Bunny Riceball and Salted Salmon Bento

Salted salmon and rice for TinySprite today. Have you made shiozake before? The method I use is one from LovelyLanvin's recipe: I salt the fish overnight, then slice into small strips before broiling. It packs very well for bento and tastes delicious cold or room temperature. It's nice to serve with plain rice because the salmon itself has lots of flavor. I decorated the rice with nori into a bunny face, and using lettuce as a liner means she can either wrap the whole thing up or eat it with a fork. This cute divided box lets me add blood oranges and grapes in a separate section, alongside steamed Okinawan sweet purple potatoes, carrots, and cucumbers. Simple, but so delicious! This is one of my own favorite meals as well. ^__^

Bunny Eats a Rainbow Bento!

This one is just a fun snack I threw together for the kiddos to take advantage of all the colorful fruit and veggies slowly starting to appear in the markets these days. I can't wait until we are in full spring fruit season! This one, packed in the "Zen" box from Bento & Co, contains a rainbow of goodies: strawberry, satsuma mandarins, tamagoyaki (okay, not a fruit or veggie, but the egg contributed such a bright sunny effect here), kiwi, blueberries, and Okinawan sweet potato. I added a cheese bunny holding a mini fresh garden carrot too. Don't fear, spring will be here before you know it!

Mama Loves Her Bunnies Bento

Mama Loves Her Bunnies Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

It's Mother's Day this Sunday, so I'm sending my kids to school with a reminder of how much I love them. I can still give them both a big squeeze just like this, which I love to do! Even though they are 9 and 6, and growing bigger every day, I'm going to keep squeezing them. Every chance I get. I made TinySprite a calzone with spinach, mushroom and cheese, her favorite. A little broccoli and pea pods fill in the spaces, along with the usual pickled onions, strawberries, carrots and nectarines. How will you celebrate the mothers in your life? Happy Mother's Day!

Easter Bunny Pals Deconstructed Fish Tacos LunchBot Bento

Easter Bunny Pals Deconstructed Fish Tacos LunchBot Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Today's bento is deconstructed fish tacos in the LunchBots Trio. I've packed fish tacos like this before (here and here and here and here), because there's no good way to pack fish and salsa inside a tortilla without everything getting soggy and falling apart. In fact, I'd rather just omit the tortilla altogether, but the kids love their bready carbs, so I added two bunny shaped tortilla pieces in this one to appease them (and make it count as an Easter bento as well. Score!). I put the fried snapper on a bed of spinach in one compartment, with the cabbage tomato onion orange pepper slaw next to it. The last section holds strawberries, sliced steamed Okinawan sweet potato, and carrots. In case you didn't notice the Easterness right away, the little chickies should give it away. Happy Easter! ^__^

Easter Bunny Ma Po Tofu Bento

Ma Po Easter Bunny Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Seeing as it'll be Easter in a few days, I thought I'd make an Easter bento for my little ones. This one is for TinySprite, who asked for her ma po tofu in her favorite panda bowl, so of course I obliged. I scooped it over black rice, and topped with sliced green onion, a tofu rabbit (cut with my nice metal cutter from the same shop as the one I got my dragon, goldfish, double flower, butterfly and bird cutters). I even gave him a carrot with cilantro greens to keep him happy.

The top tier of her bowl contains tomatoes, Moloka'i Okinawan sweet potatoes, carrot, broccoli, blackberries and strawberry. I brought these sweet potatoes back with me from Hawaii, where I saw this red-skinned purple-fleshed variety for the first time. Usually the Okinawan sweet potatoes have a whitish outer skin but this type, supposedly grown only on the Hawaiian island of Moloka'i, are distinguished not only by their red skin but their creamier flesh, as seen here. Too bad I can't find them in California. We'll be enjoying my stash for a few more days while they last, though!

Quail Egg Easter Bunny

Okay, one last Easter one.

A cute little quail egg bunny. So easy, anyone can do it. The hardest part is poking the cheese ears into the egg far enough so that they stand up (you have to poke pretty far). Then just sit him in a bowl of rice, add the nori face, sriracha cheeks, pink somen whiskers, and wait for the kiddos to go "Ohhhh sooo cute!" Imagine a whole basket full of baby bunnies? Or bunnies and chickies? Awwwww!

Easter Bunny Calzone Bento

Easter Bunny Calzone Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Yes, I know Easter was yesterday, but you know I had to make a bunny calzone, right? I saw so many pictures of cute little bunny breads working up to Easter that I thought: how adorable and easy! Well, not that adorable or easy in reality. Can you see the bunny? Don't lie; it's okay -- I gave my kids unlimited guesses and they never got it. I guess I should have drawn a face in front so you can tell it's sitting there with two front paws and long ears laid against its back. I even made hind legs and a cottontail! I should have put a carrot in its paws as well. Now that would have been cute! He sits in his Sistema multicompartmental box with some broccoli, carrots, clementine, grapes, strawberries, and a lone Okinawan sweet potato star. Hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!

Easter Bunny Chicken Burrito Bento

Easter Bunny Chicken Burrito Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

More bunnies, and more! This one is made from a hen egg, with cheese ears, nori face and spaghetti whiskers. He is smiling because he's got a garden of carrots waiting for him at lunch. They lie atop a pulled barbeque chicken burrito wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla, surrounded by broccoli, peapods, and radishes. The sweet side contains strawberries and grapes. There's that little chick again, trying to get into the bento. Sorry lil' guy!

Easter Bunny BBQ Chickenwich

Easter Bunny BBQ Chickenwich, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Continuing on with the bunny theme, I've made a cheese bunny for TinySprite to top her DIY mini-sandwiches. I made a crockpot of slow-cooked barbeque pulled chicken, which the kids like because it's sweet. Instead of premaking the sandwiches, I decided to keep the filling separate so that the bread wouldn't get soggy. I did prepack the bread (whole wheat mini-sandwich thins) with baby spinach greens. She can use her fork to scoop the chicken into the bread (or she could eat everything separately, as my boy has been known to do) when she's ready to eat. There's a gigantic strawberry, some grapes and some blueberries, peapods and carrots to round out this bento. And of course, the cheese bunny with her nori face and Okinawan sweet potato flower. All packed in our new-ish Chococat box. I'm so happy with the way it all fit into this one. ^_^

Purple Bunny Bento

Purple Bunny Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

I know what you're thinking: they just had salmon this week already. But actually the bento from Monday was a late post from a few weeks ago -- so this is the first salmon of the week! I broiled this one with a cajun spice mix, and laid it upon some white/brown/quinoa/millet mixed rice in the lettuce cup. As usual, I roasted some veggies at the same time; this time some pencil asparagus which I tossed with olive oil and parmesan. There's also carrots, peapods, a section of fruit (strawberries, blueberries, grape tomatoes), and a steamed Okinawan sweet potato bunny with rice stick whiskers, because I realized at the last second that Easter is coming in a week or so, and I haven't made any Easter bento yet. Just in case the bunny doesn't cut it, there's a little fuzzy chick to get the point across. Happy Spring!

Pink Bunny Egg Bento

Pink Bunny Egg Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

TinySprite's two-tiered bento holds smoked salmon and cream cheese bread rollups on sweet potato bread. To make bread rollups, it's best to use soft bread. I remove the crusts, which I don't usually do, but it looks much neater this way. You can save the crusts for another use (like mac and cheese). Flatten the bread with a rolling pin, then spread the cream cheese, layer the salmon, and simply roll up tightly. Cut into bento-size pieces, and pack snugly so they don't unroll. I added a piece of steamed broccoli and a hard-boiled beet-dyed bunny-molded egg. The upper tier contains strawberry, carrots, cucumbers, nectarines and Okinawan sweet potatoes. Easy!

Sushi Bunnies Bento

Sushi Bunnies Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Who can resist hot dog sushi? Especially when they're hot dog bunnies? For these little guys I simmered turkey dogs in a shoyu-sugar sauce, the way my dad used to do with Vienna sausages when I was a kid. They're really good to eat over rice just plain, or with a fried egg on the side for breakfast. Here I just rolled them up in regular white / brown rice and sliced. I added nori facial details and edamame ears. This is the bottom layer for my 7 year old; I added more on top after I took the picture. There's also a couple of grape tomatoes, carved carrots, steamed broccoli and chopped cara cara oranges. All packed in my LunchBots Uno. Nice and fresh :)

These hot dog sushi were also my contribution to our monthly Twitter Food Party. This month's theme was Hot Dogs. There were lots of fun and interesting takes on the basic dog in a bun; you can take a look at the other entries, as well as examples from previous parties at the flickr group here.

Pork Edamame Rice and Bunnywich Bento

Pork and Edamame Rice Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Did only limited cooking for this MisterMan bento. I used the last of the shoyu mirin pork frozen from last time, tossed hot mixed grain rice with edamame, and wrapped those in lettuce leaves. I fried some kabocha slices in the leftover shoyu mirin sauce in the pan after heating up the pork and placed two carved carrot flowers in the last remaining space in the lower tier of this super cute panda box. In the upper tier I put sliced blood oranges and some cherries. This tier comes with a tight-fitting lid that goes on before you put the panda face lid on, but I left it off so that I'd have a bit of extra room on top. So happy I got a pretty good variety of colors in this one. This week's bento have all been healthy and balanced, but without any cute details. The whole bentomaking process goes faster for me if I don't have to think about a cute element! But if you make sure you've got a mix of different food groups, I find that the food often can't help but look beautiful and appetizing. It must be nature's way of helping us to eat well.

For TinySprite's bento I used a Hello Kitty cutter set that I got from my cousin for Christmas. She's so sweet. Thank you Darlene! I used the two cutters to make two mini sandwiches (kitty and bunny). They are cut from sweet potato bread, which doesn't taste like sweet potato at all; more like sweet buttery butter bread [read: delicious!]. I smeared the bread with cream cheese and added a few slices of nitrite-free turkey meat. I decorated the bunny face with nori eyes and a carrot nose (stuck on with cream cheese), and some pretty picks. I didn't bother to decorate the kitty since it is in back anyway, heh. The raised cover allowed me to leave the sandwiches like this, with just a little smushing down. On the side she gets some tangerines, a cup of edamame, some cherries and some chunks of kabocha. Last two bento of the week. Woohoo!

Bunny Bao Bento

Bunny Bao Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

TinySprite requested a char siu bao. Have I made a bunny yet? I think not. And how fitting for this new year, right? It's a bunny bao, with nori facial details, some red grapes, steamed broccoli, carved carrots and a bright red cherry. Yay, done already!

Bunny Fried Rice Bento

Bunny Fried Rice Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Today's bento is another quick one with a minimum of cooking: fried rice. For this batch I used mixed brown rice and pan-fried along with Chinese sausage (lup cheong), shiitake, chopped broccoli, shredded carrots and onion. Drizzle with shoyu for flavor and crack an egg right on top. I let the egg cook for a bit and form eggy rice clumps before tossing to complete cooking. Finish with sesame oil, and you can also sprinkle sesame seeds. I added chopped green onion on top, as well as another hand-molded quail egg -- this time decorated as a bunny with radish ears and a summer hat. I just realized that the last time I made fried rice, I also added an egg bunny. How coincidental. Anyway, I scooped the fried rice into a thermal container which has a top tier that sits right under the screw-top lid. I put grapes, cherries, plum, a strawberry and some carrot stars in there. All done! Told you it was quick :)

Kalua Pig Bento

Kalua Pig Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Today's snack bento is made extra delicious with homemade kalua pig from Charlotte, who sent us home with leftovers from their potluck last weekend! Thanks so much Pat and Charlotte! The kids (and everyone) loved the kalua pig. Its salty goodness goes really well with rice and a bunny-shaped hard-boiled egg. I should have dyed the egg for better contrast, but of course I never learn my lesson about the washed-out egg effect. I must be doing something wrong with the white balance, or I should be fixing it in Photoshop somehow. Hmm. Anyway, the rest of the bento contains carrots, romanesco, tomato and grapes. The sweet cherries get a teeny little box all to themselves. Even though I only filled a silicone cup with pork, I bet TinySprite will be asking for more. It's so yummy! I have an exciting post coming up soon, so stay tuned....

Pink Bunny Pizza Bento

Pink Bunny Pizza Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Sweet potato pizza was for dinner and I made some extra for MisterMan's bento. I adapted the recipe from Gourmet Mom on the Go. It's easy and quick to make, and it really does taste great! Really!

Here's what you need:
2 medium sweet potatoes (I used regular ones, satsumaimo, and Okinawan sweet purple ones. All good!)
Ready to bake pizza crust (I've used whole grain lavash wrap and pocketless whole wheat pita rounds)
5 oz. mascarpone cheese, or 5 oz. cream cheese mixed with 2T sour cream (I've used the cream cheese mixture and it's delish!)
olive oil and balsamic vinegar
shredded baby spinach
roasted garlic
garlic powder, rosemary, thyme (optional)

Here's what you'll do:
Drizzle olive oil on your crust and spread evenly with the cheese and roasted garlic.
Sprinkle with shredded spinach.
Layer the peeled, thinly sliced potatoes over the cheese.
Sprinkle with garlic powder and herbs, if using.
Drizzle top with olive oil.
Bake at 425F for 18-25 minutes or until potatoes are soft and crust is crispy.
Remove from oven and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Slice and enjoy!

