Bento contents:

• One pan braised kale with bacon and new potatoes, 1/4th the recipe, 430 cal
• Angel shaped cheese cutout (Gruyere), 30 cal

Total calories (approx): 460 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 5-10 minutes in the morning (from leftovers of dinner the night before: see recipe for timing of kale dish)

Type: Not Japanese, gluten-free, theme bento

This is a decidedly non-Japanese, non-traditional bento. When I was working on the recipe for the kale, bacon and potato recipe, it dawned on me that the color combination was quite Christmas-y. So, this is my Christmas bento contribution for this year; not as cute as many others in the bento blogosphere (check out some great examples in the Just Bento flickr group), but taking a lot less time I bet -- working with leftovers from the night before, it came together in just about 5-10 minutes, with much of that time spent making the cutout and arranging the potatoes neatly.

I have just arranged the kale-bacon in the box with the potatoes arranged around the perimeter, in a triangular box to emphasize the Christmas tree reference, with an angel-shaped cheese cutout (using one of my seldom used Christmas cookie cutters) as an accent in the middle. I like to think that the cranberries and bacon in the dark green kale look like little ornaments...

The cheese fit surprisingly well with the kale-bacon-potato flavors. This is quite a healthy, vegetable-rich bento, besides looking festive. Kale for Christmas? Why not?

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to all Just Bento readers!

(Don't forget to get in your bids for Menu For Hope before Christmas day!)