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Hi there, my lovely people!

I hope you are enjoying this fine Arkansas spring (occasionally summer or winter, depending on the day) weather.  That's how we roll around here.

How trendy is Fayetteville these days?  We got ranked as the #3 Best Place to Live by U.S. News and we have a shiny, fancy new Whole Foods.  In regards to said Whole Foods, let me be the first to say that I was a cynic.  "I mean, come on, people, it's just a grocery store, right?!  We're not country bumpkins, we have Crystal Bridges, for crying out loud!"  And then I went in, spent $100 and walked out, blinking into the sun, having just spent 30 minutes (maybe 3 hours, who can say?) inside a black hole that sucked away all thought processes.  Well played, Whole Foods.  Well played.

Any who, I like them.  They're cool.  They can stay.  That's also how I feel about our Athinoelia Olive Oil.  Have you guys tried this?  It's perfect in every way and I just ordered more because I am addicted.  I also ordered a new mild(ish) olive oil from Portugal that should be smooth as smooth can be.  It's called Galega (I feel like that was a character on Dr. Who, but that's not a bad thing.  I hope they were green.) and it should be here next week.

That's really all I have new coming in.  We're well stocked and ready for Farmers' Market to begin the first weekend of April.  Don't forget to pop on in to say "hi" when you're out buying greens and lovely bouquets!

Now, recipes.  Living in a trendy place and seeing lots of bike riders out and about in between weeks of rain made me nostalgic for the time we spent living in Eugene, OR. There are some things I really miss about Oregon.  I miss the coast and the fresh sea food that comes with it, the wineries, and the plum trees/cherry trees/blackberry bushes that lined our neighborhood.  And I really, really miss a restaurant called Cafe Yumm.  It was one of the first places we ate when we moved there, as it was in a shopping center across the street from our little apartment, along with a Trader Joe's (when are we getting one of those?).  

Let me tell you about a little thing called a Yumm Bowl.  It is a super filling, healthy little flavor bomb.  Even devout meat eaters will fall for this. It is as follows: brown rice, black beans, chopped tomatoes, a little salsa, sliced avocados, black olives, shredded cheddar cheese, and cilantro.  Throw on some jalapenos and/or those pickled onions I talked about last blog post, if you wish.  Be sure to top it with a generous spoon full or two of Yumm Sauce and you are set. The flavor of the Yumm Sauce is really what makes it so amazing.  You can't put your finger on the exact spices and combos, but you also can't stop eating it.  And I have finally (!) perfected a copy cat recipe.  Yumm Bowls are gluten free, vegan (if you don't top it with cheese), and protein packed. If you don't like it at first, that's fine.  Try 3 more bites.  It grows on you, just like the mold and fungi did when we lived in Oregon.

I have been eating the Yumm Sauce all week.  I use it in place of hummus, and just dip baby carrots and cherry tomatoes in it as my snack.  I made a little cheese omelet with sliced avocados on the side for breakfast and added a dab of sauce since, hey, why not.  (Don't eat the banana and strawberry with the Yumm Sauce.  It would not be delicious.  I just added those to my plate because my son didn't finish his breakfast.  I am a scavenger and proud of it.)  And left over Yumm Bowls make excellent lunches, because you don't really need to heat them up.  I guess you could heat up the brown rice and beans if you want to, but I just threw everything together in a to-go container and went on my merry way.  The recipe looks weird.  Try it anyway.

I also made my first truly successful batch of brown rice. I have always loved the idea of brown rice, but it never cooks the way it is supposed to for me.  After an hour, I either have soup or a dried up mess that vaguely resembles rice.  There is no in between.  But!  This time, I won.  And I did it in the crock pot, which was great because I didn't have to worry about it boiling over and making a glutinous mess all over my stove!  Winning!  It goes like this.

Crock Pot Brown Rice
From CD Kitchen

2 c. Brown Rice (I used short grain brown rice from the bulk section at Whole Foods *wink*)
5 c. water
2 tsp. salt

1. Place all ingredients in the crock pot.  Stir, cover, and cook on High for 3 hours without removing the lid.  Perfection!

Yumm Sauce
Adapted from This site and this site and multiple trials and errors over the past 7 years
Makes about 2 cups

1/4 c. raw almonds or almond meal
1/4 c. EVOO (use a milder one, like Sevillano)
1/2 can rinsed and drained garbanzo beans
1/2 package of silken tofu
1/4 c. water
Juice of 2 lemons
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. fresh cilantro
2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. nutritional yeast (NOT baking yeast! Find nutritional yeast in the bulk section of Whole Foods *wink* or ONF.)

1. In the bowl of a food processor or a blender, put in the almonds and process until fairly fine.  Add the oil and garbanzo beans.  Pulse a bit, until smooth.  Add in everything else and process until really smooth.  You may need to add a bit more water or lemon juice, depending on your personal tastes, and if you like a thinner sauce.  It should be fairly thick, like hummus.

2. Put it in a covered container and refrigerate for an hour to meld the flavors.  It will last in the refrigerator for a while (1-2 weeks?) and I have had success with freezing it before.  It might not last you that long, though.

Well, friends, I hope you have a great Spring Break, if you get that sort of thing.

Cheers!
Andrea