2xBento

Bento #64



Chow mein with snow peas
Cheesy Spinach (from Kawaii Bento Boxes Cookbook)
Hot Dog Octopi and Crabs with Dijon mustard (underneath in a blue container)
Deviled egg

This was from Monday - I threw it together in the morning before I left for work.
The Chow mein sauce was just chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce and a bit of corn starch to thicken it.

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Bento #65



This one is another Ramen bento.
There is a layer of noodles lightly dressed with sesame oil (to prevent them from sticking, and to add flavour)
Then Frozen Corn, Frozen Peas, half a hard boiled egg (sliced) and two mini smoked sausages cut into fish and an octopus. Topped off with green onion and a dash of shichimi tōgarashi
The orange container has dashi granules in it and the bunny has soy sauce, to make the broth.

This is for today - I threw it together this morning. I'm working the late shift at work this week and next week, so I will have time most mornings to make my lunch.

oops!

I totally forgot to take a photo of today's bento, and I don't have a camera with me now ...

I used my usual 2-tier blue URARA dragonfly bento box

Bottom Tier is:
3 onigiri (egg furikake, veggie furikake and a 'sushi rice' one topped with black sesame seeds)
a hot dog cut into fish shapes

Top Tier is:
3 tuna patties (recipe below)
Corn
Cheesy Spinach (from the kawaii bento box cookbook)


Mini Tuna Patties:
(makes 6 or 7)

1 can tuna drained
1 tbsp breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1 tbsp and 1 tsp mayo
1 tsp parsley
salt & pepper to taste

mix all ingredients well. Mold patties with your hands, pressing firmly to keep the tuna from falling apart. Place on parchment paper.
Heat up about 1tsp olive oil in a frying pan, cook patties until golden brown on both sides.

2 x Bento

Bento #62



This one was leftover sloppy joes made with ground turkey.
Served with slider flatbread rounds, green onion, and shredded cheese
For veggies we have celery and carrot sticks
And 2 chocolate covered macadamia nuts for a treat.

Sloppy Joe Recipe:
1lb ground turkey
1/4 c green pepper, diced
1/4 c onion, diced
1/2 c. ketchup
1 tbsp yellow mustard
a few dashes Worcestershire sauce
Spices to taste (I used chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and a dash of salt)

Brown meat, breaking it up as you cook it. Drain. Add onion and green pepper and cook until just soft.
While meat is cooking, combine ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and spices. Add about 1/4 c water.
Coat the meat with the sauce (add more water if necessary), and simmer to reduce the sauce.

Serve on your favourite bread or buns (we used whole grain sunflower & flax bread when we had it for dinner) with toppings of your choice!

A lot of the recipes I found for sloppy joes called for brown sugar, and little to no spice. I didn't have any brown sugar on hand, so I skipped it, and added some of my favourite spices. This recipe had a nice slight sweet edge (ketchup already has sugar in it, and cinnamon is sweet), and just a touch of spice.

If you've never tried cinnamon in a tomato sauce, I highly recommend it. It adds such a rich flavour to the sauce. It works really well with meat sauces, but I often have it with just plain sauce. You only need a dash.

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Bento #63



Sorry, this photo is a bit blurry, I was in a rush that morning.
We have 3 round onigiri (l to r: Salmon Furikake, Plain (lightly salted), Umeboshi Furikake)
1 hotdog cut into 2 octopi and 2 crabs (black sesame seeds for the octopus eyes)
Mustard in the little blue container
Deviled Egg
2 apple bunnies

yum!

I haven't made onigiri in so long, and I forgot just how delicious they are - even just the plain ones!
I picked up some more furikake today: Veggie, Bonito and Egg.

I've never actually had an umeboshi ... I will admit that even though I'm all for trying new things, a pickled plum makes me hesitate. I like the umeboshi furikake though. I'm sure if the opportunity presents itself, I will try one someday.