Every once in awhile I eat something other than desserts and sweets.
Shocking but true.
I love chocolate and cookies as much as the next person, or in my case, probably more than the next person, but I have to have green vegetables every day.
Without them I feel weird. off, out of balance, and although I crave brownies, I also crave broccoli and Brussels’s sprouts.
Yes, really. I love cruciferous vegetables of all kinds, but broccoli and Brussels’s are two of my favorites. Never met a brassica I didn’t like and that didn’t stink up my house.
When I feel the need to crunch on some cellulose and don’t have time for anything too fussy, complicated, or time-consuming, I steam veggies in the microwave, and make a quickie cheezy sauce by warming coconut oil and mixing it with nutritional yeast, and adding a few spices based on my mood.
Drizzle sauce all over veggies.
Eat.
Enjoy.
And if I want some sinus clearing to go with my cheezy-coconutty vegetables, super simple homemade Spicy Honey Mustard comes in handy.
So as much as I have a seemingly voracious appetite for pina colada marshmallows and cookie dough, it’s nice to round out the sugar with a little chlorophyll.
But there must have sauce because everything is better with lots of frosting lots of sauce.
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Steamed Brussels’s Sprouts and Broccoli with Cheezy Coconut Sauce (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Nut-Free, Refined-Sugar-Free)
1 cup whole Brussels’s sprouts and broccoli florets (or more, or other vegetables you enjoy)
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted (use olive, hemp, grapeseed or another oil if you don’t like or have coconut oil)
pinch of salt, pepper, stevia; all to taste & optional (also consider a pinch of chili powder, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, curry, turmeric, cinnamon, or nutmeg based on taste preferences)
Place vegetables in a microwave-safe dish, fill dish halfway with water, cover with plasticwrap, heat on high power for 1-2 minutes, or until vegetables are as tender as desired. After steaming, place vegetables under cold running water for a few seconds to stop the cooking process. Slice cooked sprouts in half, if desired.
Make the sauce by mixing all remaining ingredients in a small bowl, whisking or stirring to combine, and pour over vegetables.
Note: Steam the vegetables any way you wish; that is how I do it because I am done in under two minutes. I like my vegetables very crunchy and more toward the raw side; steam (or oven-roast) to taste.
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If you’re not familiar with nutritional yeast (nooch), I previously written about it included over a dozen recipes using nutritional yeast.
It’s not the same as brewer’s yeast, it’s vegan, gluten, soy-free and nut-free; it adds a cheesy and nutty quality to food, and it’s packed with protein and B vitamins.
Nutritional yeast is not typically sold in grocery stores or at Trader Joe’s, and although it is sold at Whole Foods, I buy it from iHerb because it’s about 40% cheaper. Use code AVE630 at checkout to save another $5 off your iHerb order. Stock up on stevia, bulk spices, honey, body wash, and supplements while you’re ordering. May as well stock up, right.
One favorite nutritional yeast-based sauce recipe is Spicy Doritos Cheezy Dip (vegan, GF, soyfree)
If you’d rather skip the nutritional yeast but still enjoy some cruciferous veggies with coconut oil, try Chocolate Coconut Kale Chips
Do you like Brussels’s sprouts, broccoli, or crave vegetables?
I really can’t imagine a day without vegetables. Or dessert. Balance, moderation, a little bit of this, a little bit of that.
Do you like nutritional yeast?
If you’ve made anything with it that you enjoy, feel free to link it up.
If you’ve never had nutritional yeast, I won’t say it tastes just like cheese. Instead, I find it to have a cheesy and nutty quality, which is why many vegans use it as a cheese alternative. It’s also packed with B vitamins and protein.
It may be a bit of an acquired taste but clearly, I’ve acquired it. Daily.
Cheezy chocolate coconut oil popcorn is a staple, too.
The winner of the Sprinklebakes Cookbook Giveaway is Cassie
The winner of the Trop50 Juice coupons is Amber K
Have a great weekend and Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms!
Iamtotally intrigued by that sauce!!
So easy and if you’ve never tried nooch, I think you’d love it…super versatile!
Leave it to Averie to make even BROCCOLI look droolworthy. :)
I have to hop on the nutritional yeast bandwagon one of these days!
Yes you do! You will love it!!
I enjoy vegetables, but I do not crave them. I wish I craved them every once in awhile. I have never tried nutritional yeast before, sounds interesting though!
Hope you can try nutritional yeast one day!
Love the sauce you created for the brussels sprouts and broccoli, Averie. Looks delicious! Have a wonderful weekend!
Thanks, Georgia, and you too!
I CRAVE vegetables and fruit like a crazy person! Carrots and brussels are my two veggie loves. This looks super yummy. Happy almost Mama’s day ;)
Happy Mama’s Day right back at ya :)
This recipe is practically my diet: broccoli, nooch and coconut! :-) LOVE those ingredients! :-)
Thought you’d like this one :)
I love Brussels Sprouts and Broccoli and I also try to eat something green every day, the cheezy coconut sauce is definetely something new and very interesting to me, since I am such a big coconut fan I am sure I would love this sauce!! Have a nice Friday!
nutritional yeast is super versatile…I just love it!
I used to eat it all the time, but forgot about it recently, I need to hit WF for some!
love the new wood background for the photos, it looks rustic and sophisticated! Brussels and brocc are always on hand for me too but I typically have frozen since I can’t assure I’ll go through them fast enough, just cooking for one. But I’ve never used the microwave before, I typically pan fry. I’ll have to give steaming a try, so easy.
It IS rustic, it’s 150+ years old! :)
https://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/04/thursday-things-25.html
And yes, the microwave is a great tool when you need something quick, a smaller portion, and easy!
mmmmm I love nutritional yeast! It’s one of my favorite ingredients because it has a high level of Vitamin B12 naturally and sometimes added for extra protection to vegans. I love to make nutritional yeast “melted cheese” style sauce. I use it to make mac n cheese, on top of nachos, over veggies, or just as a yummy dip. Doesn’t getter better! https://genkikitty.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/polenta-and-cheezy-greens-recipe/
Mmmm, great looking recipe & glad you’re a fan, too!
Love the first picture, very beautiful! And wait… Averie? Veggies? AH! Where are the cookies? Juuuust kidding. I kinda thought you ate more than bars and cookies :)
You’d be surprised. People think that I eat 2 dozen cookies and a pan of bars, in entirety, every single day. You know, because it shows up on my blog I must eat the whole thing from start to finish, all by myself :)
Yum, love Brussels sprouts and broccoli and nutritional yeast flakes! I think a good mustard sauce always pairs well with Brussels sprouts too. Not sure why, just a good combo.
I know, I lovvvve a good spicy (or any) kind of mustard!
Love how easy this is! Yum!
Easy is the best way!
yes!! we crave brussel sprouts in fact! and I crave celery and hummus, I think its the water content haha. Must make these for the hubs.
The only time I crave celery is ants on a log style :)
I’ve got to try that cheesy sauce, sounds so yummy and easy too!
Doesn’t get any easier than that!
anything and everything is awesome in that sauce!
thanks, Elise!
I’m the same way! I can’t get enough Brussels, broccoli — all fruit and veggies, really. I have fresh Brussels and broc in the fridge waiting right now, and I have cheezy sauce on the menu! I go through nooch like it’s candy; 1/2 cup or more at a time. It’s SO GOOD, especially with coconut oil and black pepper and pink salt. I could eat it with a spoon. :)