Garlic Chili Oil Noodles

Had a craving for some spicy noods so did a quick search for a garlicky chili oil sauce to go with my new batch of knife-cut noodles.

Have you tried these before? I bought mine dried, and after you boil them you can see they have a frilly edge which is thinner than the center. They are cut using a special tool to create this unique shape. I admit I bought them because of their delicate beauty. But also I heard that they hold onto the sauce well. Big plus.

I sort of followed a general recipe but took a few liberties. The basic gist is shoyu, dark shoyu, black vinegar, chili oil (I used Lao Gan Ma chili crisp), extra chili powder, minced garlic, chopped scallions, sesame oil, and roasted peanuts (I pan toasted these in oil separately to get them crunchy before I added them). After the sauce is done, toss the drained noodles into the pan, coat thoroughly and enjoy!

Everyone else here seemed to like it but I'm looking for something a tad bit more spicy (and oily) with less soy. I should have known just by looking at it. Why didn't I just go with my gut and dump some chili oil on my bowl? Sometimes I just want chili and oil. But probably the garlic is crucial here too. I'm just going to have to tweak the proportions to suit my particular taste. This version is worth keeping for the fam though👍🏼

Autumn Chili Thermal Bento

It is starting to cool down over here in Northern California just a little, which means it's time to start packing thermal bento again. I have several types of thermal containers and this one is still just right for TinySprite. It holds 10 ounces and has a cute Hello Kitty decoration on it. I have a bigger one that I use for MisterMan, and you'll see that one in an upcoming post I'm sure. I made turkey bean chili with various vegetables (this time tomatoes, corn, celery, onion, and broccoli) added. To accompany it, I packed a small round tight-sealing container with sliced plums, carrots, and grapes.

I Heart Chili Riceball Bento

Another cold day calls for homemade chili (I used this recipe but with lots of extra veggies thrown in, because you know me) in the 17oz. Stanley thermal food jar; this larger size is great for kids whose appetite is bigger than the usual 12oz. jar can hold (like my MisterMan). I also like this jar because it's virtually indestructible; very heavy-duty and all stainless steel. To pack alongside, I used two EcoLunchBox Eco Dippers: one holds a heart-shaped shiso musubi with a nori face in a lettuce cup and a grape tomato. The other holds sliced kiwi, blood oranges, and fresh (yes, fresh!) pineapple chunks. He'll take the very practical combo spoon/fork/knife with him too. Happy Wednesday, friends!

Spooky Skull Cheese and Chili Halloween LunchBots Bento

Spooky Skull Cheese and Chili Halloween Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

It's heeeere! Halloween is today! For the final theme bento, I send the kids to school with thermal food jars of homemade chili (Thermos Funtainer brand for TinySprite, and LunchBots Thermal food jar for MisterMan). I decorated his with a mozzarella cheese and nori skull, and hers with a tiny baby bell pepper jack-o-lantern. The side boxes contain a variation of strawberries, grapes, plums and steamed purple sweet potato. With the weather getting cooler, they're welcoming the thermal bento more and more these days. Are you planning to go out trick-or-treating tonight? Have a great time, all you goblins and ghouls! Happy Halloween!

Pikachu Chili Bento

Pikachu Chili Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Today the kids got vegetarian chili in their bento; chock full of whatever I could find in the fridge and pantry. The top tier has the usual colorful fruits and such, along with what's currently pickling in my fridge: carrots + daikon, red onions, and bittermelon + cauliflower. That last one is kind of a tough sell. I think I'm going to try adding something else to counter the bitterness; I have some ideas. And since I was in a creative mood, I decided to freehand a little cheddar Pikachu. I used my tiny paring knife and carved out his face and body, but don't look too close at his back leg. A little nori and carrot detail and voila! Hey, it wasn't that hard after all. ^_^

Chili Pi Day LunchBots Bento

Chili Pi Day Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Happy Pi (π) Day! Tomorrow is 3-14. Pi is the Greek symbol used to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, which is approximately 3.14159. To celebrate, I topped MisterMan's chili LunchBots thermal bowl with a handcut tortilla pi. Too bad it started curling up, but you get the idea. I made this chili with the usual goodies, including ground turkey, black beans, barley, zucchini, carrots, celery and tomatoes. The side box holds the other usuals: grapes, strawberry, mandarin and pickled cukes. I also made a blackberry pie to celebrate; or should I say blackberry pi?

