These vegetarian Yumm Sauce Bowls are loaded up with all the toppings and drizzled with a creamy curry & cumin spiced chickpea sauce inspired by Cafe Yumm! in Eugene, Oregon. 

It’s almost been six months since I quit my corporate job and started blogging full time. It’s definitely the best decision I ever made and I haven’t looked back, but there are a few things I miss about it…

• I miss my parking spot in downtown Portland.
• I miss my co-workers.
• I miss my favorite lunch spots.

Lunch was always the highlight of my day.

Obviously… Everyday I dream about food… all day.

The spots that I really miss the most are Quickfish Poke, The Whole Bowl, and Cafe Yumm. And, if you’re not native to Portland, or haven’t visited before, you probably have no idea what the last two places I named are all about.

The Whole Bowl is a food cart with a few locations around Portland. It serves up bowls of rice & beans topped with a “Tali sauce” and then loaded up with lots of toppings like sour cream, cilantro, cheese, salsa, avocado & black olives.

Cafe Yumm is essentially the same thing… but the sauces from The Whole Bowl and Cafe Yumm taste just a little bit different… I’d say that the Tali sauce at The Whole Bowl is a bit more curry forward while the Cafe Yumm sauce is a bit more smoky. Plus, the Cafe Yumm sauce comes in a few different versions – Roasted Garlic, Chipotle and Original. I’m a huge fan of their chipotle Yumm sauce! It’s got a hint of smokiness with a little bit of heat.

I’ve been working on mastering this Yumm sauce recipe for years… Many, many years… That’s because I’ve been eating it since college. Cafe Yumm! originated in my college hometown of Eugene, Oregon and I think I ate there like once a week. Seeing as I’m now in my last year of my 30’s… you can imagine I’ve eaten my fair share of Yumm bowls!

That’s why I’m so excited to share this recipe for Yumm sauce with you today! This is for all my readers who haven’t yet had the chance to experience this amazing sauce. It’s also for all my local readers who are obsessed with this sauce as I am.

But let me warn you, it’s totally addictive… 

It’s creamy, lemony, and garlicky with the most amazing blend of spices. But there are two special ingredients that give this sauce it’s great texture and an almost cheese-sauce like quality – almond flour and nutritional yeast. You can grab both of these products from my favorite local-producer, Bob’s Red Mill.  Pouches of their almond flour and nutritional yeast are easy to find in your local store, or online.

The good thing is, this recipe makes a big batch of Yumm sauce, enough for about 8 “yummy” bowls, and it will keep in the fridge for about a week.

How Do You Make Yumm Sauce?

It’s super simple to make this sauce. Just add all the ingredients to a blender and process until smooth.

Can You Freeze Yumm Sauce?

You can freeze Yumm sauce though it may separate when thawed. Just give it a good stir, or pop it back into your blender or use an immersion blender to it process again.

How Do You Assemble Yumm Bowls?

• Start with a base of brown rice, white rice or quinoa. I love making my grains in the Instant Pot. Here’s my recipe for Instant Pot Quinoa and Instant Pot Rice.
• Add some beans. I generally heat up a can of drained and rinsed red beans, but you could also top these bowls with black beans or chickpeas. You could even add some sliced chicken.
• Pile on the toppings – Tomatoes, olives, avocado, salsa, cheese, cilantro, sesame seeds.
• Drizzle on the Yumm sauce to your liking. I like a lot of sauce on my bowl.
• Enjoy!

I hope you love these Yumm Sauce Bowls as much as I do! If you do, I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.

Yumm Sauce Bowls

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: yumm bowls, yumm sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 351 kcal

Author: Inspired by Cafe Yumm!

These vegetarian Yumm Sauce Bowls are loaded up with all the toppings and drizzled with a creamy curry & cumin spiced chickpea sauce inspired by Cafe Yumm!

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Ingredients

Yumm Sauce:

• 3/4 cup canned garbanzo beans drained & rinsed
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup water plus additional as needed to thin
• 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill almond flour
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 3-4 lemons
• 1/3 cup silken tofu
• 1/4 cup Bob's Red Mill nutritional yeast
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried cilantro
• ½ teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder optional

Bowls:

• Rice or Quinoa
• Beans
• Avocado sliced
• Tomatoes chopped
• Black olives sliced
• Cheddar cheese shredded
• Cilantro
• Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream
• Sesame Seeds for topping

Instructions

1. Add ingredients to a high-speed blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate until serving.

2. To assemble place about 1 cup rice in bowl, drizzle on Yumm Sauce, then top with 1/2 cup beans, avocado, tomatoes, olives, cheese, cilantro and top with greek yogurt or sour cream. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. 

Recipe Notes

Yumm sauce will store in the fridge for up to one week. It can also be frozen, but may separate. Just give it a good stir, or pop it back into your blender or use an immersion blender to process again. 

I teamed up with Bob’s Red Mill to bring you this post. I love their products and I think you will to! As always, all opinions are my own. 

Looking for more bowl recipes? Be sure to try these too: 

Quinoa Taco Bowls

Chicken Gyro Bowls with Quinoa

Shrimp Spring Roll Noodle Bowls

Fish Taco Bowls with Mango Salsa & Avocado Cream Sauce

Slow Cooker Steak Carnitas Bowls