Beet Kohlrabi Latkes Bento

Beet Kohlrabi Latkes Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Kohlrabi: never heard of it? Me neither, but I saw other people buying it at the market so I thought, why not? Latkes I've never made either, but it seemed pretty straightforward. The recipe called for coarsely grated kohlrabi, beet, and onion mixed with a beaten egg and 2 tablespoons of flour, to be formed into round shapes and fried 4-6 minutes on each side. I added grated zucchini and some cheese, because that's how I roll. I had to squeeze quite a bit of liquid from the ingredients before forming the patties, which ended up holding together very loosely. I'm not sure if that's the way regular potato latkes look or not. I was kind of expecting a more "burger-y" type of patty, similar to the beet patties I made here. The recipe also recommended serving with a horseradish sauce, which sounds great, but I had mine with chimichurri (this stuff is very versatile!). I sprinkled some green onion on TinySprite's two patties, which I packed into the divided container along with a homegrown mesclun microgreens salad topped with shaved iberico and yellow tomatoes, some marinated mini peppers, and a selection of white peach, blueberries and a super ripe dark orange apricot.

Seeing as tomorrow is the last day of school, I made shoyu hot dogs (by request) for the kids to share at their snack party. Can't believe the year is all over and we have the long hot summer ahead of us at last! I don't know who is more excited: me or them! Counting down the hours starting now...
Added to What's For Lunch.

Chicken and Rice Lunchbots Trio Bento

Chicken and Rice Lunchbots Trio Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

This is the first time I packed TinySprite's bento in the Lunchbot Trio, I think. It doesn't look too big because the separate sections keep things compact. There's furikake rice and shoyu chicken in one section, carrots, broccoli, corn and strawberries in another, and some cherries, blueberries and a soft ripe apricot in the last part. A few cute picks make it nice and girlish, in case she tried insisting it's a boy's box. Looks like bunnies galore in this photo, doesn't it? ^_^

Shoyu Chicken Bento

Shoyu Chicken Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

I made the shoyu chicken for this bento using the recipe from Secrets of the Red Lantern. I adapted it a bit, using my slow-cooker so that I could run out of the house to take care of the multiple kid activities pickups and dropoffs. The recipe promised meat that falls off the bone, and it did not disappoint. Super tender and flavorful! I just served it over brown millet rice and the kids loved it. There's a sprig of broccoli in there for brightness, and the top tier of this cool apple-shaped bento box contains strawberries, carrots, blood oranges and grapes for MisterMan. When I was a kid, shoyu chicken was my absolute favorite. If my mom ever asked what I wanted for dinner, that was what I requested every time. When I ask my kids, TinySprite invariably shouts "Mac and cheese!" and MisterMan, always the diplomat, never chooses. He says "Your choice mom. I like everything you make!" Awwww. ^_^

Shoyu Garlic Spinach

This is a quick way to prepare a delicious and healthy vegetable as a side for bento (or dinner). One bunch of horenso (spinach) will shrink down considerably, so you may need to cook a second batch. Simply toss the washed spinach into the pan with olive oil and chopped garlic, and stirfry until wilted. At the very end, add a splash of shoyu for flavor and sprinkle with sesame seeds. That's it. Easy, right? You may notice that I cook a lot of things in this exact same manner. Well, it's true that I like quick prep meals, and fewer ingredients also means there's less to remember, and you will probably have everything you need already in the house. Always a plus :)

I'd also like to say Thank you Michelle at Foodie Footsteps for the Over the Top Award!

The rules of this award are to (I'm copying Michelle's words here): answer the questions with only one worded answers (those are below)- thank the blogger who gave it to you over and over and over (that's exaggerated a bit) :)- pass it on to 6 of your favorite blogs. I hereby grant this award to:

Sally's Kitchen

Gourmet Mom on the Go

Cake Wrecks

Mothering Corner

hapa bento

Judy's Bento Box

1. Where is your cell phone? ...pocket
2. Your hair?...long
3. Your mother? ...awesome
4. Your father? ...supportive
5. Your favorite food? ...chocolate
6. Your dream last night? ...realistic
7. Your favorite drink? ..matcha
8. Your dream/goal? ...happiness
9. What room are you in? ..office
10. Your hobby?...bento
11. Your fear?...missed opportunity
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years?...working
13. Where were you last night?...home
14. Something you aren't?...tall
15. Muffins?..cappuccino
16. Wish list item?...laptop
17. Where did you grow up? ...Hawaii
18. Last thing you did? ...eat
19. What are you wearing? ...Tshirt
20. Your TV? ...off
21. Your pets?...dog
22. Your friends?...lifelong
23. Your life? ...cool
24. Your mood? ...calm
25. Missing someone? ...mom
26. Vehicle? ...mini cooper
27. Something you're not wearing?...shoes
28. Your favorite store? .. Daiso
29. Your favorite color?...lavender
30. When was the last time you laughed? ...5m ago
31. Last time you cried? ...last night at the news
32. Your best friend? ...the hubs
33. One place that I go over and over? ...Safeway
34. One person who emails me regularly?..mom
35. Favorite place to eat? ...Little Italy

Have fun everyone!