Today’s recipe has become a total favorite at our house the last couple of months. I think we have had it at least once a week and for someone that rarely repeats recipes that is saying something! My husband loves it! I don’t think he would mind eating it several times a week and he usually does because it takes the leftovers to work.
We first discovered the concept of a Yum Bowl a few months ago when Tessa returned from one of the many graduation parties she attended. I asked her what they had had to eat and she said, “a yum bowl.” I had no idea what she was taking about but thanks to that party we have discovered the world of a Yum Bowl.
The concept of a Yum Bowl was originated by a restaurant, Cafe Yumm, in Eugene, Oregon. Fortunately for us, one has opened up in Portland too. But thanks to a little Googling, I can now put together a Yum or Yummy Bowl as we like to call it at home anytime I want.
It has become our favorite thing to have when neither of us feel like cooking but we want something quick and easy that tastes delicious and is healthy too.
The secret to a Yummy Bowl is in the sauce. The restaurant makes and sells their own secret sauce.
Since I know most of you don’t live in close proximity to a Cafe Yumm I have a homemade version of Yummy Sauce for you today.
A Yummy bowl is also another great way to use up some of that leftover rotisserie chicken we have been talking about this week.
A Yummy bowl starts with a nice layer of rice. White or brown will work but I prefer brown rice.
You can basically use just about anything you have in your refrigerator or have on hand.
Here’s what I use.
My leftover rotisserie chicken, grated cheese, broccoli slaw, shredded carrots, green onions, chopped tomato, toasted almonds, teriyaki sauce and of course Yummy Sauce (the secret)
The combinations are endless!
After the rice I put on a nice layer of Yummy sauce.
Then your cheese of choice. I went for Monterey Jack and Cheddar because that is what I usually have on hand.
And then a layer of your vegetables – carrots, broccoli slaw, green onions, tomatoes – get creative!
And then top it with your chicken, toasted almonds and some teriyaki sauce if you’d like.
The flavor combinations are really endless.
How about a Mediterranean version with hummus, avocado, tomato, black olive and of course all of them with Yummy Sauce
A Thai version with cilantro, basil, avocado, carrots and cashews.
A Southwest version with avocado, black beans, olives, sour cream, salsa and cilantro.
Or keep it totally vegetarian with avocado, black beans, olives, tomatoes, carrots, hummus and some nuts on top!
Like I said – the options are endless. Let me know if you come up with any fun flavor combinations for a Yummy Bowl!!
Thanks to food.com I was able to find a make at home version of Yummy Sauce. Now some of the ingredients are ones that are not usually found in your average kitchen pantry. I had to make a special trip to the health food store (Whole Foods) but it was totally worth it. Whole Foods is where I found the nutritional yeast (in the bulk food section), almond flour (although you can make your own) and canned, cooked soybeans. You could cook your own soy beans but I bought them These soy beans are not the green edamame beans.
I just store the extra sauce in a jar in my refrigerator and it lasts for a couple of months. Although it never lasts that long here because we use it so much.
I suppose you could make a Yummy Bowl without the Yummy Sauce but it wouldn’t be quite as yummy!
- Layer One - Rice brown or white
- Layer Two - Yummy Sauce
- Layer Three - Cheese of choice
- Layer Four - Vegetables such as shredded carrots broccoli slaw, tomatoes, green onions, avocados, olives, etc.
- Layer Five - Chicken or other meat of choice
- Layer Six - Chopped nuts almonds, peanuts, cashews, etc.
- Layer Five - Teriyaki sauce or other sauce of choice or nothing!
- 1/2 C canola oil
- 1/2 C almonds for a creamier sauce, use almond flour
- 1/3 C nutritional yeast Whole Foods
- 1/2 C chickpeas or 1/2 C garbanzo beans cooked
- 1/4 C soybeans cooked
- 1/2 C filtered water I just used bottled water
- 1/2 C fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried cilantro
- Yummy Sauce
- Combine almonds, beans and oil in blender or food processor and process.
