Salmon and Veggie Yumbox Bento

This bento might not look that pretty, but it's full of good stuff. The compartmentalized box is practical for those times when you happen to have a bunch of this and that to pack for lunch. You ever have days like those?

Furikake salmon pasta, veggie hash with celery, bell pepper, and butternut squash, cucumber tomato salad with pickled red onions, strawberries and cottage cheese with granola. A few chocolate raisins finish out this Yumbox. Have a yummy day!

Curry with Rice Puppy Bento

It's been cool here in the Bay Area, and it's time for some warm thermal bento. I made curry loaded with vegetables, which will be ideal to nourish the kiddos midway through their hectic day. TinySprite still uses this Hello Kitty Thermal Food Jar, and if I add a side box with a selection of fruit - here, grape tomatoes, kiwi, and a tiny satsuma mandarin - it's just the right amount of food for her.

I would put the rice puppy inside the thermos, but I'm sure he would fall apart and disappear before lunchtime, so I packed him separately for her to add at her discretion. I hope she likes this one. Woof! 

Ribollita Bento

Ribollita Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Here we go with more thermal bento! This one is called Ribollita, or Tuscan Bean Soup. It's cool because you toss in cubed bread at the end, which soaks up the soup and gets all soft. I think it's supposed to kind of dissolve into the soup and make it thick, too. I'm on a roll with these thermal jars, and it's a good thing I have at least 4 because on winter days like this it seems to be all I want to pack for their lunches. If you haven't noticed, I'm big on one-pot soups and stews, in which I tend to throw vegetables and beans of all kinds and colors. Sometimes my dish is less than traditional because of this. I mean, look at this one. It's got beans, veggies, bread -- it's practically a complete balanced meal in itself. If you do this too often it can be risky unless you're sure to change up the spices and flavors so they don't catch on that you're pushing the same kinds of ingredients on them every day. But come on; who doesn't love Tuscan bean soup?! I will never forget the bowl I had in Florence at that restaurant with the long rustic communal wooden tables, where we strangely happened to be sitting next to another couple from the US (in fact they were from El Cerrito, just about a half hour north of us), where I was so smitten that I slurped that bowl completely dry. I tried to replicate that bowl using Ina Garten's recipe. You can too, if you like:
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Ribollita (Ina Garten's recipe)

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound dried white beans, such as Great Northern or cannellini
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup good olive oil, plus extra for serving
• 1/4 pound large diced pancetta or smoked bacon
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
• 1 cup chopped carrots (3 carrots)
• 1 cup chopped celery (3 stalks)
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes in puree, chopped
• 4 cups coarsely chopped or shredded savoy cabbage, optional
• 4 cups coarsely chopped kale
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 4 cups sourdough bread cubes, crusts removed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Directions

In a large bowl, cover the beans with cold water by 1-inch and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to soak overnight in the refrigerator.

Drain the beans and place them in a large pot with 8 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and continue to simmer for about 15 minutes, until the beans are tender. Set the beans aside to cool in their liquid.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large stockpot. Add the pancetta and onions and cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, 1 tablespoon of salt, the pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes with their puree, the cabbage, if using, the kale, and basil and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for another 7 to 10 minutes.

Drain the beans, reserving their cooking liquid. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, puree half of the beans with a little of their liquid. Add to the stockpot, along with the remaining whole beans. Pour the bean cooking liquid into a large measuring cup and add enough chicken stock to make 8 cups. Add to the soup and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

Add the bread to the soup and simmer for 10 more minutes. Taste for seasoning and serve hot in large bowls sprinkled with Parmesan and drizzled with olive oil.

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In the side bento box: blood oranges, some chunks of a kind of sweet melon resembling honeydew, strawberry and blackberries.

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 ^_^

Panda Curry Bento Bowl

Panda Curry Bento Bowl, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Curry bowl bento, one of TinySprite's favorites. After this one she asked, can I always have my bento in this panda bowl forever? Um, yes! The recipe I usually use, from Just One Cookbook called Keema Curry, calls for Japanese curry blocks. But since there's wheat in those, I made my own roux to thicken it up with rice flour. Along with ground turkey, there are a lot of colorful diced veggies in this one (red capsicum, carrot, celery, potato, onion). I served it over mixed grain rice in the panda donburi bento box. The top tier holds fresh fruit of summer: blackberries, strawberries and baby yellow nectarines. My farmers market has just started offering various stone fruit such as cherries, peaches, nectarines and apricots. And they are sweet already! They come all the way from the central valley and Sacramento areas, where the temps are much higher much earlier in the season than in the Bay Area. So very happy about that :D

