Broccoli Quinoa Pulao with Nutritional Yeast Sauce

This was one recipe that had been on my radar for quite some time but I just could not muster the courage to try it out simply because of one new/special/strange ingredient it used - Nutritional Yeast. I had it at home and I had been wanting to try it out but was just too skeptical. I had no valid reason to be afraid of it but just like that I kept avoiding using it until one fine day I sat down to read about it in more detail.
Turns out Nutritional Yeast is a great source of B vitamins including B12 in many cases (not all brands contain active B-12 - read the label). It also contains high amount of protein - 4gms/tbsp and contains all the 18 amino acids which is kind of a big deal. It is also a good source of fibre, folic acid, zinc and selenium plus its vegan and gluten free.
Don't be fooled by the name - its completely different from the baking yeast we are most familiar with. It is made from a single celled organism called Saccharomyces Cerevisiae. The yeast is grown on cane or beet molasses - fermented, then deactivated to stop the growing process. Nutritional Yeast is golden brown in color and is sold both as flakes and powder. It has very cheesy flavor and therefore makes for a great substitute in sauces, dips etc.

It might be especially useful for people who follow vegetarian or vegan diets as its not easy to get the required daily amount of B12 (2.5 mcg) from their diet (milk, yogurt and eggs are other sources that provide some % of B12). Now that being said, I think its best not to heat nutritional yeast which is what this recipe asks for, so this might not be the best example to make use of the B12 supplied by Nutritional yeast. Nevertheless its a great recipe to give nutritional yeast a try and let me assure you, it wont disappoint.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup Quinoa - uncooked
1 cup water
1.5 cups broccoli - chopped
1 small onion - sliced (optional)
1/2 cup peas (optional)

Sauce
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup nut milk or cow's milk
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp mustard sauce
1-2 garlic cloves - minced
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp onion powder (optional)
pinch of red chili powder
pinch of cumin powder
salt & pepper

NOTES
- You could either steam the broccoli and other vegetables or you could saute them.
- You can add other veggies along with brocolli such as carrots, peas or bell peppers.

PROCESS:

1. Sauce: Mix all the ingredients (except the milk) in a small pan and put it on low flame. Gradually add milk while stirring the sauce - till it reaches your desired consistency. You might need to add more milk if the sauce is too spicy for your taste.
2. Cook the quinoa in 1 cup of water
3. Saute the broccoli along with peas and onions if using - cook them till they have a crunchy bite.
4. Assemble the quinoa and vegetables on a plate and top it with the sauce.
5. You could garnish with hemp seeds too 

Recipe Source: Nutrition Stripped