Salmon Rice-ball and Ginger Pork Belly Rolls Bento

This bento combines comfort foods  (salmon rice-ball, steamed rice cake with cheese, and pork belly rolls) with loads of raw nutrition. The rice-ball is packed in a special sheet of plastic that keeps the sheet of nori separate from the rice until you're ready to eat it. This way you can enjoy the crispness of the toasted nori as you bite into your tasty onigiri. For more information, and lots of good pictures, look here. The wrappers can be found at some Asian stores or you can make your own by using freezer wrap.

Next to the rice-ball is a cheese puto. It's a steamed rice cake made with coconut milk that hails from the Philippines. I purchased some at an Asian deli, which are usually great places to find gluten-free items as most of the selections are rice based.

Bottom tier of bento: salted and grilled salmon rice-ball, cheese puto, ginger pork belly rolls, sliced persian cucumber, pickled eggplant. Oh, and cute tiger. "Peekaboo."

Top tier of bento: green salad (cucumber, micro-greens, romaine lettuce, Thai seasoned almonds) with apple parsley dressing, kimchi, plastic flower.

My Bento Recipes:

Ginger Pork Belly Rolls (makes 4 rolls)

Many of the meat recipes used in Japanese cooking involve meat that is thinly sliced. Because of this our local Asian store carries an amazing array of all natural meats cut in this manner. For this recipe I picked up some local pork belly that was cut like thin bacon. You could substitute uncured bacon, adjusting the amount of tamari in the recipe depending on the saltiness of the bacon.

Ingredients:

2 slices uncooked pork belly, cut in 1/2

1/2 tablespoon tamari

1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger juice

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup stock

Directions:

* Mix the tamari and ginger together in and marinate the pork belly for 10 minutes.

* Remove the pork belly and roll the pieces up (you can use a toothpick to secure them if you wish.) 

* Reserve the marinade.

* Heat the oil in a pan with a lid over medium low heat.

* Place the pork rolls in the pan and cook 2 minutes per side, or until crispy, for a total of 8 minutes.

* Add the stock and the reserved marinade to the pan.

* Cover with the lid and let cook another 8 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time.

* Remove the lid, turn up the heat to high and cook 1-2 more minutes or until the sauce is very thick and the rolls are well coated.

* Let cool and remove toothpicks.

Apple Parsley Dressing (makes 1 cup)

This refreshing dressing is adapted from a recipe in Ani Phyo's book Ani's Raw Food Asia. Because she uses it atop a Korean salad I paired it a side of spicy kimchi. 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup packed parsley leaves

1/2 apple

1/8 cup raw apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

* Remove the core from the apple and dice.

* Blend all the ingredients in a small blender until creamy and smooth.

* Pack some dressing in a small container for your salad. The remaining dressing will keep 4 days in the fridge.

Scrambled Egg Curry Bento

A colorful medley of vegetables give this bento 'zazz. But the star of the show is my scrambled egg curry. My husband loves Japanese curry, which was the inspiration for this recipe and a big hit. Another of his favorites is kinpira, a popular Japanese dish  with an earthy sweetness.  Kinpira is most commonly made with burdock and carrots,  but I took that flavor profile and applied it to celery and asparagus: yum.

Left tier of bento: cucumber and micro-greens salad with citrus dressing, carrot and hijiki salad, celery and asparagus kinpira.

Right tier of bento: rice-bran pickled daikon, scrambled egg curry (sliced green onions) over rice.

My Bento Recipes:

Scrambled Egg Curry
Curry: now it's for breakfast too! This Paleo friendly bento dish is sure to become a staple in our home.

Ingredients:

white part of 4 green onions, sliced (or 1/8 cup diced onion)
1/4 carrot, small dice
1/4 cup diced tomatoes (canned is fine, it's what I used!)
1 teaspoon coconut oil, or vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder

Directions:

* Whisk the eggs together with the salt until well combined.
* Heat the coconut oil in a pan over medium low heat.
* Add the onion and carrot and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
* Add the curry powder and cook for a minute or until fragrant.
* Add the tomato and cook for 5 more minutes or until most of the moisture has cooked off.
* Add the egg and cook while constantly stirring to break up pieces.
* When the egg is fully cooked turn off the heat and let cool.
* Garnish with sliced green onion.

Celery and Asparagus Kinpira
I was delighted to discover that kinpira can be made with other vegetables because I don't often have burdock on hand. Now I will continue to play around with new veggie combinations! This recipe has a refreshing Spring element thanks to the asparagus.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of matchstick cut celery
1/2 cup of matchstick cut asparagus
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon tamari
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon shichimi

Directions:

* Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat.
* Add the celery and asparagus and cut for 5 minutes.
* Add the tamari and maple syrup and continue to cook an other minute.
* Turn off heat and sprinkle with shichimi.

Shichimi: Japanese 7-spice.

Zelda Triforce Rice-ball and Chipotle Miso Wings Bento

It's good to be nerdy. My husband has been a long time fan of everything Zelda and while I haven't taken a stab at making fancy character bentos yet, I did represent a bit with this Triforce rice-ball. It's actually a rice and millet mixture which I  wrapped up in nori and then topped with golden triangles cut from takuan (rice-bran pickled daikon.) Gotta pack a sani-wipe, KFC-style, for this bento beacause it's also got marinated and baked chicken wings!

Top tier of bento: nori wrapped seasoned millet and rice ball with takuan, kimchi, pickled eggplant, lettuce and roasted almonds, hijiki and carrot salad with sunflower seed flowers.