Dry Curry Rainbow Bento

Dry Curry Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Okay, there isn't really a rainbow in here, but it's pretty cheerfully colorful! I packed MisterMan's dry curry in his metal "apple" shaped bento bowl, which I love. It's good for donburi type rice bowl meals such as this one: I put some mixed black rice (with millet and amaranth) on the bottom, and then scooped some dry curry on top. Dry curry is great for bento because there isn't a lot of soup or gravy to get soggy or leak out. And since this box isn't leakproof, it would have been a concern. I made this dry curry by browning ground meat and sauteeing a mix of diced vegetables such as carrots, bell peppers, celery, garlic and onion - I also added potatoes, zucchini and corn - then sprinkling 1-2T curry to the ingredients to release the aromatics. I added about 1/2C water and 2T tonkatsu sauce, stirred and simmered until well absorbed and "dry." If it's too strong you can add applesauce to sweeten it up, which is what I did. Or you can add ketchup. The top tier of this cute bowl contains cara cara oranges, strawberries, grapes, blackberries and blueberries. And a tomato and a couple slivers of mandarinquat. I sent this lunch to school at room temperature, but it's also a great candidate for a thermal jar, to ensure a hot curry meal on a cool winter day.
Added to What's For Lunch.

Santa Pucca Portuguese Bean Soup Bento

Santa Pucca Portuguese Bean Soup Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Since we're on a roll with the thermal bento food, why not continue with Portuguese bean soup? I was reminded of this Hawaii cold weather staple by a twitter pal who tweeted a photo of her pot simmering away. I get lots of meal ideas on twitter: foodie folks are always posting recipes and photos - just a quick scan through my stream brings up a whole bunch of options. One of the best things I love about twitter. This recipe is adapted from Sam Choy, except with lots of extra added veggies and stuff. Here's my version (method and recipe here).

I used kale, cabbage, carrots, zucchini, celery, onions, potatoes, lentils and kidney beans. There is Portuguese sausage too, of course, but the best part of the soup is the addition of ham hocks to the soup base; it adds a delicious smoky salty flavor. Along with the thermal jar of soup, I packed a side box with orange slices, broccoli and grapes, plus a little Pucca dressed for winter in her santa suit. Her face is a quail egg, her dress is red pepper, the trim is radish with a cabbage ruffle hem. Her hair is blackberries and her features are nori and sriracha. ^_^

Added to Allergy-Friendly Lunchbox Love.

Hello Kitty Santa Curry Bento

Hello Kitty Santa Curry Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

It's time for curry again, with the nighttime temperatures dipping into near-freezing range these past few nights. You'll probably be seeing quite a bit of the thermal bento jars on this site over the next few months. Like last time (see this bento here) I used a ton of vegetables, but I also used ground pork, which made it very substantial. This batch contains onions, celery, carrots, sweet mini peppers, potatoes, and broccoli. I packed (and served it at dinner) over hot brown rice mixed with pearl barley. This combo results in a chewy rice batch that I really like. The little side car contains oranges, grapes, broccoli, Okinawan sweet potato flower shapes, and a little quail egg Hello Kitty santa with a strawberry hat and suit. Aww! ^_^

Added to What's For Lunch.

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.

Mummy Turkey Dog and Candy Corn Egg Bento

Mummified Turkey Dog Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

It's the last Halloween bento of the season. Yay! I'll put TinySprite's first since i think it's cute. I've seen people make mummified hot dogs using refrigerated puff pastry but I don't have any of that, and really should just get some since you can make all kinds of cool shapes with it. So I went with my standard whole wheat tortilla, which is just as well since TS can put it away just as is. I cut the round tortilla in a spiral, which made it easier to wrap around the cylindrical turkey dog. I melted some cheese, but used two heart picks to fasten it just behind his "head" and "feet". Two sesame seeds are his eyes. The rest of the bento includes broccoli, purple cauliflower, carrots, grapes and cubed dragonfruit. Are you familiar with this fruit? I don't usually buy it; it's very expensive here. But it does look cool.

The other cute thing I want to tell you about is the quail egg candy corn. Isn't it cute? I love quail eggs, as you may notice if you scroll through my past bento. They are so versatile and fun to use. You can even shape themy by hand. To make the pyramid (triangle) shape, just pinch the top between your thumb and forefinger while pressing the bottom flat with your other thumb. You'd do this while the egg is still warm, and it only takes a few minutes. Then, to dye it, just sit the egg down in a bowl of golden beet juice with the liquid level reaching up 2/3. After it's nice and yellow, take it out and place it in a bowl of regular beet juice, up to 1/3. The red will combine with the yellow to create orange. Voila, you have a candy corn. OKAY, I know the purists among you will say "Candy corn colors are white, then orange, then yellow on the bottom", and you are right, but it's more difficult to get the stripes in that order so you'll have to accept this substitution from me.

MisterMan got smoked salmon / cream cheese / baby arugula rollups, the same veggies, fruit and candy corn, but his dragonfruit is a dalmation, playing with a ball. Awwwww.
So that's it for this year, people! Thanks for indulging me!

