Have you heard?! It’s National Burrito Day! As if we needed an excuse to gorge on everyone’s favorite combination of deliciousness all wrapped in a tidy package you can hold with one hand!

I’m still confused as to why I had to go to work today…and go to jury duty for that matter (Side Note: I’m a first-time juror!) - shouldn’t the government be closed for this important occasion?!

But, I digress.

Today I was inspired to celebrate this great holiday-I’ve-never-heard-of by making my own version of a deconstructed burrito…otherwise known as - a burrito bowl! And, because I’m from Eugene, Oregon and couldn’t help myself, I decided to add something us Eugeneans call “Yumm Sauce.”

Yumm Sauce is the crack-like topping found at Café Yumm!, and, if you’ve spent much time in Eugene or the Pacific Northwest, you surely know all about it. To be clear, the recipe I use isn’t their recipe, just the one I came up with after college when I moved to San Francisco and found myself Yumm Sauce-less and alone in a big city. (Girls’ gotta have her favorite condiment!)

So today I share with you my version of a burrito with a few twists. My favorite part is that this bowl also happens to be dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegan! However, if you wanted to add chicken, steak, or cheddar cheese, I think any of those would be delicious. But I can assure you, it’s filling and protein-packed enough as-is.

One of my favorite things about this dish is that it is wonderful with the rice and beans heated up as a dinner, but it’s also perfect straight out of the fridge for leftovers. And this working girl loves a healthy yet hearty homemade lunch!

YUMMIEST BURRITO BOWL

(makes ~four servings. Prep time: 30 minutes, cook time: 40 minutes)

INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup organic brown rice (cooked with water and dash sea salt)
- 1 can pinto beans (could substitute black beans)
- 6 leaves romaine lettuce
- 1-2 ripe tomatoes
- 1 avocado
- cilantro for garnish

RACHEL’S YUMM SAUCE
- 1/4 cup raw or sprouted almonds
- 1/4 cup garbanzo beans (drained, and rinsed)
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp. curry powder
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- small handful fresh cilantro

1. Cook brown rice according to package directions.

2. MEANWHILE, TO MAKE THE SAUCE: Using a high-speed blender or the small insert of a food processor, combine almonds, garbanzo beans, oil and water. Blend well. Next, add remaining sauce ingredients and blend again. Transfer sauce to jar to let flavors develop and meld while you’re preparing the rest of the meal.

~kill some time~ (I typically listen to an Audible or a podcast - and clean the mess I’ve already managed to make in the kitchen)

3. Approximately 10 minutes before brown rice is ready, put beans in small saucepan to heat up. Dice tomatoes, chop romaine lettuce, avocados, and cilantro.

4. Assemble your bowl and dig in!!!

Holistic nutrition notes:

I use avocado oil in the sauce because it has a mild flavor. I’ve tried using olive oil, but the flavor was too prominent. I recommend not using canola oil because it’s a heavily pesticide-sprayed, (and commonly GMO) crop.
When cooking garlic, hit the garlic clove with the flat edge of your knife to break open the peel and slightly crush the clove, then let it rest for 5-10 minutes. This increases the garlic’s natural allicin and anti-inflammatory properties. In this recipe, we aren’t heating the garlic, but this is a great practice to get in.

I’m telling you, I could eat this every day.

Stay tuned for a garbanzo bean recipe - perfect if you open a whole can and only use part of it, like in this recipe. Because, nobody likes a food waster.

Thanks so much for reading and please share in the comments if you have any favorite burrito bowl toppings!

~Rachel

Yummiest Burrito Bowl

YUMMIEST BURRITO BOWL

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