Individuals who have chosen a primarily plant-based cuisine are often delighted with this 5-minute  sour cream recipe. As one enthusiastic eater put it, “Baked potatoes with sour cream are back, baby!”  Avoid confusing nutritional yeast with baker's yeast, which is still active and could grow inside your stomach, or with brewer’s yeast that, although inactive, has a bitter taste. Nutritional yeast is also gluten-free, low-salt, and low in fat.

Ingredients

• 1 package organic tofu, firm
• 1 Tbsp virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (not brewer’s yeast) *
• 3 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar or alternative sweetener
• 1-2 tsp tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)

Preparation

Place all ingredients except nutritional yeast in the blender and puree. This will typically take about 5 minutes.

Periodically, use a spatula to scrape down sides of the blender.

Sprinkle in some nutritional yeast. It adds a distinctive flavor so you may want to sprinkle in some, taste, and then continue to add until you have reached your desired flavor.

Continue to blend until all is mixed into the puree.

Pour sour cream into a bowl.

Serve

Use as a condiment or garnish to almost anything for which you would have used dairy sour cream, knowing that this is a healthier substitution.

* Nutritional yeast is a microorganism known as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and is grown on sugar cane and beet molasses. Once harvested, it undergoes heat treatment to deactivate it and then is crumbled or flaked. Nutritional yeast flakes have sometimes been discounted, perhaps because of their relatively unenticing name and appearance. Nevertheless, once they try it, many decide this is an ingredient you want to keep on hand. Paleo enthusiasts to vegans can enjoy it. Considered a complete protein (it contains the nine essential amino acids that your body cannot produce). It provides the compounds beta-1, 3 glucan, trehalose, mannan, and glutathione, which are associated with enhanced immunity, reduced cholesterol levels, and cancer prevention. It is very nutritious, containing a significant dose of the minerals iron, selenium, zinc, and fiber. Add nutritional yeast raw to smoothies or salads, sprinkle it over popcorn, stir it into soups or sprinkle on pasta, use on Mexican foods (tacos, taco salad), put on baked potatoes, add as a garnish to Black Bean Chili, put in gravies or add to sandwich spreads.

References (Accessed 2/14)

http://www.livestrong.com/article/263528-what-are-the-benefits-of-nutritional-yeast-flakes/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast