Instant Middle East Feast

Here’s a no-cook menu for those days when you can’t stand the thought of cooking at all but don’t want to buy expensive take-out food. Hummus is to current culture what yogurt was in the seventies. And there are so many great flavors to choose from in the supermarket. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Hummus, one or two of your favorite varieties
• Ready-made tabouleh (which you’ll find right next to the hummus)
• Cured olives from the olive bar
• Rice-stuffed grape leaves from the olive bar
• Fresh pita bread or lavash, preferably whole grain
• Cherry or grape tomatoes
• Baby carrots
• Sliced cucumbers

Place the hummus, tabouleh, olive, and grape leaves containers on the table. Don’t even try to pretend that you made them by putting them in bowls! But you can warm up the pita bread if you’d like. Place the tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers on a platter, as we don’t need to be complete slackers.  Dig in to your delicious Middle East  via the supermarket feast. Yum!

• Explore other ideas for nearly-instant meals.