Halloween Spidery Rollups Bento

Halloween Spidery Rollups Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Halloween Spider bento number 2: This one is for TinySprite again. I used the divided 4-compartment plastic tupperware-like container. I made tortilla ham spinach cheese rollups and cut them to fit in one section. There are strawberries and grapes next to those, a cup of pickled cucumbers, sliced white peaches, corn-off-the-cob, and a purple sweet potato spider. She loves this kind of lunch! It doesn't involve any cooking at all, so it works for me too. Yay!

Rilakkuma Bear Burger Bento

Bear Burger Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

I should have shown you the turkey burgers I made! They're in there, I promise. I mixed in shredded zucchini and carrot along with ground turkey, onion, garlic, pepper, and... Worcestershire sauce! And ketchup. It came out pretty good, I think. I melted cheddar on them and then laid them on whole wheat sandwich thins with garden lettuce. Of course I had to make Rilakkuma's face on there. His ears are roasted sweet potato (I also made sweet potato fries along with dinner), and his face is made of white cheddar and nori. On the side, MisterMan has sliced pluots, garden orange sunsugar tomatoes, and grapes. And a little Rilakkuma fork. Awwws!
Added to What's For Lunch.

I Love Watermelon (Radish)! Bento

I Love Watermelon (Radish)! Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

You can't see the burger in the photo, but I tried a new meatless recipe. It consists of about a cup of roasted sweet potato, a cup of brown rice / barley, and a cup or two of black beans, processed along with sauteed onions, garlic, cumin, and Worchestershire sauce to taste. The patties stuck together pretty well, which often is not the case (in my experience) with bean burgers. I melted cheese and served with tomato slices next to a side of cabbage / onion / carrot slaw tossed with vinegar, shoyu and a bit of superfine sugar. The last section of the LunchBots Trio contains the miniature spring selection of fruit at my farmers market: strawberries, apricot and nectarine. We have watermelon too, but the cheddar bear is actually enjoying a slice of watermelon radish. Those are good too, even if they're not quite as sweet!

Salmon in a Forest Bento

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

Another TinySprite bento: this one comprised of our weekly standard salmon and rice. I used cajun spices which I mostly rubbed off of TS's portion. It fit nicely into the curve of this box, which is why I chose it. I packed furikake rice on the side, and topped with a broccoli tree, sweet potato flower shapes, and a mushroom-shaped radish. Fruit sides include: homegrown sunsugar cherry tomato, peach pie donut peach, blueberries, baby white homegrown peach, and dark red cherries. One of my favorite go-to, easy-make bento for a carefree summer day. Don't you just love those? ^_^

Sausage Arugula Pasta Bento

Sausage Arugula Pasta Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Now that the kids are getting older and their appetites are getting bigger, I find myself reaching for the more spacious bento boxes more frequently these days. My preschooler can still use the cute little one tiered character boxes, but probably not for much longer. And my almost-4th-grader definitely needs more food. This summer he's been very active, with various enrichment programs such as cooking, chess, mad science, and sports. He can eat a lot. I found this nice-looking two-tiered box today and thought it would be perfect for him in the coming months. It supposedly holds over 1000ml, but I find that the containers themselves take up space and there isn't a need to pack super tightly. This one has a snug-fitting upper divided tier that sits deep into the main compartment. Thus, I have to be careful not to pack the bottom too high. I like the gasket in the lid and the two double latches, as well as the transparent nature of this Clic-Tite box, made by a company called Novo. Here I've packed a quick-cook meal of thin whole wheat spagetti, wilted arugula and spinach, and pan-fried chicken sausage to layer in the bottom on a lettuce leaf. The top holds a silicone cup of yogurt with blueberries and sunflower seeds, another of steamed corn off the cob, carrots, cherries, strawberries, lychee, Okinawan sweet potato and regular sweet potato.

 

Sticky Rice and Canadian Bacon Bento Bowl

Sticky Rice and Canadian Bacon Bento Bowl, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Twitterfoodparty showed up this month in the form of bacon. You can check out this month's submissions on twitter by searching the hashtag #twitterbaconparty. I rarely cook bacon at home but happened to need a gluten-free alternative to lup cheong for the sticky rice (method here) I was planning to make. Most Chinese sausages and deli meats are marinated in shoyu, making them no-nos in a gluten-free diet. I steamed some sliced lup cheong separately to be mixed in everyone else's servings, but TinySprite was satisfied with diced and pan-fried Canadian bacon in hers. The overall flavor just wasn't traditionally the same, but it'll have to do, since I don't plan on learning how to make my own Chinese sausage! It was still tasty enough, though. I packed some in her favorite panda bento bowl, along with a selection of fruit in the top tier: cherries, lychee, blackberries, peach, and sweet potato. Next month's theme will be strawberries!

Sushi Bento and P-Patch Flowers

Sushi Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Got home late from a family field trip to San Francisco, and forgot that TinySprite has school tomorrow, so I'm giving her two (store-bought) sushi pieces. Along with those are the usual rainbow of sides: steamed broccoli, sweet potato, Okinawan sweet potato, strawberry, and chopped cara cara oranges. I think I'll pack some tofu bread in her tote too, since she's so curious about tasting it. I'll leave you with a few photos of the pea-patch we visited today. It's right on the bay and it has loads of paths and lovely blossoms. We always have lots of fun seeing what's in bloom. Short post today; have a great weekend everyone!

Taro Bread Rollups Bento

Taro Bread Rollups Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Here's a bento I make quite often for TinySprite, in several variations. She likes finger foods, and rollups are a favorite of hers. Sometimes I use tortillas, sometimes sushi, and sometimes -- as here -- I use flattened bread. I've posted a tutorial of how I make the bread rollups here. The purple color of this taro bread is so pretty that I decided to use it today. It's also a nice bread to use because it's soft and fluffy. Whole grain breads are often on the dry side (it can still be used though, like I did here). After rolling the bread flat with a rolling pin, I smeared cream cheese and lay some smoked salmon on top before rolling and pressing to seal. If I had arugula I would have rolled some in there as well. I also added a golden beet-dyed hen egg decorated with a face made of carrot and nori. (Been on a kind of yellow egg roll these days. Of sorts.) There's some satsumaimo (underneath) and regular sweet potato flowers as well as steamed broccoli tucked in there. Finally, I gave her some sliced yellow peaches as a sweet treat. Cheep cheep! ^_^

Honeybees Bento

Honeybees Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

A couple more days of school, and a couple more bentos to make. Here's one from last week, which I forgot to post in the craziness. It contains shoyu chicken and furikake rice, which used to be my ultimate favorite meal when I was a kid. I always requested it if my mom asked what I wanted, and I always chose the drumsticks. I don't usually pack rice for my boy since it's not his favorite, but it would be nice to start adding it. He didn't object to it here, and of course it was completely consumed, so maybe he'll come around to loving it as much as I do. Rice in bento also provides a nice backdrop for decorative details.

In this one I dyed two quail eggs in golden beet juice before adding strips of nori and cute tiny faces. The heart picks make perfect little wings. The other section contains regular and Okinawan sweet potatoes, a cup of edamame, some sliced (super sweet) white peaches and a strawberry. I personally love this bento. Gonna make one just like it for myself one of these days ^_^
Posted at What's For Lunch!

Totoro and Catbus Bentos

Totoro and Soot Sprites Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

MisterMan and TinySprite get matching Studio Ghibli bentos today; and they're both almost totally non-cook. I initially wanted to do these for a roadtrip, because wouldn't it be fun for them to eat together and chat about the movie (My Neighbor Totoro)? But I couldn't wait. I really wanted to make another Totoro, and after bento numbers one and two, I think this one looks pretty neat and sharp (if I may say so myself).

It helps to have a very smooth bun to work with. I used my small paring knife to slice off just the top brown layer for his belly, and after pre-scoring his chevron stripes I actually cut around them. They are still connected to the bun, and that way I didn't have to worry about sticking them back on. His eyes are cheese and nori, and his nori nose is stuck on with a bit of honey. I cut his ears from part of the belly and stuck them into slits I cut at the top of the bun. The eyes are secured with rice sticks to the bun.

Okinawan purple potato, when steamed and refrigerated overnight, turn a very dark shade of purple the next day, which makes them quite suitable for soot sprites. Their eyes are also cheese and nori. The rest of his bento contains the usual: broccoli, carrots, strawberry, cherries, grape tomatoes and orange slices.

TinySprite's Catbus is made from a hot dog-in-a-blanket with a potato bread face. All the facial features (Okinawan purple potato, regular sweet potato, cheese and radish) were secured with rice sticks. I hand-cut thin strips of nori for the teeth and eyes, and used bits of spaghetti for whiskers. She got a piece of corn, steamed broccoli, carrots, strawberry, cherries, and rasp-, black- and blueberries. This turned out to be too much for her and she brought the corn home to finish. They loved them!

Garlic Shrimp and Farro Bento

Today's bento contains farro topped with pan-fried garlic shrimp and spinach. This grain is pretty hearty and substantial, and I cooked it so that it had just a little chewiness to it. Seems like it would be good as a breakfast meal (like oatmeal, with cinnamon and brown sugar) to me. Or does that sound strange? Anyway, you can use this grain as rice, pasta, and tossed with just about whatever vegetables or meat you like. It's very versatile. I roasted some asparagus and added a steamed sweet potato bear face. Fruit section contains the usual strawberry and grapes. Pretty quick one, but healthy and satisfying for my growing boy.

Panko Shrimp Bento

Panko Shrimp Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Today's bento contains panko-breaded shrimp, sweet potato and kabocha with a twist: they weren't deep-fried. They were broiled! What? I saw this "recipe" on the Japanese Timesaving Lifestyle Show, which is where I got the marmalade pork recipe that I used here. I can't really call it a recipe since the whole point of the show is that you can cook your favorite tasty dishes in a fraction of the time, which usually means forgoing the typical recipe and just quickly mixing a bunch of things together. It really looks haphazard on the show because they're madly racing against the clock, but at the end they always show the judges sampling the food and proclaiming it just as delicious as the regular version. So anyway, the contestant had used this method to make shrimp tempura. All you do is squirt kewpie all over the shrimp (and I also used kabocha and sweet potato), dredge it in panko, then broil (or grill) at high temperature until shrimp is cooked and lightly browned; around 15 minutes or so. If you like, you can add salt and pepper before adding panko. It is quick, but it doesn't get as crispy as deep-frying, obviously. You can serve it with tartar sauce, or cocktail sauce, or whatever you like. I steamed the kabocha and sweet potato before breading. In this bento I also added steamed broccoli, a radish heart, a cup of yogurt with chopped strawberries and sunflower seeds, carved carrots, and another cup of grapes and blueberries.

Added to What's For Lunch!

Mochiko Chicken Bento

Mochiko Chicken Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

I made pseudo-mochiko chicken (oven-roasted instead of deep-fried), and used a slightly different recipe this time. The method (I originally found at Hapa Bento's site but adapted a bit) is the same, though.

Per pound of chicken thighs (cut into cubes):
4T cornstarch
4T mochiko
6T shoyu
4T sugar
2T sake
2 eggs
2T chopped green onion (white part), chopped garlic (to taste), and grated ginger (to taste).

