Temari Rabbit Bento Bowl #14

Quinoa, mango, and black bean salad (from Eating Well Serves Two); baby carrots; mini cucumber slices; homemade black bean hummus (I had to do something with the extra beans); and blueberries.

This is vegan and gluten free. Go figure.

The cilantro in this quinoa salad came from my window garden, but after aphids attacked said garden, I had to replace the plant. My new cilantro plant is not exactly thriving but it's doing much better, sans aphids, than the last one. Next I'll have to replace the sickly dill. Window gardening is turning out to have challenges I had not anticipated.

I had the intention to make my own hummus for months now and just haven't gotten around to it. Mostly I didn't want to be stuck with vast quantities of homemade hummus--it's hard to eat any recipe up alone--so I improvised with this when I ended up stuck with half a can of black beans. You do what you can when you're cooking for one. To give credit where it is due, I was inspired by this recipe.

Black Bean Hummus
Makes about 1 cup

1 small garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed if canned
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon tahini
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika for garnish (optional)

Put all ingredients except paprika in a bowl. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. When serving, top with paprika, if desired.