Toast Of The Day: Omega-3 Sardines!

I gotta say this is my favorite toast thus far. But then I'm a fan of sardines! Are you? And because I piled so many other ingredients on my english muffin, it's not overwhelmingly sardiney, either.

I especially love that I was able to use so many healthy add-ons. I made them all; nothing is pre-processed. The tangy flavors come from the pickles, sprouts, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. 

I can't wait to make (a variation on) this one again!

😊❤🍱🐟🥑🌱

Shrimp and Mushroom Power Bowl

Today's power bowl has tasty protein and vegetables, and whips up in no time. I got the idea to add roasted mushrooms to everyday dishes (like pasta, salads or sandwiches) from a cookbook I was reading this week. I'll let you know my impressions after I try out some of his recipes.

I cooked almost everything you see here in the same pan on the stovetop, including toasting the peanuts, and each separate ingredient only took a few minutes. The mushrooms are a mix of black trumpets, portobellos, and porcinis. I seasoned with garlic and pepper, as well as a splash of ginger soy dressing. So delish!

The taro chips I tossed on a baking sheet in the toaster oven with some olive oil. You have to watch those to make sure they don't burn, but they only take a few minutes as well, if you slice them thinly.

Have a great weekend, friends!

😊❤🍱

Chicken Teri Onigirazu Snack Bento

Today's snack makes use of last night's dinner along with some fillers that I usually have lying around the fridge. Onigirazu is like a musubi but rectangular in shape like a sandwich. It's like a rice sandwich. If you do a search you'll see lots of  beautiful examples bursting with all kinds of colorful and delicious ingredients.

There are molds you can purchase to help you make the onigirazu shape but I find that it's easy enough to shape it yourself, and then you can size it to your specific bento box.

Feel free to pack whatever favorite foods you choose!

😊❤🍱

Furikake Salmon Lunchbots Bento

Two in a row! I'm on a roll now.

I recently learned that to ensure a crispy salmon skin you need to remove all the moisture from the fish first. I patted the filet with paper towels and let it air dry for a while before pan frying. Came out good! I love salmon and cook it once a week. I eat mine very simply with a bowl of 🍚 or on a salad🥗. So ono😋

In TinySprite's Lunchbots Trio: furikake salmon on soba noodles, assorted vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, tomato, carrots, edamame, Okinawan sweet potato), kiwifruit, pickled radish and red onion.

Salmon and Pickles Onigirazu Bento

On a roll with the black rice over here. Why not salmon and pickles onigirazu? First thing I learned from this one is to use more filling next time. D'oh! Besides more salmon I might also add more pickled red onion and pickled cucumber filling (can barely see it here), and maybe add daikon, some kind of sprouts and avocado too. Although you can simply make it freehand, I used a "mold" for this one, which was basically just a box that you fill, then invert onto a sheet of nori before folding. I found it to be awkward and unwieldy to use. I would prefer an open-ended mold that you place directly on the nori, like the ones you see for spam musubi and maki rolls. Also, this one I had to cut into three pieces to fit in the box, so the middle piece might fall apart while eating if it's not wrapped tightly enough. MisterMan ate this one and he gave it a thumbs-up, but stay tuned for my next attempt! I hope to improve my technique😊

Pork Veggie Rice Noodle Makizushi Bento

I made Vietnamese style pork chops and instead of packing them in lettuce wraps, which is how we ate them for dinner and how I usually pack them (which makes for a great bento, by the way), I decided to make more makizushi rolls for the kiddos. I've never put rice noodles in sushi before, but I guess it worked out all right!

I like how the black rice contrasts with the rice noodles (and the white pork). I included nuoc cham dipping sauce too, as well as pickled red onion and watermelon. The roll includes: black rice, romaine lettuce, pork chop slices, pickled carrots and daikon. Everything is packed in a stainless steel container with a leakproof clicktight lid, and an Eco Dipper container for the fruit. Perfect!

Samosas Bento

Samosas Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

I made samosas, for only the second time, and I think they came out kind of okay. I took a few liberties with the recipe, which I can't remember the source of (it was from a cookbook that I borrowed from the library, and I forgot to note the title). I put the recipe below. If I can find the book again, I'll add the proper reference~! Anyway, I used leftover wonton wrappers, and served with cilantro chutney. GOOD. For the kiddie bento, I packed some samosas in a homegrown lettuce lined compartment (I used EcoLunchBox Three-In-One), with a couple of grape tomatoes. On the other tier I added cubed cantaloupe, grapes, strawberry, corn off the cob, pickled cucumbers and red onions. Done! And Success!

Curried Vegetable Lentil Samosas

1 1/4 cup mashed cooked peeled baking potatoes
1/4 cup cooked yellow lentils
1T minced fresh mint (I actually omitted this)
1t Madras curry powder
1t butter, softened
1/4 t kosher salt
1/4 t ground cumin
1/2 cup frozen petite green peas, thawed
10 egg roll wrappers (I used wonton wrappers and I think it worked fine)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
cooking spray

Combine potatoes, lentils, mint, curry powder, butter, salt, and cumin. Gently fold in peas. Spoon into wrappers. Fold into triangles. Coat with cooking spray and fy in skillet 1 minute each side. Drain on paper towels and serve with chutney.

For Chutney:

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2T fresh lemon juice
1T water
1/4 t kosher salt
1/8 t sugar
1 serrano chile, coarsely chopped (I omitted this)
1/2 inch chopped fresh ginger

Process in blender until smooth. Set aside.