One of the best things about this pizza is that you can hide any number of goodies under the potatoes. My 3 year old will pull off all the spinach if it's sitting on top, but this way she never even sees it. It's awesome. I put two pieces of pizza in the basket part. These were baked on soft lavash, which crisped up very well. The one in the back has Okinawan purple potato, and the one in the front has satsumaimo. In the lower tier I put my pink bunny molded egg. You can see the details on this one better, whew! It helps to dye it in beet juice, I think. I also added some white peach, a half apricot, half strawberry, red grapes and a sprig of steamed broccoli. Yummy!

Bunny Kimchi Fried Rice Bento

Bunny Kimchi Fried Rice Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

I made kimchi fried rice (Kimchi bokkeumbap), inspired by a twitter friend whose dinners often inspire mine! As an aside, I've found that twitter has given me cooking/food ideas/recipes on several occasions. Of course, I follow quite a large number of "foodie" types, so that explains it. Invariably the folks I've met and chatted with are always generous and helpful. It's been a great resource for me.

Anyway, back to the bento:
My kimchi rice is vegetarian; it's also mild, since my kids are heat-intolerant! But, not totally mild, since kimchi is in there! Also, being the healthy mom that I am, I added some nontraditional ingredients. I understand that the recipe can be fairly flexible and may include "leftover" kimchi and assorted vegetables. I began by sauteeing minced garlic, then adding carrot, onion and shredded baby bok choy. I also used minced kale! I've already mentioned how I add this ingredient to rice occasionally for added vitamin enhancement. This dish is so highly flavored, I doubt the kale is even noticable. I forgot the mushrooms, but this would have added a nice rich flavor. Then I put the cold rice in the pan and let it get crispy on one side before I began tossing it. This is because I love crispy rice. Then I added the chopped kimchi (napa cabbage type). You should add in the liquid from the kimchi as well, but as I mentioned I was wary of doing that. However, I could not avoid the liquid which was retained in the kimchi itself after I cut it. Okay, I could have, but I didn't. I really wanted the orange rice color. I also drizzled some shoyu and sesame oil for taste. If this were for me, I would have added a lot of gojuchang, but as it was, it was still pretty tasty. Top with chopped green onions and a fried egg, and it's a very satisfying meal!

I fried a quail egg in a metal bunny mold, and the yolk managed to stay in the exact center of the face. Now that I look at it, I wish I had used the yellow yolk as the nose. Wouldn't that have been cute? I almost forgot, the bunny makes this bento eligible for Hapa Bento's B.O.M.B. Yay! I added a nori face, some maroon carrot and peapod flowers, and I was done. The extras include cut carrots, a bit of broccoli, strawberries and black grapes.

Verdict? It was a hit :)

Bunny Pancakes Bento

Bunny Pancakes Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

MisterMan gets bunny-shaped zucchini-squash 10 grain pancakes, vinegar chicken, little rice "cupcake" with furikake and red pepper "cherry", colorful cauliflower and romanesco, peapods, cucumbers. Fruits include grapes (underneath), strawberries and tiny sugar plum.

For the veggie pancakes, I used Bob's Red Mill 10-grain mix, and added wheat germ as well as quick-cook oats. I shredded one zucchini and one yellow squash, and added this to the mix along with an egg, 1T oil, and some milk. I use only enough milk to moisten the batter; this makes the pancakes fluffier and cuter... Also, easier to form into shapes :) I tried making bears too, but the bunnies looked better to me.
It's a veggie pancake, and I didn't serve it with syrup (or anything), but the kids still loved them, ha! For packing, I had to rearrange the ingredients slightly. But I think it still packed okay. ^_^

My Musubi Lunch Today

I don't usually make much of an effort for my own lunch, but sometimes I am inspired to make something happy and fun. I happened to have some teriyaki salmon leftover from yesterday, and some fresh rice, so I decided to make a yummy musubi for myself.

First, I started with hot, fresh rice. To make a rice ball, I use wax paper, or sometimes plastic wrap. The rice shouldn't be too hot, or the wax will melt. Place the rice in the middle of a small piece of wax paper.

Use the paper to mold the rice into a ball shape.

Flatten it out a bit and make an indentation for the filling. Today, I used teriyaki salmon. Put the salmon, with its yummy sauce, in the rice ball. Don't heat the salmon, just put it in cold.

Add more rice to cover it and form a ball.

Decorate if you like. I decided to make a bunny, one of my favorite kyara! I used cucumber for ears, nori for facial detail, and a plum hairbow. Also, every bunny needs a carrot. :)

I ate him right away. If I had stopped to take a photo of the inside, you would have seen that the salmon was just heated enough to spread flavor to the rice, and create a delicious handheld meal. You can use any filling you like; salted salmon is excellent too. But sadly (or happily, I suppose), I ate it quite too fast, and forgot the pic ;)