Chicken Hominy Bowl Bento

Chicken Hominy Bowl Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

This one is called Chicken and Hominy Chili, but it's not really a chili; to me it's more like chicken soup. However, for this bento I served it over rice and omitted most of the liquid. So I guess it turned out to be more like chili after all. The flavor is a bit mild for my taste, but the kids seemed to like it, and it's a nice change from the tomato-based chili that we usually make. Along with the cilantro and onion-topped chili bowl, this bento contains: satsuma mandarin, a variety of berries, and home-pickled cucumbers and red onions. Both kids are huge fans of the pickled veggies. I have still to try pickling carrots, cauliflower and peppers.
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Chicken and Hominy Chili Bowl (from Family Circle)

6 large bone-in, skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (I omitted)
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped (I used red)
2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
15 oz. hominy, drained and rinsed
2 T cornmeal
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, plus more for serving
Tortilla chips and sour cream (optional)

Place chicken in slow cooker and season with salt, cumin, black pepper and oregano.
Scatter onion, garlic, celery, jalapeno and green pepper over chicken.
Pour broth over top.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Stir in hominy and cornmeal. Add more spices to taste if needed.
Cook on high for 15 minutes.
Stir in cilantro, top with tortilla chips, sour cream and more chopped cilantro to serve.

Chili LunchBots Bento

Chili LunchBots Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Chili! I scooped it into the LunchBots Trio over a layer of spinach leaves to keep the juices contained. But as TinySprite said, I probably should have used a container with leakproof sections (or a thermal food jar). The other thing I could have done is packed rice over the chili. Some people also do that in a thermal jar to keep the chili from mixing into the rice until you're ready to eat. But then she wouldn't be able to enjoy the cheddar sun and rays that I decorated! Anyway, she was pretty careful and it didn't spill out of the box; yay! She also finished it all, along with the pickled red onion and cucumbers, carrots, mandarins, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.

Tacorice LunchBot Bento

Tacorice LunchBot Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Today's tacorice isn't packed in a bowl for once; I thought I'd change it up, and the LunchBots Duo fits the bill perfectly. One side holds red and white rice topped with taco meat, chopped tomatoes and lettuce, grated cheese and a steamed Okinawan sweet potato heart shape. Other side is divided by silicone cups for: strawberries, pickled cucumbers, and blueberries. We ate this at dinner with tableside guacamole and tortilla chips. Yum!

Kamut Chili Bento

Kamut Chili Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Ka-what? Kamut? Yeah, that's what I thought too. Turns out this grain is some kind of really big wheat. Its origins are somewhat fuzzy, but it seems to be agreed that it's a kind of ancient grain that is high in protein and minerals such as selenium, zinc and magnesium. It has a nutty flavor and chewy texture, sort of like farro, or barley, or brown rice (to me). I found this recipe which incorporates Kamut, but which is basically just a chili recipe into which you add the grain. I decided to cook the Kamut with brown rice in my Zojirushi on the brown rice setting. I soaked overnight and it turned out fine. I thought it had a substantial quality to it, and made the chili quite hearty and filling. You could just as easily substitute farro or barley, though, in my opinion. I packed this batch for MisterMan over rice, and I should have used a leakproof container, obviously, but luckily there wasn't enough lunchbag-swinging to cause any spillage. The top tier holds: watermelon (!), satsuma, tomatoes and blueberries.

Kamut® Chili (from this recipe; it's very basic so I'm not sure why I used it)

Ingredients
1cup Kamut grain, soaked overnight, drained
2cups cooked pinto beans
1large onion, chopped
1green bell pepper, chopped
3cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, chopped
1carrot, diced
3teaspoons chili powder
2cups tomato sauce
1cup water
15ounce stewed tomatoes
1/4tsp Tabasco sauce (I omitted)

Cook soaked Kamut in rice cooker on brown rice setting.
Add remaining ingredients in with Kamut. Simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Tasty Chili Bento

Tasty Chili Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

So the weather turns a little cool and what do I immediately think of? Chili! I winged it with this batch, not really measuring any spices but just adding and mixing until everything tasted just about right. Do you ever do that? I may have gone overboard with the chili powder and cumin, but I didn't hear any complaints. Just in case, I also sprinkled a little Maui brown sugar to tone down any excess heat. I had just enough left to pack for two bento the next day, served over white-brown-barley-quinoa rice. That was a close one. For my girl I used the Hello Kitty thermal jar. I decided to use the enameled stainless steel box I got at Daiso for the refreshing extras: delightful satsuma mandarin, cubed watermelon, carrot, pickled cucumbers, home-fermented sauerkraut, and a grape tomato. I hope this will keep the TinySprite going all day.

Skull Onigiri Chili EcoLunchbox Bento

Skull Onigiri Chili Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Are you getting into the Halloween spirit yet? I'm starting to... slowly! I figured it's time to start getting spooky so today I made a skull onigiri to go with the vegetarian chili (chock full of zucchini, corn, tomatoes, onion, carrots, and kabocha). I lay the chili on a lettuce leaf and put the skull on top. I made it kind of chunky so that there wouldn't be too much sauce to drip all over everything. I usually pack chili in a thermal jar, but I really wanted to use this cool new stainless steel Solo Rectangle box I got from EcoLunchbox. It's on the bigger side, simple and sturdy. I used a silicone cup, and these fit perfectly. They would be ideal for separating foods you want to keep apart. Besides the chili, I put in some cucumbers, a sprig of broccoli, and a mini red pepper. I put some homemade pickled cabbage, lotus root and cucumber in the cup. The lid to this box fits snugly, though not watertight, and I added an elastic band for extra insurance. Because I wanted to keep the fruit separate in case the chili moved around, I used an EcoDipper, a round lidded stainless steel half cup size container. Again, the lid fits snugly but I wouldn't use it to pack anything watery. It's perfect for a handful of fruit, though. This combo worked out very well for MisterMan. He swung his bag around, but since the silicone cup reaches the top of the box, the pickled foods stayed segregated. Although these boxes aren't leakproof, they are easy to use and should not pose a problem for your child to open and close. Having been a longtime user of Ecolunchbox products, when the company asked me to try out these newer products I didn't hesitate. I'm happy to share my experience with you, so you can feel confident before you decide to give these items a try. I've been packing bento for both a girl and a boy for almost a decade (wow!), and I have a good idea about what works and what doesn't. I have more to share tomorrow, along with a giveaway! I hope you stop by!

Ecolunchbox provided the items I used to pack this bento today, but I received no other compensation, and the opinions I expressed are mine.

Chili Thermal Bento

Chili Thermal Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Oh man, this looks like a fall / winter bento. But chili is such a great one-pot meal that I can't resist making it throughout the year. Toss in all the vegetables you can think of, simmer in a tomato-based broth with beans and sausage, and that's it. Even gets better the next day. Can't beat that! I pack thermal bento in the morning right before the kids leave for school. They should stay hot for at least 4-5 hours. I pack the fruit selection in a stainless steel box to go alongside, and I don't have to worry whether they're getting their daily servings of vegetation. Simple ^_^

Another Chili Bento

Another Chili Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Yep, you've seen this one before. It looks a lot like the other chili bentos. And we have it a lot because it's gooooood. It's similar to the basic recipe I've used before but I'll change it up depending on what I have on hand. This time I skipped the hominy and used regular corn, and omitted the chocolate. I scooped it over rice in the thermal jar, and it's good to go. Little side dish for TinySprite holds strawberries and cara cara oranges, since the chili is already packed full of vegetably vitamins. Now that the hotter season is coming up, I may have to skip the thermal bentos for awhile in favor of cool refreshing meals. Can't wait!
Oh, and by the way, I've been baking up a gluten-free storm over here, with some hits and some misses. And some hits that were nowhere near pretty enough for pictures (lemon bars!). I'll bring you up to date on the sweet stuff soon...

