to poultry, and added to vinaigrettes.

Magic Dust (Source: Chef Shane Lyons of Distilled)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 teaspoons garlic powder
3 teaspoons whole cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon gochugaru (see note) Note: Gochugaru can be found in many Asian markets. Substitute in smoked paprika if you can’t find it, adjusting the heat to your liking.

Procedure:

1. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients.