Happy Little Bento

Spinach Gyoza Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 03:04:00 +0000

Spinach Gyoza Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Gyoooooza! I found spinach wrappers in the grocery so I had to make gyoza. I think the green color is pretty cool-looking. I used ground turkey meat and added chopped scallions and choy mixed in to make the filling. This double stainless steel box set I got from Bento & Co comes in handy for this kind of bento. I placed as many gyoza as could fit into one box, atop a bed of shredded cabbage, and in the other box I packed the usual fruit (cara cara oranges, strawberry, blackberries, tomato) and vegetables (broccoli, carrots, and edamame). We have a glut of cara cara oranges around here; I can get a net bag of about 12 oranges for 99c. As a result, they make an appearance in daily bento, at breakfast, and in my midday smoothie. I love their ruby pink color, and they are sweet and juicy. Score!

Dry Curry Rainbow Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 03:41:00 +0000

Dry Curry Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Okay, there isn't really a rainbow in here, but it's pretty cheerfully colorful! I packed MisterMan's dry curry in his metal "apple" shaped bento bowl, which I love. It's good for donburi type rice bowl meals such as this one: I put some mixed black rice (with millet and amaranth) on the bottom, and then scooped some dry curry on top. Dry curry is great for bento because there isn't a lot of soup or gravy to get soggy or leak out. And since this box isn't leakproof, it would have been a concern. I made this dry curry by browning ground meat and sauteeing a mix of diced vegetables such as carrots, bell peppers, celery, garlic and onion - I also added potatoes, zucchini and corn - then sprinkling 1-2T curry to the ingredients to release the aromatics. I added about 1/2C water and 2T tonkatsu sauce, stirred and simmered until well absorbed and "dry." If it's too strong you can add applesauce to sweeten it up, which is what I did. Or you can add ketchup. The top tier of this cute bowl contains cara cara oranges, strawberries, grapes, blackberries and blueberries. And a tomato and a couple slivers of mandarinquat. I sent this lunch to school at room temperature, but it's also a great candidate for a thermal jar, to ensure a hot curry meal on a cool winter day.
Added to What's For Lunch.

Wings of Bento, and a Celebration

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 02:49:00 +0000

Wings of Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

As I was going through my bento stash, I found this two-tier rectangular stainless steel Ecolunchbox set. It comes with a smaller, lidded box that fits into the top tier and is useful for packing things that you'd like to keep contained. The other Ecolunchbox I have (the oval one you can see here and here) also includes a separate small box, which seems to be where this company stands out. I like the quality of these boxes; the metal is sturdy and well-constructed enough to survive a typical lunchbag-swinging kid. This one, like the other one, has a tight latch, which you might need to practice with your child to make sure he can open and close it easily. Here I've packed some tebasaki (Japanese Grilled Chicken Wings with Sea Salt - method and recipe here), roasted diced taters and asparagus spears in the lower tier, and strawberries, carrots, blood oranges in the top tier, along with cottage cheese and blueberries in the little tin.

As for the kids' accomplishments last Friday, MisterMan finished first in the 3rd Grade District Spelling Bee! He beat out 27 other kids from 8 other schools to take home the medal. Interestingly, although the kids were given a list of about a thousand potential words to study, the second half of the bee drew from a secret list that the kids would only have been able to recognize from their reading. Not surprisingly, most of them were eliminated during that half; and some of those words were tough! MM never cracked under pressure, and spelled the winning word, "admirably", admirably. So proud of him! As for TinySprite, she appears to have performed well in her Kindergarten Readiness Interview, as we received her positive evaluation today. So as promised, they celebrated with their own double ice cream cones this past weekend: pistachio and chocolate chip for him, and chocolate and blueberry cheesecake for her. ^_^

Salmon, Tots and Kale Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 02:54:00 +0000

Salmon, Tots and Kale Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Today's bento is filled with omega-3s, antioxidants, and high-energy foods to aid the brain activity of my kiddos: broiled salmon, kale chips, roasted potato tots, carrots, and a bunch o'berries including straw-, black- and blue-. Packed in the ultra-cute froggie two-tiered bento box and my vintage Keroppi folk from the 80s. Tomorrow is a big day for both of them: TinySprite has an interview for Kindergarten Readiness, and MisterMan is participating in the district-wide Spelling Bee. We're hoping there isn't too much in the way of dexterity tests for TS, seeing as how she's currently limited to a single arm. Luckily her dominant arm and hand are unaffected, so she can still write. If you hold the paper down. As for MM, he's reviewed the word list so many times I find myself using those words in my daily speech more than usual, and each time I do ("Look how regal the dog looks when he crosses his arms like that") I hear him spelling the word in the background ("R-e-g-a-l"). We're crossing our fingers they both do well tomorrow; so early bedtimes for them tonight it is!

Chubby Calzone Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 02:50:00 +0000

Chubby Calzone Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

It's calzone day today - filled with pepperoni, ham, mozzarella, and arugula - and I didn't take the time to make any particular shapes but when they came out, I thought they looked like chubby crabs. So I added a scrunched face and that's what we're calling it. Luckily MisterMan's fit inside his Sistema box perfectly. I like this box for calzones because the sections are pretty tall and can accomodate a chubby calzone very well! The other section contains cara cara oranges, blackberries, strawberries, carrots, broccoli and grapes.

Wraps Friends Bento and Corndog Minimuffins

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:07:00 +0000

Round Wraps Friends Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

A cute little bento for TinySprite in the round enamelware bowl with transparent lid I got from Daiso. It also comes in a square shape, and as nesting sets as well. These are a nice alternative to the stainless steel side boxes I usually use, and I like the clean white effect. Here I used four colorful silicone cups to keep things separate: chicken-lettuce-cheddar wraps in whole wheat tortillas, carrots, strawberries and grapes. I also tossed a couple of corndog minimuffins in her bento bag for snacktime. I made a batch of these cuties for MisterMan to take to school for his Valentine party (I found the recipe here), but of course I had to use chicken-apple sausages instead of hot dogs. They taste pretty good, if not exactly like corndogs. Fun idea though! Hope you all had a fun and enjoyable Valentines' Day with your loved ones. XO to you!

TinySprite Snack Sandwich Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:46:00 +0000

TinySprite Snack Sandwich Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

This was supposed to be a snack bento for TinySprite to keep her busy after school while her brother finished up his homework. It turns out she didn't have a big enough appetite after school to finish this, though. She put away the mini-wiches and the egg, but that was it. I cut a cucumber cup for blackberries, and tossed some grapes, strawberries and carrots into the mix. I also dyed a quail egg in beet juice after forming a heart shape using Anna The Red's method here. It was tricky, seeing as how quail eggs are rather smallish and kind of delicate. If you press too hard you'll crack the egg, which I kind of did as you can see. I added a nori face and some wings, which is my current favorite thing to do ever since I found these cool wing picks. I rarely make cutout sandwiches, because I'm not one to save crusts and odd pieces of bread for croutons or breadcrumbs or whatever it is you're supposed to save all those ends for, and then it's such a waste. But I wanted to use the little mini sandwich cutters that I received from a bentopal (aren't they cute?). I know other charaben makers are asked what they do with their leftover food scraps. After making these little peanut butter and jam cuties, I was suddenly approached by the resident scrap disposal, who often makes an appearance when he hears exclamations coming from the kitchen, such as "Oh no!", "Oops!", and "Crap!" (or variations thereupon). How can I refuse a face like this?

Mac and Ka-broc-cheese-rizo Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Mac and Ka-broc-cheese-rizo Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

My kids have been requesting mac and cheese, so I decided to make a giant batch to last them a couple days. They can seriously put away this stuff. As usual, I packed the portions in their thermal food jars; this one is TinySprite's Hello Kitty Thermos brand jar, which holds 10 ounces and has served us well throughout most of her preschool lunch career. I know it doesn't keep the food as hot as long as MisterMan's Stanley food jar, because I've done a nonscientific, side-by-side comparison using hot water and a thermometer. It doesn't really matter for her since she eats within 3 hours or so after I've packed it, but my bigger concern now is that she may be outgrowing this little jar. The last few times I used it, it's come home completely empty -- which is good, of course -- but it just makes me wonder if I could pack a little bit more for her whether she'd eat more.

I've used several different recipes for mac and cheese (like Pioneer Woman's version here and Bacon Mac and Cheese here). Today's mac batch contains three extra ingredients. Can you guess what they might be? Soyrizo, diced kabocha and broccoli! It's not exactly a secret; I've done it before, and anyway I told them I'd put it in, and their reactions were mixed. TS: Yayyy! MM: Did you cut the kabocha super small and mix it in really well? Mmmkay. Can you tell my boy might not appreciate the finer aspects of this wonderful squash as much as my girl? I assured him I did. The other key is to use a lot of cheese. I mean a LOT. Like a whole pound or more. They love the gooey stuff, and I don't think they even noticed that it was whole wheat elbow macaroni. So there. The other container held all fruit, since I was pretty happy with the vegetable load they got in the mac: strawberries, kiwi, cara cara oranges, blueberries, blackberries, and grapes. And, there's a heart. Because it's the month of love. ^_^

Mac and Ka-Brocco-Cheese-Rizo Method/Recipe (I know, not a great name. But can you think of something catchier?)

Cook 8oz (or more if you like) whole wheat elbow macaroni, 10-12 minutes or until just al dente. Drain.
Steam or microwave 5 slices kabocha (or more) and one head of broccoli until softened.
Chop into small dice.
Whisk: 1C milk, 2T whole wheat flour, 1tsp dry mustard, and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 6-8 minutes.
Add the diced kabocha and broccoli.
Add a half link (or more, if you like) soyrizo. Stir it all in well.
Add: 1C (or 2C, or more) shredded cheddar, parmesan, or whatever cheese you happen to like. Stir.
Add more cheese if you like it cheesier.
Add pasta, stir to completely incorporate.

Added to Allergy-Free Lunchbox Love.

Salmon Trio Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:30:00 +0000

Salmon Trio Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Today's Lunchbot Trio is packed with the salmon of the week, roasted in olive oil and shoyu. I also roasted some thinly sliced Brussels sprouts, after tossing with fresh-ground pepper and Parmesan. The kabocha slices were -yep!- roasted as well in the fish pan. There was just enough room in the vegetable section to slip some steamed Okinawan sweet potatoes and a grape tomato in there. The longitudinal fruit section holds cara cara orange wedges, a strawberry and some cherries. How handy is this box? This bento didn't take any time at all to pack. Of course, there aren't any cute details, but nothing that a few food picks can't fill in. Even on a busy midweek day, you can still find a few minutes to pack a cheerful lunch for yourself or your child. And to be honest, I always choose divided boxes on days like this because half the job of organizing the food is already done for me. I really recommend to have at least a couple of these boxes on hand. My other go-to is my round divided box (see it in action recently here). Happy Wednesday!

Posole Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:09:00 +0000

Posole Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Our winter here in California has been pretty mild (or nonexistent), to say the least, but finally in the past few days we've had some cold temps and rain. It's nice to feel like having some warm soups and stews during winter, don't you think? I've always loved posole, and we have lots of Mexican restaurants around here that serve it, but only on the weekends. This past weekend I missed it again, and I was disappointed because it's the perfect weather for it! So I tried my hand at making it at home.

Posole is a chile-based Mexican soup of pork and hominy, and to make it traditionally, you use real dried chile pods to create the red chile sauce (by roasting the dried pods, soaking in boiling water, then processing it all). And it has to have the red sauce. I really want to try making the red sauce from scratch some time, but this time I took the easy way out and used canned red chile sauce. It was super potent! Too bad I had to dilute it way down for the lightweights in the family, but if it were just for the adults, I would have used it straight. Even as it was, I was a little concerned that my kids would balk at the diluted version too. I first served my daughter the ingredients with only a little soup. She tasted it, pronounced the first few spoonfuls "delicious", then stopped and said "Mom, when it goes down my throat, I feel the hot spice down here." I waited for her to refuse the rest, but she finished the bowl and requested more for her bento. Wow, I was so happy!

This bento is MisterMan's version: a thermos of posole, a container of tortillas with car shapes, and another container of cooling carrots, peapods, strawberry, blood oranges and grapes. Are my kids finally becoming heat-tolerant? *crossing fingers* ^_^

Here's the method I used:

Slow-Cooker Posole

1 pound pork, cut into cubes (I used pork shoulder)
1-10oz can red chile sauce
1-30oz can white hominy, drained
1 onion, chopped
1-7oz can diced green chiles (I had to omit! But I love these)
1 celery stalk, chopped (not traditional)
1 carrot, chopped (not traditional)
2 cloves garlic, minced (or more if you like)
1 tsp ground cumin
water

fresh cilantro, chopped
white onion, chopped
cabbage, thinly sliced
radishes, sliced
lime, sliced

In a skillet over medium high heat, brown the cubed pork on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to crockpot. Stir in the red sauce, hominy, onion, green chiles, celery, carrot, garlic, cumin, and enough water to cover the meat. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until meat is tender. You can customize this recipe by using more meat, more hominy, and more red sauce if you like. If it's too hot, add more water. I love the soup to be very dark red. Serve hot in bowls with cilantro, onion, cabbage, radishes and lime on the side to be added into the bowl.

Thrown-Together Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:21:00 +0000

Thrown-Together Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

This bento is from last week: it includes oven-baked "mochiko chicken" (method and recipe here) and kabocha in one tier, and a rainbow assortment of fruit and veggies in the other tier (strawberry, blood orange, carrots, yellow pepper, blueberries in a cucumber cup, grapes, and Okinawan sweet potato. I call it thrown-together because if you look closely you'll notice that I threw the kabocha chunks in there without roasting them! I usually roast some veggies when I make the oven-roasted chicken, since the oven is already hot and all. But my mind was out-of-sorts because I had received a phone call that afternoon; the kind a parent dreads: Your daughter was playing on the play structure, and we noticed her arm is a little swollen. When I got there I saw her cradling her arm gingerly. This girl never does anything gingerly! I rushed her to the hospital and we discovered she had sustained a supracondylar fracture at her elbow joint. She had surgery that night and is now wearing a cast for the next 3-6 weeks. We were worried and nervous, but surgery went well and we are hoping for a quick and successful healing process. TinySprite handled the whole ordeal like a pro, never complaining of pain or feeling afraid of her operation. In fact, the surgeon remarked on her loquaciousness and inquisitiveness about the procedure and the equipment. Even now, 4 days later, she hasn't lost her smile or dampened her high spirits. I've really gained a new appreciation of her fortitude and strength. And don't worry - after the picture I noticed the raw kabocha and quick-microwaved and pan-fried them in butter and shoyu for MisterMan. ^_^

Added to What's For Lunch.

Nyanko Burger Kitty Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:33:00 +0000

Nyanko Burger Kitty Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Today I tried another new meatless burger recipe, since the garbanzo burgers and the beet burgers went over so well. This one is a walnut rice cheeseburger with fresh lettuce and a thick slice of ripe tomato in a whole wheat sandwich thin. The cute swiss cheese kitty Nyanko Burger is sure to make this a happy meal. I added some parmesan sweet potato oven-baked "fries", a cucumber cup of blueberries, cara cara orange chunks, cherries and a strawberry heart. Since it is the month of valentines, after all. ^_^

Do you know Nyan Nyan Nyanko? It is a San-X kitty character which can imitate various food items. I saw this Nyanko bento box and I strongly wish to obtain it. Isn't it so cute?

I have to admit, when I think of walnuts, I think of muffins and sweet treats. So when I smelled the walnut rice while making this, I had mixed feelings. Is this savory? Is it a dessert? A bit unsettling. The reason that walnuts are included is because this nut is a good source of monounsaturated fats. What I've found with these meat substitute burgers is that the flavor is usually so mild that the success of the burgers often depends upon the choice of seasonings you use. If you have a favorite blend (such as garlic and cumin, which I like), then maybe you should stick with that. But that's just my opinion. What do you vegetarians think?

For these burgers, I heavily adapted the recipe here:

Walnut Grain Burgers

2 cups cooked brown rice (I used a mixture of brown, white, millet, pearl barley, and amaranth. Very hearty and filling!)
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 1/4 cups walnuts
1 egg
1 tablespoon your favorite seasoning blend (I used garlic bread seasoning)

Saute onion, carrot, and garlic in a large saucepan. Mix with rice and set aside.
Process the walnuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade until finely ground. Add the rice mixture, egg, and seasoning. Pulse until the mixture sticks together. With wet hands, roll into balls and then flatten into patties.
Coat a nonstick griddle or large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Cook the patties for about 3 minutes or until golden. Turn carefully and cook for about 4 minutes longer or until heated through. Melt some cheese on top if you like. Place each patty on a bun with a tomato slice and lettuce leaf, with mustard.

Panda-monium Ma Bo Tofu Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:05:00 +0000

We're having a meat week, following up the sausage pasta with ma bo tofu (I adapted Lovelylanvin's recipe), complete with a pair of tofu panda friends. I adapted the traditional recipe quite a bit; in fact it may not resemble actual ma po tofu much anymore. I have to omit all the chili bean sauce because the kids won't tolerate the spice, and I always add greens. Today I chopped half a bag full of baby bok choy, several green onion stalks and cilantro and mixed them in for texture, color and nutrition. Sometimes I use pickled mustard greens as well. Also, there is less sauce in mine, to keep it more bento-friendly. If you wanted to keep the soupiness, it would be better to pack it into a thermal food jar. But for us today, this donburi bowl-type bento box works just fine! Top tier contains all fruit: strawberries, grapes, kiwi, blood orange and little mandarinquat. If you've never seen a mandarinquat before, here's a photo, beside some yuzuquats and a standard satsuma mandarin for size comparison. The hybrid quats taste like kumquats, but slightly different. I think kumquats are the tartest, but it could be just me ^_^

Daytrippers Pasta Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:01:00 +0000

Daytrippers Pasta Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Happy Monday! Are your Mondays as disorganized and chaotic as mine? No? Oh. Well, this is why you'll find many of my Monday bento are composed of food that cook easily from ingredients that are already in the pantry and refrigerator (or leftovers from weekend eats), and nearly always have no cute components whatsoever. Sometimes they are literally thrown together so quickly that there's no time (or need) to take a picture. Like today: it's a simple wagon wheel pasta bento tossed with nitrite-free chicken and roasted red pepper sausage and zucchini. Other section contains strawberries, grapes, grapefruit and tiny mandarinquat slices. Everything is packed in my Daytrippers bento box (from Paperchase), which comes with a separate section for the matching fork and spoon under the cute decorated translucent lid. TinySprite has a variable appetite, which grows when the meal includes her favorites. Like this one -- I know she loves this combo and it will disappear in no time, even without the cute parts. And that's a recipe for a successful bento ^_^

Salmon Butteryaki Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:34:00 +0000

Salmon Butteryaki Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

I'm trying to make an effort to cook salmon (or some other fish) at least once a week. I managed to squeeze it in this week, when I saw a beautiful wild Alaskan salmon fillet at the market. I prepared a simple butteryaki salmon on the stove, and roasted some sweet potato "fries" in the oven at the same time. There's also steamed Okinawan (purple) sweet potato, steamed broccoli, grape tomatoes, a strawberry, blood oranges and a blackberry. Nothing cute about this one, but it's pleasant-looking enough, largely due to the special "magic" round bento box. I love this box because of the removable sections, and also because a round box has an aesthetically pleasing kind of symmetry about it. There's no up or down, right or left. It's just perfect. Try it -- you'll find the meal somehow manages to look beautiful all by itself.

Butteryaki Salmon

Heat 1 T oil and 1 T butter in pan.
When hot, fry salmon fillets, skin side down, until crispy, a few minutes. Flip and cook a few minutes more.
Just before removing from pan, turn off heat and drizzle 2 tsp shoyu over fish and into pan.
Shake pan to distribute.
Remove and serve!

Rilakkuma and Kiiroitori Beet Burger Sandwich Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:58:00 +0000

Rilakkuma and Kiiroitori Beet Burger Sandwich Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Recently I've discovered the joy of beets. Beets, beets, beets. The only way I've ever prepared beets before was roasted and tossed in salad. But I love the flavor and figured, why shouldn't we try to fit them into a main dish meal? Today I made beet bean rice burgers which happen to fit perfectly inside these mini whole wheat sandwich rounds. I made these sandwiches with red leaf lettuce, and melted some swiss cheese on top. I got the idea for these burgers from the plethora of online copycat recipes that tried to replicate the famous Northstar Cafe beet burgers. I've never had those Northstar Cafe veggie burgers, but the pictures and the glowing review make me want to. I really wish I had taken a photo of the burger itself so you can see how red it really looks. ETA: I took some photos; see below. It's pretty cool; you can kind of see part of it at the left side of the bun. I layered two mini burgers in this bento box, and decorated the round bread with Rilakkuma's face cut from Okinawan sweet potato. I added carrots and his pal Kiiroitori (a turmeric-dyed quail egg with nori and carrot detail). Other side has blood oranges (sadly not very vividly colored), strawberry, peapods and cherries. Here's my sort-of recipe that I borrowed from here and greatly changed, because I like the flavors of these spices together. P.S. Don't wear white while making this.

Beet, Bean and Rice Burger

1 cup cooked rice
1 large beet, grated (other recipes say to dice, but I thought grated beet would hold together better)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 squirt Dijon mustard (or to taste)
onion powder, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix rice and beet well, until uniform color. Fork-mash the black beans, and add. Mix well. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. My mixture was pretty sticky and a bit difficult to mix, but the stickier the mix, the better it stays together as a patty.

Taste the mixture and add more spice if you need to. Use an ice cream scoop to portion out the burger mixture, and shape into a ball. Flatten with a flipper and place into a heated, oiled pan on medium high heat. Cook for 2 minutes, or until you see a crust form on the bottom. Mine kept its integrity pretty well, so it was easy to flip over. Cook the other side another 2 minutes or so. Put some grated cheese on top to melt if you like. Toast some mini buns or sandwich thins, and serve with fresh greens, onions and tomato. Delicious!

Green Drink!

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:02:00 +0000

Green Drink, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

I've been asked about my green drinks a few times, so I decided to write a bit about them. I just started making and drinking them for about 2 weeks, as one of my new year's challenges. So far, I LOVE them.
Seriously.
If you're not familiar with green drinks, do a google search. You'll find tons of recipes, articles and news tidbits, with lots of celebrity chefs and TV personalities touting them. I'll admit that I first heard of them from my mom, who started drinking them because she saw it on Dr. Oz. Once it registered, I found that many of my own friends are drinking these things too. The nice thing is that you don't need a special juicer or high-powered blender to make them. I only use an ordinary old blender with 2 speeds, and it works fine on the foods I've used so far. Also, you don't have to feel limited to an actual recipe -- use whatever you like! And experiment with flavor combinations. It's a lot of fun! I have a standard true-green drink that I like to make. I happen to like the pure green color, which is why I don't add other colors to this one. I also have a favorite red drink too (I will share this one later). If you mix all kinds of fruit and vegetables, you may end up with a brown drink -- which isn't bad, but it won't have the beautiful vibrant color that you see here. This is my recipe:

Sheri's Green Drink

1C almond milk
handful of spinach (maybe 1/2C packed)
handful of dandelion greens (or any other greens that you prefer, like chard, kale, lettuce, choy)

[blend these ingredients first, to get better liquification]

1 celery stalk
1/2 cucumber, peeled
1 apple, peeled
1 small orange, peeled
1/2 lime, peeled
1/2 avocado
1 inch ginger, grated
1T wheat germ (or flaxmeal)

Blend the remaining ingredients, in batches, so your blender won't blow its motor. If you have a high-powered blender, then just throw everything in at once.
This recipe makes about 4 cups. I drink about 2 and a half cups at midday, and save the rest in the fridge to share with my kids later. It tastes.. well, green, but with a sharp, tangy, fresh bite. If you prefer it sweeter, you can add fruit. Even a couple of strawberries will sweeten it up quite a bit, but then the color will change. I really like it to stay greeeeeen. And it might be too soon to tell, but my usual winter allergies seem to be less pronounced. This drink will give you energy, fortify you for the day ahead, fill you up, and make you invincible! Okay, I made up that last part. Maybe.

Calzone Flowers Lunchbot Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:08:00 +0000

Calzone Flowers Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Welcome to the first day of the Lunar New Year! The kids happened to have yesterday off, so we spent the long weekend celebrating with family. And today's bento has meat! It's a meaty calzone I made with whole wheat dough, containing pepperoni, ham, mushrooms, arugula, tomatoes and mozzarella. I had to slice it so that it would fit in the bento box, and decorated with Okinawan sweet potato flowers with peapod leaves. I rounded out the meal with a giant strawberry, some sliced kiwi, grape tomatoes, grapes, carrots, and sweet yellow pepper rings. You can see that after the dragon tour de force, I am now back to my usual "plain" quickie bento arrangements, which take much less time but which can still look fresh and appetizing due to the addition of colorful, seasonal fruit and veggies. I am a big proponent of local, seasonal ingredients for bento; the fresher it is, the less preparation (and even cooking) you have to do. And who doesn't love that?

Chinese New Year Dragon Bento 3

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 02:18:00 +0000

Chinese New Year Dragon Bento 3, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

One more Chinese New Year of the Dragon bento and that's it; I promise! I made eggplant okra curry, which I think is a misnomer because there isn't any actual curry in here. Perhaps it should be eggplant okra stew. Anyway, it's completely vegetarian, which rounds out our second meat-free bento week. Wow! We haven't become vegetarians, and have no plans to completely quit meat, but I thought it would be a fun challenge to see how long our family could go without eating meat, voluntarily. Now that week #2 has come to a close, I can say that all of them took it like real troupers. No complaints from anyone. Pretty pleased about that! I even got them to all participate in my daily green drink resolution. They don't all love it equally, but they'll all drink it. Heh.
The thermal jar contains the eggplant stew, and the side box contains a selection of colorful fruit: grapes, strawberry, cara cara orange, and Okinawan sweet potato stars. I topped them off with a cheese dragon cutout, using my ultimate elaborate dragon cutter.

I used it last year to cut a dragon from dragonfruit; you can see that one here. The dragon is playing with a red ball on a stick. I think it represents the sun. Welcome Year of the Dragon; I hope it's an auspicious one for all!

Eggplant Okra Curry Stew

Ingredients

2 large eggplants
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
14 oz can chopped tomatoes (if you like it extra tomato-ey, you can add another can)
water or broth as desired
1/2 bunch kale, torn into pieces.
1/2 pound okra, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch slices, angled
1 Tbs chopped cilantro (or more, if you like it, like me)

Preheat oven to 400F, wrap the eggplants in foil and bake for 1 hour, until soft.
Cut each eggplant in half and scoop out the soft flesh into a bowl. Mash.
Heat 2 Tbs oil in a wok and saute the scallions and garlic for a few minutes.
Add the chili powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric and salt and cook 3-4 minutes.
Add tomatoes and simmer 5 minutes.
Add the mashed eggplant, kale and cilantro. At this point you may need to add water or broth to make it saucier. I think I added about a 1/2 cup. If you like it soupier you can add more.
Bring to a boil and simmer until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
Add okra, stir well to mix, reduce heat, cover and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Remove cover, turn up the heat and cook another 5-10 minutes, until the okra is tender but not too soft.

Chinese New Year Dragon Bento 2

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:32:00 +0000

Chinese New Year Dragon Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Aaaand, it's another Chinese New Year bento! It's the Year of the Dragon - in case you forgot. Today I used my super cool slim stainless steel double box bento set (called "Zen" from Bento & Co) because I wanted to have a place for my dragon to rest until lunchtime. Each of these boxes is identical, and each has its own lid with gasket. When the two tiers are stacked and bound together with elastic, they are perfectly sealed. The left box contains salt grilled salmon with some lime wedges, roasted potatoes and kabocha strips (both sprinkled with garlic powder), and a bunch of grapes with a beautiful strawberry. The right box is layered with slices of cara cara oranges. I am super excited to see these fruit too! Now I am stocked up on blood and cara cara. They complement each other well -- the dark red blood oranges are tart and the pretty pink cara cara are sweeter. On top of those I lay my dragon made from cucumber, with quail egg and tomato eyes, tomato nostrils, and wispy green fire. I also cut some fierce fangs from the cucumber. His body is represented by the cucumber scales behind his head. Do you see him? I am trusting MisterMan with both tiers of this bento set for the first time, and I'm a little nervous! I hope he doesn't fling his bag around too much. RAWR!

Added to Allergy-Friendly Lunchbox Love.

Hello Kitty Chinese New Year Dragon Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 02:30:00 +0000

Hello Kitty Dragon Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Since this was a no-cook bento I took advantage of the extra time to use a Chinese New Year theme. Since 2012 is a Year of the Dragon, today's ravioli are shaped into this mythical creature -- or rather, Hello Kitty dressed in a dragon costume. She's wearing a spinach-ricotta ravioli mask, her face made of cheese, nori and yellow pepper. Her whiskers are ume somen. I used picks liberally to achieve my charaben objective, showing that you can use ready-made items (and a bit of imagination) to reach your desired decorative goal. This bento was for MisterMan, and I realized that it was probably more appropriate for TinySprite, but he didn't mind. The girls teased, "You're eating Hello Kitty!" The rest of the bento includes: baby tangerine, cucumbers, carrot, peapod, strawberry and blueberries. Chinese New Year falls on January 23rd this year. Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Anpanman Bean Burger Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:39:00 +0000

Anpanman Bean Burger Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Remember the vegetarian run we had last week? It's continuing today with these garbanzo bean - rice burgers I made. I've made black bean burgers before, but they tended to fall apart easily. This recipe uses rice and egg as a binder, and the mashed garbanzos seems to have a stickier consistency. They still don't have as much integrity as a regular ground meat burger, so I'd use care while eating it in a bun, but it held together well enough for our bento. I placed this patty on a layer of curried cauliflower and decorated his face with grape tomatoes, sweet potato and Okinawan sweet potato to look like Anpanman. The fruit side contains all red items: blood (Moro) oranges, grapes and strawberry. So happy with the blood oranges again this season! They're a bit tart, but a nice change from normal oranges. Aren't they beautiful?