- Add all other ingredients and puree until nice and creamy smooth.
- Cover and let refrigerate for one hour. Keep refrigerated between uses.
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What role does the yeast play in the sauce? Does the sauce ferment? I need to keep our yeast intake minimal. I would love to make the sauce but wonder what it would be like without the yeast. Thoughts?
Nutritional Yeast is a deactivated yeast. It is a source of protein and vitamins, especially the B-complex vitamins, and is a complete protein. The sauce doesn’t ferment.
This looks fantastic! I can’t get enough of Costco’s rotisserie chicken. FYI, you can find nutritional yeast in the bulk foods section of WinCo. It is a health-food supplement that is high in vitamin B and protein, and gives foods a cheesy, nutty, and smooth taste. Its a great substitute for cheese, used by vegans and those who can’t tolerate dairy.
Is this dish served hot or cold?
It could be served either but I prefer it room temperature/cool
I love Yum bowls thanks! I made this right away, delicious. I couldn’t help adding some garlic as well. I didn’t read very carefully (still good but will try again with the right stuff!) before making it and used green soybeans I found in the freezer section of the store. Where do you find the other kind? Are they canned or dried and how do you cook them? Thanks!!!
I found them canned, on the bean aisle at Whole Foods. So they are already cooked and ready to add in.
Thanks for this recipe, we’re trying to eat better and this looks pretty darn healthy, and as I go I can tailor on the nuts and oil once I get the hang of it. I think I’m going to stop at Whole Foods later so I can make this tomorrow night for dinner.
Thanks again!
Ok, so I made the yummy sauce monday and the rest of the dinner tonight…my husband and really enjoyed it!! Since I have more yum sauce left I’m going to take your advice and have it again on monday:)
One question, I had never had nutritional yeast before and Whole Foods sold me a rather large container but now that I realize how good it is for you, I wondered if you had other recipes up your sleeve that use it??
Thanks! Christi
I don’t but I think I’ll have to come up with some so I can use the rest of mine too!!
I’ve heard of people sprinkling it on popcorn. Haven’t tried it though.
This sounds sooo good 🙂 Sounds like a trip to Whole Foods is in my future!
Hi Leigh Anne, I have been able to find everything except the canned soybeans. Do you know what brand your were? I have seen some black soy beans by Eden farms on amazon. This recipe looks awesome and I can’t wait to try it!!!! Thanks a bunch!
I found them at Whole Foods – can’t remember the brand name but next time I am there I will look and let you know. They were in with all the other canned beans.
Thanks, Leigh Anne! I don’t have a Whole Foods here in Huntsville, Alabama, but I do have a few other larger grocery stores I’m going to check, just further away. I had the Kroger employee baffled yesterday when I asked him!
Finally found them at Publix!!!! In case anyone else is looking!!! They are Publix Greenwise brand and were right with all the other beans! I was so excited, the cashier thought I was nuts!
Yeah! So glad you found them. The simple joys in life are the best!!
This recipe is fantastic!. We have eaten it 3 days in a row. Thanks
It is our new family favorite too. So glad you enjoyed it
Leigh Anne,
I continue to make this and we both love it. I’m so glad you posted it and even more glad we tried it! I make the brown rice with chicken broth which I think gives it even better flavor and if I make the rice ahead of time, it’s an easy, fairly quick dinner for a weeknight which is great.
I’ve been making extra yummy sauce so that we can have a few dinners out of it before I have to make more.
Truly a YUMMY dinner!
I am wondering about the soybeans? I can’t find them anywhere!!!! I found black soy beans… but are they suppossed to be white? Ugggghhh. I want to try this!!
Do you have a Whole Foods or New Seasons near you – any type of health food store? They should carry them. You want the canned ones – not the dry ones.
I have called whole foods and they said they didn’t carry them. Plus, it is 30 miles away. I have called every health food store around me in Phoenix and everyone says that they do not carry them. 🙁 I found all the other ingredients but that. I have never cooked with soybeans. Do you think the black or the cooked edemame beans would work?