Marinate a few hours, then bake in preheated, oiled pan at 400F. Turn to get all sides brown and crispy. It won't be as crispy as deep-fried, but it's still quite tasty. You can sprinkle with sesame seeds after (which I forgot to do) and serve with rice. Yummy! Both kids get chicken, roasted Brussels sprouts, steamed broccoli and yellow cauliflower, sweet potato, and assorted fruits (cara cara oranges, grapes, berries, and a mini mandarin). These bentos look the same size, don't they? Eek! I'm interested in whether she'll end up eating the whole thing. She LOVES chicken so I wanted to make sure she had enough, but she has a tendency to eat the fruits first. Plus, she's a slow eater. My boy's bento is deeper and actually has a lot more chicken, and it's packed a lot tighter than hers. I have no doubt that he will finish his :)

Potsticker Bento

Potsticker Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

TinySprite and I stayed home again. She got over the last cold, but now she has a lingering cough. Plus she was so tired she actually took two naps today. I'm guessing the busy weekend left her worn out and her body needs to make up some sleep recovery time. So this bento is small but full of substantial, filling foods. She got a (store-bought, leftover from the weekend's festivities) potsticker, some fresh roasted sweet potatoes, edamame, carrots sticks, and chopped "green oranges", cherry and blueberries. Not really sure what a green orange is, but that's how it was labeled at my Asian grocery. It was indeed green-skinned, but it was very sweet and ripe. We had the day off yesterday, so this weekend is stretching out a little bit longer for us. Wednesday tomorrow already. Yay!
Added to What's For Lunch. Take a look!

Fishy Bento

Fishy Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

I haven't used this box in a very long time; not since last school year, I think. It seems a tad big, but you don't have to fill up the sections completely to the top. The lid on this box is not tight sealing anyway, so it must remain upright (or use a belt). I decided to use it because I wanted to give him some snapper we made for fish tacos along with some cabbage cilantro slaw in the next section. The slaw is good with citrus, so I put his mini mandarin in that section alongside. I was also able to fit in a partial corncob, some grape tomatoes and a pink carrot - Japanese sweet potato skewer in another section, and a fruit selection in the last: green plum, peach and grapes. To finish out the fish theme, I cut a fish shape from sweet potato and decorated it with nori detail. It sits on top of the inner boxes just under the convex part of the lid. Done!

Garlic Shrimp Bento and EasyLunchBoxes Review

Garlic Shrimp Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Today's bento is packed in a box you haven't seen me use before: it's part of the Easy Lunch Box System, which includes four BPA-free plastic boxes like this one, four different color lids, and a zippered cooler bag. When Kelly Lester contacted me to test and review these portable, reusable (bento-type) boxes, I was happy to do so. So here goes:

For the inaugural bento I packed garlic shrimp (pan-fried in olive oil and garlic, then sprinkled with parsley) in a green lettuce leaf. I like using lettuce as a natural divider (baran) because it's edible and healthy, and it looks so fresh and pretty. In this bento, it keeps the shrimp separate from the cherry tomatoes and the three colors of sweet potato (regular orange, Japanese white [satsumaimo], and Okinawan purple). I also added a spinach log wrapped in turkey, and finished the decoration with pink carrot and purple carrot flowers. All this food fit nicely in the main compartment of the box; in fact, if I had a complaint it would be that the box is a bit on the large side. I think the main section may be sized to accomodate a sandwich. Since I have been used to packing my kids' lunches in a typical bento box, I wasn't sure how the loose packing would work. I tried to fill in the gaps as best I could to minimize movement (and possible spillage). The other two sections were easy to fill, and in fact they may have fit less of the fruit than I usually pack, somehow. Grapes in the smallest section and yogurt plus fresh berries and sliced almonds filled out the box. After everything was packed, I put the lid on, and discovered that the lid had a concave quality that served to pack down the food a bit. The hard plastic is quite sturdy and seems like it will hold up well to washing and reusing without cracking or breaking. The lid is easy to remove, and doesn't have the suction quality that flexible (Tupperware-style) plastic lids have. I was afraid it might come off during transport, but actually it stayed on quite well. Be aware that they are not leakproof, so it's best to avoid liquids and foods with sauces and gravies. The set comes with 4 separate boxes and lids, so that you could conceivably pack lunches for several family members at a time. They stack on top of each other nicely. I packed this one in the included bag, and placed his stainless steel thermos on top. They both fit perfectly.