Chili Cornbread Bento

Chili Cornbread Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Continuing on with the gluten-free meals for TinySprite, she gets turkey bean chili with cornbread topping in her thermal bento. There's also a side box of grapes, carrots and a happy broccoli tree to go along. So far so good!

Veggie Barley Chili Thermal Bento

Veggie Barley Chili Thermal Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Is it just me, or does it seem like one thermal bento after another? Next up in the rotation is veggie chili. This one uses a lot of the same ingredients as my basic chili recipe here, but I made this batch in my slow-cooker and added barley and corn (and omitted the hominy and chocolate) to change it up a bit. Also, I didn't have time to watch the pot at the stove since there were three activities going on this day: Mad Science Afterschool Program, Ballet, and Kung Fu. It sure is nice on days like this to come home to dinner already-cooked and the house smelling delicious. The kids get a hot chili lunch along with some fresh fruit on the side. A welcoming bento on a cold rainy day!

Veggie Chili Phoenix Bento

Veggie Chili Phoenix Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

It may look at first like just another ho-hum veggie chili bento (see the vitamin-rich and hearty recipe and method I used here), but notice the very cool avian addition to the ever-present fruit and veggie side bowl. It's a phoenix, and I cut it from swiss cheese using my brand-new intricate cutter I received from Bento & Co! You might remember the dragon cutter I used for Chinese New Year (here and here). The phoenix is similar in construction and style. It's very well-made, sturdy, and cuts cleanly. You can see the craftsmanship here. I love it! Thanks Bento & Co ^_^

Vegetarian Hominy Bean Chili Bento

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.

Chili Rice Panda Bowl Bento

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Chili Rice Bowl Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

This was the result of my last crockpot meal: turkey chili with beans and vegetables. And this bento is MINE! I packed the two kids' lunches in their thermal jars in the morning, and didn't feel like taking the time to snap a picture. I don't know when the last time was that I made a bento for me, but I am going to start doing it more often. I used the cute panda bowl bento set, which is perfect for rice bowls. When I was a kid growing up, my favorite thing to get at Zippy's was chili rice. That's how you order it: chili rice. I loved it for a long time until someone told me you get a lot more chili if you order chili cracker instead. I can see the logic there. After all, there's only so much chili you can pour over a giant scoop of rice. So I switched to chili cracker, but I always loved chili over rice. So I made it for myself. This chili is so jam-packed with healthy stuff you practically get younger after you eat it. There's tomato, carrots, zucchini, kidney and black beans, ground turkey, onions, sweet peppers, and kale. I topped mine with grated cheddar and a sprinkling of cilantro. Really hits the spot on a brisk fall day, don't you think? And I prepared a fruit tier for myself too: fall pluots, cantaloupe balls and three raspberries. And I cleaned it all up!

Slow-Cooked Turkey Chili

1lb. ground turkey (or whatever meat you like, or you can omit this entirely)
2 cans kidney beans, black beans, white beans, or other beans of your choice
1 32-oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
1 bunch kale, chopped
2 zucchinis, chopped
1 tsp. chili powder (or 2 tsp, if you like)
salt, pepper

Brown the meat in a skillet and drain. Add to slow cooker along with all the other ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Garnish with cheese if desired.

Added to Allergy-Friendly Lunchbox Love.

Chili and Pepper Jack Bento

Chili and Pepper Jack Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

We had our first rainy day of the season today. It started out nice and sunny, so I got a nice swim in the morning, and the clouds moved in this afternoon. It was full on raining by the time I picked the kids up from school; good thing I had a big pot of chili simmering. It hit the spot perfectly. Best of all, there's enough for tomorrow's bentos for all! Both kids get chili in their respective thermal food jars, plus a separate container for the fruit sides. I even carved a mini sweet pepper jack-o-lantern just for fun. Happy Fall!