A bowl of connection

When I made jewelry a few years ago, I sold exclusively online.  I had tried selling in galleries and stores but didn't like that I had no connection with the customers.  When I focused on online selling, you'd think I'd have been even more removed but it was quite the opposite.

I made some wonderful connections from customers, blog readers, Facebook readers, etc.  So frequently my customers would tell me their stories and how it related to the piece of jewelry I had made.  I had one guy tell me he was plucking up courage to propose to the girl her loved - even though he was really scared and hadn't told anyone else.  I had people tell me sad stories and how something I made helped them focus on the positive.  It was stunning and a real privilege to get to know people that way.

Since doing my health coaching, I've had less e-connections. Some from my blog, but not as many.   But one of them I do enjoy is with Mary Lou.  She found my facebook page and got in touch.  Now we are keen readers of each other posts.

A week or so ago she posted a lovely sounding recipe called The original Yumm Bowl from Cafe Yumm in Eugene, Oregon.  I thought it looked like a great lunch dish.  It is a Buddha Bowl - if you know what that is. Basically a bowl that starts with a grain like brown rice or quinoa and on top you add different veggies like avocado, black beans, garbanzos, tomato, leafy sprouts etc and then it all comes together by the addition of a yummy sauce.

So I changed the recipe a little - took out the oil and changed the dried herbs and beans to what I had in the cupboard - and delish!

I call it my "bowl of connection" as it was a lovely way to connect with Mary Lou and also because the sauce in the dish connects all the other ingredients together - binding it to create a whole, rather than separate ingredients.

Let me know if you give it a go.  If you do, I know you'll enjoy it. And of course, you can make it yours by adding what veggies and grains you like. I made a to-go version, used brown rice with lentils, quinoa and brown rice, pomegranate seeds, ....whatever was on hand.  A nice flexible lunch.

Hope you enjoy the connection.
For the "Connection" Sauce:
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup ground almonds/almond meal
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
3/4 cup garbanzo beans
1 garlic clove
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (I used Madras)
2 teaspoons of dried Italian herb seasoning

For the "Connection" Bowl:
Brown rice and/or other grain
Black beans and/or garbanzos
Diced fresh tomato
Sliced avocado
Arugula sprouts or other leafy sprouts or cilantro

For the connection sauce: In a blender, process the almond meal, nutritional yeast, garbanzo beans, garlic, curry and italian herbs together until blended.

Scrape down the side of the blender and then, with the machine running, add the lemon juice and water in a steady stream.  Scrape down the bowl again and blend for 1 minute until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Add more water if you want a runnier sauce.


Refrigerate the sauce as it will be enough for a few dishes.

To assemble the Bowl of Connection:
Put a scoop of rice/grain in the bottom of an individual bowl. Top with the other ingredients around the bowl and then pour the sauce in the center.  Enjoy!