Oh, and by the way -- if you haven't voted for your favorite Food Ninjas in the contest at La Fuji Mama's site, you should take a look at the very cool entries. My Ninja in the Fruit Bento is one of the contestants in the Photo category. Hapabento and Sonoma Bento are also entered. Happy Halloween!

Omelet Wrap Bento

Omelet Wrap Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Mushroom onion spinach omelet in whole wheat tortilla wrap with spring greens and avocado. Other veggies include: cucumber, sweet potato, purple and gold cauliflower, tomatoes, peapods, romanesco and satsumaimo. Fruits include tiny strawberries, blackberry, satsuma mandarin, and black grapes.
I was so happy the wrap fit so perfectly in this box, yay! Too bad the skewers had to come out, but the lid pressed down on the wraps very securely so they wouldn't unwrap before lunchtime :)

I always forget how useful and versatile eggs are. Besides hard-boiling and shaping into cute molds, or spreading as egg salad, they can be cooked into a healthy and filling omelet by adding your choice of veggies and / or meat. Here, I should have added tomatoes or red peppers for a nice color. Adding a tortilla and turning it into a wrap makes the omelet neat and easy to eat for little ones. I personally really like the wrap idea, as it can be used with lots of different fillings; cream cheese, smoked salmon, leftover chicken or other meats, cold cuts, even PB&J or other traditional sandwich spreads. The only limit is your imagination!

Salmon Misoyaki Bento

Salmon Misoyaki Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Wild salmon misoyaki with roasted asparagus, peapods, purple and yellow cauliflower, tricolor cherry tomatoes skewer, purple and yellow carrots skewer, and satsumaimo & sweet potato.

Fruits include strawberries, blackberries, Dapple Dandies plum, and red grapes (underneath).

The kids ate the salmon in sandwiches with crusty French bread for dinner, and used the sauce on all the veggies :) This bento box has a clear lid, and I should have taken a pic of it in MisterMan's lunchbag -- it looks so cool, like a little garden in his bag ^ - ^

Star Wars Bento #3

Star Wars Bento #3, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

It's.... Master Yoda (brussel sprout head, cucumber ears and hands, tortilla & hummus robe and cuke lightsaber -- too short, as MisterMan immediately pointed out : )

I made fishcakes using halibut mixed with wild rice, rolled oats, green onion, yellow pepper, an egg, dry mustard, Old Bay and some flour. I refrigerated it to try to get it to keep its shape better, but it still made kind of a crumbly patty...there are 2 patties under Yoda. He also gets broccoli, broccoflower, tomato, peapods, purple carrot skewer, and sweet potato "blossoms".

Fruit side has yellow plums (I forget what these are called; I was sure they would be sour and I wouldn't need to get them again...but actually they are very sweet and I love them...too bad I can't remember which to get again :( strawberries, blackberries, golden raspberry and champagne grapes.

For all of you younglings, remember the wise words of the Master: "There is no try, only do."

Tiger Bento

Tiger Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

For MisterMan, Rock Cod Bento #2 -- this time steamed in ginger scallion sauce with shoyu and sesame oil. I gave him a brown / black rice onigiri with a sweet potato tiger on top, roasted asparagus, Okinawan purple potato flower, roasted cherry tomatoes, yellow capsicum rings, and a bit of broccoli. Almost all red fruits today: strawberry, raspberries, red grapes (underneath), red plum, and 2 beautiful snow-white lychee!

Pizza bento

Pizza bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

This is sherimiya brand pizza ~ healthy and fresh! Making pizza is yet another good way to use up all the stuff in the veggie drawer ~ you can put whatever you like; doesn't matter! Look what I put: semi-dried tomatoes, fresh yellow tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli (steamed and coarsely chopped), thin sliced eggplant, cheese... I forgot the onion and olives, but those are good toppings too. Anyway, they gobbled it up, just as I thought ;) The lavash bread is quite thin and bakes crispy, which we like.
Since there were so many veggies in the pizza, I just made a small side of peapods, tricolor tomatoes, and more pickled bittermelon with raw carrot thrown in. Fruit section has quite ripe peach, YUMMY lychees, strawberry, cherries, grapes, rasp- and blackberry.
MisterMan goes to a park with lake today, for more "camping" adventures. I wonder what he will discover...

Mini Bento: Fresh from the Market

Sometimes a bento can be cute, and sometimes cute. Miniature = cute. Miniature edibles are super cute, and miniature bento are awesome! You will find that I like to make mini bento just for fun, from time to time. :)
For this one I used Okinawan purple potato as the table for the bagel chip and pretzel basket, holding some green onions and cilantro fresh from the farmers market. Also included in this bento are carrot spears, okra stars, a little brown rice onigiri with furikake and a cherry tomato, a lychee, cherries and blueberries.
Here is the real-life inspiration for this mini:
My recent farmers market haul that included purple and yellow carrots, purple peppers, various eggplants, golden beets, orange cherry tomatoes, and pluots. Whew! This produce was beautiful right out of the earth.