Edible Diorama
Last Updated on November 21, 2025 by Heather Reseck
Belief Bakery
This recipe originally appeared in the November 26, 2022 issue of Guide magazine, a publication for children ages 10-14. It is the ninth in a series of 28 installments called “Belief Bakery” which uses a hands-on cooking project to illustrate the 28 fundamental beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists.
This project is in collaboration with my husband, Greg Reseck, an educator, who tests the recipes with the students in his classroom.
We emphasize the love of God and Biblical concepts and tie them into fun cooking projects with healthy plant-based recipes.
Celebrating Jesus
It’s fun to celebrate birthdays with parties, gifts, and special food.
At Christmas, Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus. His birth was such a significant event that it created a dividing line in world history. It separates B.C. (Before Christ) from A.D., an abbreviation for the Latin phrase Anno Domini nostri Jesu which means “in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Have you ever been to a memorial service? It’s often called a “celebration of life” because we focus on the good memories and the positive ways the person impacted others.
At Easter we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. We focus on His resurrection, but that couldn’t have happened without His death. He died so we could be forgiven. By His resurrection, Jesus defeated death and demonstrated that He was indeed God.
We invite you to personalize John 3:16. For this is how God loves __________ (insert your name): He gave his one and only Son, so that I can have eternal life. (Adapted from John 3:16, NLT.)
Did you know that there’s another John 3:16 verse in the Bible? God wants you to get this message, so He repeated it in the book of First John. Here’s the personalized version: I know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for me. (Adapted from 1 John 3:16, NLT).
In the ultimate expression of love Jesus became a baby and lived a perfect life. By willingly dying for you He proved that He loves you more than His own life. This demonstration of love doesn’t end there. Because of His victory over sin and death, you can experience eternal life and a forever friendship with Him.
That’s love worth celebrating. This cooking project is an edible way of celebrating the redeeming love of Jesus. It has two parts. First, you’ll make hummus, which forms the base of the edible diorama. Then you’ll use vegetables to depict three aspects of Jesus’ love:
- the manger represents His birth
- the cross represents His death
- the empty tomb represents His resurrection
Edible Diorama featuring Hummus with Veggies
Information for Kids
- Adult supervision is recommended for inexperienced junior chefs.
- Difficulty: Intermediate
- Safety: Uses a sharp knife
Before You Begin
- Read through the recipe, variations, and tips.
- Arrange to buy any ingredients that you need.
Steps to Get Ready to Cook
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Gather the equipment.
- Gather the ingredients.
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Liquid measure for the water
- Food processor or blender
- Rubber spatula
- Can opener
- Colander
- Garlic press, optional
- Citrus juicer, optional
- Small bowl
- Paring knife
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Vegetable peeler
- 2 dinner plates
- Cereal bowl
Ingredients for Hummus
- 1(15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzos)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
- 1 small garlic clove
- ¼ cup tahini (see Tips)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/3 cup water
Other Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) bag mini sweet peppers
- 1 cucumber
- 2 large carrots
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 1 leaf baby spinach or lettuce
Directions
- Place the colander in the sink. Open the can of chickpeas and pour it into the colander. Rinse with water and drain thoroughly.
- Place the lemon on the counter and use the palm of your hand to put pressure on and roll it back and forth several times to make it easier to juice. Cut the lemon in half horizontally. Squeeze the juice into a small bowl with a citrus juicer or your hand. Remove seeds with a spoon.
- Crush the garlic on the counter with the bottom of a measuring cup. Remove the peel and discard. Press the garlic with a garlic press (or finely chop it with a knife.)
- Place the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, tahini, salt, cumin, and water in the food processor or blender.
- Process for about 1 minute. Stop and scrape the sides. Continue to process until smooth, another 1 to 2 minutes.
- If the hummus is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of water and process again.
- Scrape the hummus into the cereal bowl. Set aside.
- For the manger: Slice a small mini sweet pepper in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds. Slice a small piece of sugar snap pea to fit inside one of the pepper halves to represent baby Jesus. Tear off a small piece of baby spinach to wrap around it for blanket.
- For the cross: Peel a carrot. Cut the widest part diagonally into a ¼-inch thick slab. Cut it into a cross shape. (See the video.)
- For the empty tomb: Slice the stem end from a mini sweet pepper. Scrape the seeds out. Slice a thin cucumber round to depict the stone that was rolled away.
- To assemble: Turn the dinner plate upside down to create a raised surface. Place 3 spoonfuls of hummus (about 2 tablespoons each) on the plate, spacing them evenly apart. Place the manger on the left mound, the cross upright in the center mound, and the empty tomb on the right mound with the cucumber slice partially covering the opening.
- Cut the remaining vegetables into smaller pieces for dipping. Arrange on a plate.
- Place the diorama on the table as a centerpiece. Serve with hummus and fresh vegetables for dipping.
Variations
- Include other fresh vegetables such as celery, broccoli, or cauliflower.
Tips
- Tahini is sesame seed butter. It is available in most grocery stores in the international or natural food section.
- Hummus will thicken in the refrigerator. If it gets too thick, stir in a small amount of water.
- Serve hummus as a dip for vegetables, pita chips, tortilla chips, or crackers.
Recipe Video
Edible Diorama Featuring Hummus with Veggies
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Liquid measure for the water
- Food processor or blender
- Rubber spatula
- Can opener
- Colander
- Garlic press, optional
- Citrus juicer, optional
- Small bowl
- Paring knife
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Vegetable peeler
- 2 dinner plates
- Cereal bowl
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Hummus:
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzos)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from 1 large lemon
- 1 small garlic clove
- ¼ cup tahini see Tips
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅓ cup water
Other Ingredients:
- 1 16-ounce bag mini sweet peppers
- 1 cucumber
- 2 large carrots
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 1 leaf baby spinach or lettuce
Instructions
- Place the colander in the sink. Open the can of chickpeas and pour it into the colander. Rinse with water and drain thoroughly.
- Place the lemon on the counter and use the palm of your hand to put pressure on and roll it back and forth several times to make it easier to juice. Cut the lemon in half horizontally. Squeeze the juice into a small bowl with a citrus juicer or your hand. Remove seeds with a spoon.
- Crush the garlic on the counter with the bottom of a measuring cup. Remove the peel and discard. Press the garlic with a garlic press (or finely chop it with a knife.)
- Place the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, tahini, salt, cumin, and water in the food processor or blender.
- Process for about 1 minute. Stop and scrape the sides. Continue to process until smooth, another 1 to 2 minutes.
- If the hummus is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of water and process again.
- Scrape the hummus into the cereal bowl. Set aside.
- For the manger: Slice a small mini sweet pepper in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds. Slice a small piece of sugar snap pea to fit inside one of the pepper halves to represent baby Jesus. Tear off a small piece of baby spinach to wrap around it for blanket.
- For the cross: Peel a carrot. Cut the widest part diagonally into a ¼-inch thick slab. Cut it into a cross shape. (See the video.)
- For the empty tomb: Slice the stem end from a mini sweet pepper. Scrape the seeds out. Slice a thin cucumber round to depict the stone that was rolled away.
- To assemble: Turn the dinner plate upside down to create a raised surface. Place 3 spoonfuls of hummus (about 2 tablespoons each) on the plate, spacing them evenly apart. Place the manger on the left mound, the cross upright in the center mound, and the empty tomb on the right mound with the cucumber slice partially covering the opening.
- Cut the remaining vegetables into smaller pieces for dipping. Arrange on a plate.
- Place the diorama on the table as a centerpiece. Serve with hummus and fresh vegetables for dipping.
Notes
- Tahini is sesame seed butter. It is available in most grocery stores in the international or natural food section.
- Hummus will thicken in the refrigerator. If it gets too thick, stir in a small amount of water.
- Serve hummus as a dip for vegetables, pita chips, tortilla chips, or crackers.
- Include other fresh vegetables such as celery, broccoli, or cauliflower.
