Here in Oregon we have a restaurant chain called Cafe Yumm which promotes healthy, earth-friendly food. Their most popular menu item is essentially a glorified bowl of rice and beans, but with the addition of their secret “Yumm sauce,” it’s strangely addicting. The sauce itself is gluten free and vegan, and a great addition to wraps, rice bowls, baked potatoes, soups, etc. There are many copy-cat homemade yumm sauce recipes floating around on the web each with their own take on it, so feel free to play around! (and if you happen to stumble upon the secret ingredient, let me know!)

Yumm Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

Makes 12 oz of sauce

– 1/4 cup canola oil

– 1/4 cup almond meal/flour (leftover from my almond milk recipe)

– 1/2 can of drained and rinsed garbanzo beans

– 1/2 package of silken tofu

– 1/4 cup filtered water

– Juice of one whole lemon

– 2-3 garlic cloves

-1/4 tsp curry powder

-1/2 tsp dried oregano

– 1/4 tsp dried basil

– 1 tsp fresh cilantro

– 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

– Dash of ground cumin

-Salt to taste

Equipment:

– Food Processor

– Measuring cups and spoons

Instructions:

Step 1: The base. Add oil, almond meal, garbanzo beans, tofu, water and lemon juice to the food processor. Blend until ingredients are all smoothly incorporated.

Step 2: The spices. Add garlic, curry powder, oregano, cilantro, basil, cumin, and nutritional yeast and blend for about 1-2 minutes, or until sauce is creamy and smooth.

Step 3: You could go ahead and use the sauce at this point, or if you possess more patience than I do, place the sauce in the fridge for an hour and allow the flavors to meld and deepen.

Ta-da! Easy, right? And the uses are endless: spread it on a wrap, dress a salad, add a dollop to your soup, sneak a spoonful straight into your mouth when no one is looking , whatever your heart desires! My favorite way to eat this delicious sauce is still in the form of the original “yumm bowl,” which is simply warm jasmine rice, black beans, chopped tomatoes, avocado, black olives and fresh cilantro. Give it a try and let me know how you use it!

Related: Vegan Sushi Bowl with Carrot Ginger Dressing

5 Tips to Best Homemade Hummus

Also by Sarah: How to Make DIY Almond Milk

Natural Beauty: Top 5 Natural Oils for Skin

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Photo: Sarah McEwing