Going vegan is difficult, especially if you’re a heavy meat or dairy consumer. But there is some fairly robust research indicating that a diet containing less animal product can be beneficial for our health and the environment. Instead of getting overly ambitious, going full-on vegan overnight, why not try incorporating some cheese, meat, and dairy alternatives into your everyday meals?

The primary flavor animal products bring to our taste buds is umami– which is a savory and, well, meat-ish flavor– but is not exclusive to meat. Case in point: “Dried Olive Miso Rosemary Shake”, which is billed as a vegan alternative to parmesan cheese. I call it “Umami Sprinkles” cause that’s shorter and cuter, and I think you’ll love this condiment no matter how much meat and cheese you consume.

This recipe is from Serious Eats, available at this link.

A few notes on the ingredients:

The olives are crucial to making this recipe work, so don’t use the ones in a can. Jarred manzanilla olives with pimentos are a fine choice; keep in mind the additional acid from the peppers will make the sprinkles a bit tangier.

Additionally, it’s important you use the milder, sweeter white miso in this recipe instead of the red miso, which is darker and has a more intense flavor.

And finally, once you obtain the zest of those three or four lemons, don’t throw the fruit away! Juice the lemons immediately and save it for a later recipe, like a quick vinaigrette.

I saw you glance back up at the cooking time! Yes, umami sprinkles are time-consuming, but once you add them on top of your popcorn or pasta, you’ll be fine with that sacrifice. They are very addicting. So whether you’re vegan or just looking for a new condiment, try to toast up a batch soon! I’ll leave you with one final, non-vegan recommendation: this stuff is really good on salmon steaks.