Vitamin B12
Getting enough nutrients in a vegan diet is very important and cutting out all meat, dairy, fish and eggs in favour of a plant-based diet can be beneficial for health if done correctly.
An important nutrient that vegans should be mindful of is vitamin B12. A deficiency in vitamin B12 can lead to anaemia, muscle weakness, fatigue, nerve damage and mood disorders. As the richest sources of this (meat, diary, eggs and shellfish) are no longer on the menu, vegans should make sure they eat B12-fortified foods such as enriched cereals, wholegrain breads, yeast extracts and nori seaweed.
At Vegan Collective we have recently added Engevita Yeast Flakes with added B12. It is a natural food grown on fortified beet molasses under carefully controlled conditions. It is delicious dissolved in water, soya milk, fruit/vegetable juices or sprinkled on soups stews and casseroles and cereals to enhance their flavour.
Why not use it in this delicious vegan cheesy vegetable pasta receipe (serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil for the cheese sauce + 1 Tbsp for frying the onions
- 2 Tbsp Doves Farm Organic Corn Flour
- 3/4 Pint Soy Milk (or other non-dairy milk)
- 1 tsp Yellow Mustard
- 4 Tbsp Engevita Yeast Flakes with added B12
- Sea Salt (to taste)
- Black Pepper (to taste)
- 2 Carrots (diced into small cubes)
- 1 drained small tin of sweetcorn (198g)
- 50g frozen peas
- 1 onion (roughly chopped)
- 350g Doves Farm Organic Gluten Free Brown Rice Penne Pasta
Instructions:
- Dice the carrots and boil for 7 minutes until just soft.
- Chop the onion and fry in 1 Tbsp of olive oil until soft.
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
- To make the cheese sauce add 3 Tbsps of olive oil to a saucepan on the hob and turn the heat to medium high.
- When the oil begins to heat up, sift the flour and add to the oil, whisking briskly all the time.
- Cook the flour in the oil for a bit, whisking vigorously, and then add in all of the soy milk at once, continuing to whisk until the sauce begins to thicken.
- You will usually reach the right thickness a few minutes after the sauce has reached boiling point. Make sure the sauce has cooked for at least 3 minutes.This will ensure the flour has been throughly cooked.
- Stir in the mustard, nutritional yeast and add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
- Drain the pasta when it has finished cooking and add to the cheese sauce, along with the cooked carrots, onions, peas and sweetcorn.
- Turn the heat down and stir through until the peas have warmed through.
- Serve on its own or with salad.
Other uses for Engevita Yeast Flakes with added B12 include:
- Sprinkling a light layer of yeast flakes onto pizza just after it leaves the oven.
- Helps bind together veggie burgers.
- Sprinkled on top of warm pasta.
- Mixed into mashed potatoes.
- Sprinkled on top of roasted vegetables.
- Added to a home made salad dressing.
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