As a military spouse and a mom, I’m asked to make food for events way more often than I ever was before I got married. Usually it’s fun planning and preparing healthy dishes for gatherings that often become conversation starters. Cooking is one of my favorite hobbies so I don’t mind putting the time and effort into my dishes —except for when there is no time.

Last week, I was invited to a breakfast to meet casually with the other parents of the children in my daughter’s class. It happened to fall on a morning when I had agreed to teach a 6 a.m yoga class. So, I needed to teach class, get home in bad weather, shower, and get food ready, all before breakfast. There was no time for an elaborate dish, yet I wanted to take something that could serve as my meal in case there weren’t any other healthy choices.

So, I made a party-sized version of the quinoa hummus bowl that I often eat for lunch. I just cooked up a cup of quinoa according to the package directions, cut up/shred whatever veggies I had on hand, and added a bowl of hummus. I have braces on my teeth right now, so I shred my vegetables whenever possible, but I found that it’s a really fast way to prep using my food processor. Bzzzzz, and it’s done. By the time I got the veggies prepped, the quinoa was cooked and ready to go. For presentation, I just alternated and balanced colors. For this particular dish I used organic heirloom carrots that came in yellow, orange, dark orange, and purple. Those became the conversation starter, and I didn’t have to spend a lot of time prepping to get that conversation going.

This is what went into my party bowl:

• Red quinoa, rinsed and cooked according to package directions

• Mediterranean hummus

• Red pepper, chopped

• Persian cucumbers, quartered and chopped

• Heirloom carrots of many colors, shredded

• Green cabbage, shredded

What is your favorite fast and healthy party dish?