Night-Before Middle Eastern Bento

Hummus with olive oil and paprika, deviled eggs with saffron, broccoli, baby carrots, mint tea, tangerine, cookies

Most of the bentos you find online, as well as most of the books, feature Japanese food. And, of course that makes sense, because the bento originated there. But there is no rule that says bento has to be made with Japanese-style food. Sure, the Japanese have elevated lunch to an art and you'll find many great ideas, especially for the gluten-free among us, but if you search a bit, you'll also find bentos with enchiladas, tamales, calzones, blintzes--any food that can be packed neatly and tastes good at room temperature.

This is a nice Middle-Eastern bento, and it's a frequent favorite because the kids like it and I can make the whole thing the night before. Keep the ingredients on hand so that as soon as your daughter tells you, "Oh, yeah, you have to braid my hair in the morning to go with the Artemis costume for my social studies project," you can pack everyone's lunch after dinner.

Hummus is tasty with lots of different vegetables like carrots, turnips, celery, cucumbers, radishes, cherry tomatoes, jicama, or even apple slices. (Apple slices, or anything that might turn brown, are best cut in the morning.) You can also add olives, pickles, crackers, pretzels or any number of shelf-stable foods to round it out.  Make it more on the stiff side so it travels better--runny hummus can be a mess. Another easy addition to this bento would be canned grape leaves--I usually keep some in my stash for emergencies; they're not too expensive and they seem like a special treat. Sub grape leaves for the egg to make a vegan bento.

Hummus Recipe

Before I write the recipe, you must know that what separates good hummus from "just okay" hummus is the ingredients, particularly the freshness of the tahini and the texture of the beans. Sesame paste goes rancid fairly easily--keep it in the fridge, and if there is any bitterness or rancidity, toss it. As for beans, they must blend up creamy, not gritty. Sometimes beans cooked from scratch are fine, and other times they don't have good texture. My favorite canned beans are the Al Wadi brand: One 15-oz can makes enough hummus for 3 or 4 lunches, depending on what you pack.

1-15oz can of chickpeas, drained and brine reserved
~1/2 cup of tahini (two big blobs)
~1/2 clove garlic, or to taste
juice of one lemon
salt to taste
ground cumin to taste

Put the chickpeas, tahini, lemon, and garlic into a food processor and blend well. Add the brine a bit at a time to make it smooth but not runny. Add salt and cumin to taste. Put it into silicone cups or lidded containers; drizzle with olive oil and a shake of paprika. Serve with cut up vegetables and apple slices.

Apple Slices for Bento

Cut the cold apples into quarters or eights, depending on your purpose. Put them into a bowl of cold water for a few minutes. (Some people add salt or vinegar to the water, but I don't.) This keeps them from turning brown for a few hours. Try cutting one red and one green apple, and packing the slices in alternating colors!