"Yumm/Whole" Style Bowls With Lemony-Garlic Tahini Sauce

If you've lived in Portland or Eugene, you're probably familiar with The Whole Bowl and/or Cafe Yumm, and the delicious bowls of rice, salsa, beans, olives, and special sauce that they serve up. We've been making these type of bowls for a few years, probably at least once a month - they're yummy, quick, and filling; and dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, vegan. The problem is, we don't live near a Yumm Sauce vendor (nor do we want to pay $$ for a jar of sauce), and the Tali sauce (or sometimes called "crack sauce") at Whole Bowl is shrouded in secrecy. So, this is my best attempt to emulate it. I don't know if it's exactly like it, but whatever it is, it's good! We've also thrown the leftover sauce in soup, burritos, and in pasta.

Makes enough for about 4 people, or 2 with leftovers. As with any recipe I post, feel free to omit things you don't like and add things you do!

Ingredients for the Bowls:

• 2 cups of cooked brown or white rice (from 1 cup dry rice)
  
• 1 can of black beans, drained, rinsed, and cooked (or 3/4 of a cup dried black beans, boiled and drained)
• 1 can of sliced black olives
• 3/4 cup salsa of choice
• 1-2 ripe avocados, chopped into cubes
  
• 1 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped (optional, I guess - I have a few friends who don't like cilantro - but mandatory for a cilantro-lover like me!)
  
• green onion, chopped, for garnish (optional)
• sour cream or vegan sour cream (optional, but ewww in my opinion)
• shredded cheese or vegan cheese (also optional, I've never made it with cheese but I believe it is served with cheese at Whole Bowl)
• tortilla chips (I like to eat it with chips instead of a fork! mmm.)
  

To make yourself a bowl, layer desired amounts of cooked rice, beans, olives, salsa, and avocado in your bowl. Add a heaping spoonful of the "secret sauce" (below) and stir with some cilantro. Add whatever else on top if you want (cheese, sour cream, chives).

Ingredients for the Lemony-Garlic Tahini "Secret Sauce:"

• 1/3 cup tahini
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 5-7 garlic cloves
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup water

Blend tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and nutritional yeast in a food processor or blender, adding very small amounts of water gradually until the desired consistency is achieved. It will vary depending on the tahini you use (I use this kind, but don't endorse the racist packaging) - I like the consistency of a thick soup or gravy, but runnier than hummus.

Here's a picture of it all stirred together (I was told this looked gross, but whatever... I'm no food photographer!):