Just use canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas) in place of the soy beans, it won’t change the flavor, and works just as well.
can i use something besides almonds or almond flour?
I did a little research and it said flaxseed meal would work (you could grind your own from flax seed) Do you have an almond allergy?? You could try some other type of nut and grind it to see how it works. Let me know if you try something else and how it works. Not sure how it would effect the flavor though.
You can use soaked raw cashews, soak 1/2 c raw cashews in 1 c filtered or bottled water for a couple hours or overnight. Drain and rinse then use in place of the almonds in this sauce.
Ive always wanted to go to whole foods, but never have. Thought i knew right where it was on cornell rd!!! I thought it was right around tanasborne, mapquest told me it was down by the airport!! Im glad I finally found it, across from tanasbourne!! (back and forth, back and forth!) They didn’t have bulk almond flour and the bag was $10 so I didnt buy it. Which is why im asking if i can substitute something…
Almond flour is expensive but you can grind your own – if you have a good blender or coffee grinder just buy almonds and make your own flour – much less expensive.
We are trying the yummy bowl and sauce tonight. It had been on my mind to try it for sometime and thanks to your mention of it again in yesterday’s post- I made it to Whole Foods today for the ingrediants. The nutritional yeast is new to me and is a litte stinky.
Dana, The yeast is a rather strange smell but when everything gets mixed up together it tastes Yummy!!
Thanks for the recipe. My husband, myself, and my two teenage girls loved these bowls. We had them last month and are having them again in Feb. It is rare we find a recipe all 4 people like. Love it.
I did use the black soy beans from Whole Foods and it was terrific. The black soy beans in a can were the only one’s I could find. I will have to look at other stores to see if I can find something else.
DO YOU THINK THE YUMMY SAUCE WOULD FREEZE?
I have never frozen it before – you could experiment and freeze a small amount and see what happens. I wonder if it would separate once it is thawed? If you give it a try I’d love to know how it works.
I LOVE Yum Yum bowls. Every time we drive through Eugene, we have to stop at that restaurant, which is about once a year. This will be my first attempt at trying them at home. Thanks for the tips and for saving us an eight hour drive;)
There are several Cafe Yum’s in Portland now so if you are ever in Portland you will have to visit! My college daughter lives on Yum Sauce!
Hi Leigh Ann, just an fyi, there is a Cafe yum in Beaverton
http://www.cafeyumm.com/locations.html
I have discovered it! Thanks.
Can you substitute the soybeans for more chickpeas? Do the soybeans affect the flavor of the sauce?
I have substituted chickpeas for soybeans and it worked great so you could probably do it the other way too! Give it a try and let me know.
Thank you so much for this! We have now been making this for about 6 weeks. 1-2 times per week. I love how flexible it can be for serving a lot of people and dealing with a variety of food restrictions! Not an easy task.
I looked up on food.com the recipe that is posted there and it also has 1-2 cloves of garlic. I was wondering if you left that out for a specific reason?
Thanks again for sharing!
My friend made this the other night and used tofu instead of cooked soy beans. It was delicious and tofu can be found anywhere!
So good to know! Thanks for sharing.
All nice recipes, Leigh Ann. Thank you and have a Happy Sunday!
I have to say that I use your recipe for Yummy Bowls about once a month. We totally love it! The way we make it, we’re not losing any weight-loss contests, but it’s still healthy. We add brown rice, yummy sauce, cheese, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, sliced almonds, tomatoes, avocados and teriyaki sauce. Sometimes we’ll throw in diced red bell peppers or black beans. Super filling! We could always go for a lower calorie version, but it’s so incredible with the avocado, lots of yummy sauce and cheese.
I am so glad you love them too. I haven’t made them in a while and now you have me craving them!!
Hi, this sounds so good and healthy. How is it served— in a large bowl and each person takes a serving?
Rosie, I serve it as individual servings, a bowl for each person.