All in all, I would say that the Easy Lunch Box System is a very convenient and versatile lunchpacking system, and handy for parents needing to pack more than one lunch a day. It's also a great system for picnics and field trips. The divided sections are my favorite feature: they act as timesavers (no need to figure out dividers), and help with portion control. It's easy for kids to open and close, and the cooler bag makes a perfect carrier. It's appropriate for boys, girls, or adults -- the whole family! And as an alternative to a wasteful brown bag / ziploc bag lunch, it's ideal!

Spinach Ravioli Bento

Spinach Ravioli Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Spinach and 4-cheese (ricotta, asiago, parmesan and mozzarella) ravioli from Costco for today's quick and easy bento. I added a face with nori and radish detail, sweet potato stars, steamed purple cauliflower and sweet corn. Yes, I often use these heart picks for antenna; they're so cute for that purpose. So maybe we could call the stack of ravioli a little caterpillar? Other stainless steel box has a ripe apricot, cherries, black grapes and a little bunch of my garden-grown mini-strawberries! They all ripened at this very small stage; I don't know why. Some other fruit on the same plants are larger and still green. I guess this group was just meant for bento, so in they go! What a treat for my mini-mania!
We're so happy Friday's here too! It's Memorial Day weekend and we get next Monday off. See you later bento friends!

Portabella Bento

Portobella Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

For this bento, I sliced and grilled portabella mushroom caps with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and sprinkled with chopped scallion. Asparagus and baby round potatoes were tossed with olive oil and garlic, and roasted together. I added a perfectly round cherry tomato in the corner for a splash of red, and some baked sweet potatoes cut into flower shapes. In the fruit section he has sliced plum, blueberries, and a cup of cottage cheese topped with chopped strawberries and wheat germ.

Upon looking at this bento now, it seems like a wintry one, with lots of earth tones and warming foods. Hopefully my bento will start to look brighter and more colorful with the coming of spring! I am definitely liking the longer evenings these days. The kids stayed outside until 8pm last night, riding bikes down the bay trail just down the street from our house. And today was positively warm, which got me thinking about refreshing foods like somen salad and sushi. Yay!

Chicken & Sweet Potato Bento

Chicken & Sweet Potato Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Since today is National Sweet Potato Day (you learn all kinds of things via twitter), I decided to toss in two kinds of sweet potato into MisterMan's bento to celebrate. I steamed regular orange and Okinawan purple sweet potatoes, cut them into flower shapes, and lay them in. I also put some roast chicken in lettuce wrap, quick pan-fried garlic enoki mushrooms, steamed broccoli with tiny maroon carrot flowers, starcut carrots and a grape tomato.

In the fruit section I place a giant, juicy red strawberry, some red grapes (underneath), and some yellow carrot stars on blood orange slices with the rinds cut off, like I saw ehmeelu do yesterday. I like the cool effect.

I used a kind of indigo dyed cloth-like paper for background. I can't remember where I got it, but it came in a big sheet which you fold up like fabric although it's actually paper. And do you see the cute Keroppi pair?
They are a gift from a very, very thoughtful and sweet bento friend!! I LOVE them; thank you!!!

On to other news:
I was so fortunate as to receive the following award from Natesgirl of Give Peas A Chance.

Thank you so much!! I am so flattered and honored. You should take a look at her blog; she is so talented -- making bento, cooking, baking, crafting... and raising a beautiful family to boot! Wow!
Since I have already told you several things about myself in an earlier post, I won't bore you again...but I will pass this award on to one of my favorite bloggers, Lia of MyBentolicious. If you don't already know how amazing Lia's bento skills are, you must take a look at her blog and discover for herself!

Double Tigers Valentine Bento

This is my final Happy Valentines Day / Chinese New Year dual bento!

I made two sweet potato tigers with nori and sesame seed detail, with a red pepper heart to show their love. Also in the box, which is a tiny bamboo steamer, broccoli, maroon carrots, yellow carrots, strawberry and red grapes. My boy brought a bunch of lay see and candies home from his class party, so I used some of them for the photo.

Hope all my bento friends enjoy a weekend of love and best wishes for an auspicious new year's beginning :D