Garbanzo Bean (Chickpea) Rice Burgers (adapted from Whole Living recipe)

Ingredients
2 cups cooked and drained chickpeas
1 cup cooked brown rice (I used 2 cups to make it even stickier, and mine was a mix of white, brown and and millet)
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I used cilantro because I love this herb)
Salt and pepper (I used cumin too, because I like this spice)
1 large egg, whisked
2 tablespoons olive oil

Mash chickpeas and brown rice until thick paste forms. Stir in shallot, garlic, and cilantro. Season with salt, pepper and cumin. Stir in egg. Form into four 1/2-inch-thick patties.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.

Vegetarian Hominy Bean Chili Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:43:00 +0000

Bean and Hominy Chili Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Guess what? We made it through a whole meatless week! Today's vegetarian chili is the 4th meatless bento in a row, and it's a thermal one. I've never tried this recipe before, and it has a different flavor than our usual meaty chili, with a ton of vegetables and beans such as black and kidney beans, lentils, carrots, sweet pepper, onion, zucchini, kale, celery, and hominy. It calls for a lot of chili powder, but also 1 ounce of bittersweet chocolate, which counters the spiciness enough that the kids could handle it. They loved it. I topped it with grated parmesan and fresh cilantro, and it was delicious. Even though it still hasn't been all that cold, it was nice to make a warm bento. It is winter, after all. The side box contains a selection of fruit: oranges, strawberry, blackberry, grapes, and a carrot. That's it for the week! We'll see if anyone asks for meat next week. ^_^

Black Bean Hominy Chili

(adapted from Pam Anderson's recipe)

Ingredients:
1 quart good quality vegetable broth
1 can (14.5 ounces) petite-diced tomatoes
1 generous Tb. vegetable oil
1 medium-large onion, cut into medium dice
1 bell pepper, cut into medium dice
1 carrot, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 bunch kale, stem removed and leaves torn into small pieces
3 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. each ground cumin and oregano
2 cans (15.5 ounces each) drained black beans
2 cans (15.5 ounces each) drained hominy (I substituted kidney beans; you can use any beans)
1 cup lentils
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate
1/4 of chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers; sauté until soft and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin and oregano: sauté until fragrant, a minute or so. Add beans and hominy along with broth and tomatoes. Add the rest of the vegetables and lentils. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are tender and flavors have blended, about 40 minutes. Stir in garlic, chocolate and cilantro; simmer a couple of minutes to blend flavors. Turn off heat and let stand a few minutes if there's time. Adjust seasonings and serve.
Added to Allergy-Friendly Lunchbox.

Pretty Quinoa Salad Bento Bowls

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:50:00 +0000

Pretty Preschool Quinoa Salad Bento Bowl, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

This is the third meatless bento so far this week. Wow! I didn't plan for us to go meatless this long but decided we could try it and see how it felt. So far I haven't heard any complaints at all. Today's bento was inspired by a recipe I saw over the Christmas break which looked like bibimbap to me, or a kind of somen salad. It's actually a red quinoa salad, topped with wilted spinach, parboiled carrots, edamame, cucumber strips, wakame and fried egg. I packed along a little cup of vinaigrette dressing for them to pour over right before they eat. The top tiers contain fruit: oranges, strawberry, blackberries and cherries. I'm showing both kids' bento because they're so pretty. Fresh and colorful, almost like a warm weather cold salad. I really will start making more hearty bento meals, but the weather has been so mild and warm lately that I just haven't thought of it. They haven't even been wearing jackets when I pick them up. How's winter where you are?

Three Bunnies Meatless Calzone Bento

noreply@blogger.com (sheri fujihara chen) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:18:00 +0000

Three Bunnies Meatless Calzone Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Using the Sistema box to house the ever-popular calzone bento today. I asked the kiddos whether they preferred pizza or calzones and they chose calzones. Go figure. While they aren't much to look at (at least mine aren't), they are pretty colorful and exciting inside. I used red pepper, eggplant, grated zucchini, grated kabocha, arugula and cheese. TinySprite watched me make them, and handled the dough a bit. Since they're kind of hard to close (what with all the fillings), I did most of the manipulation. She watched me adding the grated veggies and was fooled when I put in the grated kabocha, since it looks exactly like CHEDDAR. Hehehahaha! This is really the best box to hold a calzone, because it stays separate from the rest of the stuff and doesn't really need to be immobile. Well, except for the Okinawan sweet potato bunnies, which will likely fall off. The rest of the colorful sides include: orange wedges, cherries, strawberry, grape tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers. So fresh, it could almost be a spring bento!
Added to What's For Lunch.