Bottom tier of bento: chipotle miso marinated wings (parsley leaves, sliced green onion), lettuce. I used a store bought, all natural, and gluten-free marinade for the wings.

My Bento Recipes:

Hijiki and Carrot Salad

This is my recipe version of a very common Japanese side dish. Traditionally it is made using sliced pieces of deep fried tofu, which you can certainly use. I used small pieces of meat from an extra wing instead. Bacon would also be good!

Ingredients:

1/4 carrot, half cut into matchsticks, half cut into thin flowers using a cutter

1 tablespoon dried hijiki

1/3 cup baked chicken wing meat, torn into small pieces

1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

4 tablespoons stock

1/2 tablespoon tamari

1/2 tablespoon maple syrup

Directions:

* Soak the hijiki in water for 15 minutes and drain well.

* Heat the oil in a small pan over medium  heat.

* Add the carrot and hijiki and cook a 3-5 minutes, stirring gently so as not to break the carrot flowers.

* Add the stock 

* Continue to cook until the liquid is almost gone.

* Add the tamari, maple syrup, and chicken pieces.

* Stir and continue to cook until well coated.

* Let cool.

* When packing place a few of the carrot flowers on top and use sunflower seeds to create "flowers."

Mashed Potatoes in Fried Parmesan Baskets Bento

Cheesy mashed potatoes nestled in fried parmesan baskets. Oh I went there. I was looking for a way to make deliciously soft and creamy potatoes more finger-friendly. Because mashed 'taters and chopsticks: not so much. So in this bento I  used parmesan cheese  "baskets" as edible containers! The result is a mashed potato-n-cheese combo that is easy to pick up and awesome-yum to eat! No chopsticks, spoon, fork or spork required. Also featured are Greek-style green beans which have a subtle sweetness and a little bit of kick too. I broiled a seasoned chicken patty for the protein. I buy these in four packs and keep them in the freezer. You know, for those times when I'm too busy playing with cheese to roast a chicken.

Top tier of bento: Parmesan mashed potatoes in Parmesan Cups (thyme leaves, sliced kalamata olive), mixed pickles (parsley leaves and cute plastic flower).

Bottom tier of bento: Chicken patty (lettuce leaves) and Greek Style Green Beans.

My Bento Recipes:

Fried Parmesan Baskets

Ingredients:

grated parmesan cheese

In a pan over medium heat sprinkle grated parmesan in a thin layer. No oil is needed. Picture how large of a sphere you'll need in order to make the cup size you're looking for when you sprinkle the cheese.

After a minute or so, when the cheese is turning golden brown around the edges and you can see more golden brown throughout the cheese sphere, use a spatula to loosen the cheese and then lift it out of the pan.

Flip the cheese over small cups or ramekins that have been inverted and covered with tin foil (have these ready before you start up the stove.) Carefully press down the hot cheese, if needed, to form cup shapes. Let them cool. When cool they will retain their cup shape so remove them from the foil and trim the edges as needed with kitchen scissors. You will have yummy friend cheese scraps if you do this, which I'm sure you can find a good home for.

Fill the basket with cooled mashed potatoes. I used frozen mashed potatoes that I reheated and then let cool. (For good measure I also added some parmesan into the mashed potatoes, hehe.) You can pack this the night before.

So there it is: super finger-friendly mashed potatoes. Perfect for a bento! This was a huge success so I hope you try it sometime!

Greek-style Green Beans (3 bento portions, or 1 bento portion and a veggie side for dinner)

Ingredients:

1/2 pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-3 inch pieces
white part of 8 green onions, sliced (or 1/8 small diced onion)
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
1/2 cup diced tomatoes (canned is fine!)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

* Heat olive oil in a large pan (that you have a lid for) over medium-low heat.
* Add onion and garlic and saute until soft, about 6-8 minutes.
* Add the green beans, chili flakes, and cinnamon and saute briefly.
* Add the diced tomatoes.
* Stir a few times and then cover the pan with the lid. Let cook 10 minutes (or longer depending on how soft you like your green beans.)
* Remove the lid and turn up the heat on the stove to high.
* Continue to cook and stir as the excess liquid boils off creating a saucy glaze.
* Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste.
* Let cool.

Vegan: Black Beans in a Baked Tomato Cup Bento

Using dividers and small cups is important for keeping bento dishes separated. There are many ways to make your own dividers and "cups" by using vegetables and other foods. This baked tomato cup also adds lovely color.

Top tier of bento: Roasted Corn and Chilies with Lime, Green Beans with Thai Almond Crumbs, carrot flowers.

Bottom tier of bento: Rice and millet, rice bran pickled Daikon, shiso pickled eggplant (parsley leaves) Black Beans with Caramelized Onion in Baked Tomato Cup (sliced asparagus, parsley, Japanese seven spice.)

Notes: I bought the pickled daikon and eggplant at a local Asian market. These were made in their deli and contain no additives or food coloring. The bright red on the eggplant is from the Japanese herb aka-shiso which imparts a vibrant red hue. The daikon gets it's wonderful sunny yellow from being long-term pickled in rice bran. Sometimes some turmeric is added to further liven up that yellow. However, most often commercial pickles rely on food coloring. Grab and go items like this can be a big help, but it's important to read labels.

My Bento Recipes:

Green Beans with Thai Almond Crumbs (2 portions)

Ingredients:

6 oz green beans, cut into 2-3" pieces
1/8 cup Thai Lime and Chili Almonds (from Trader Joe's)
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
pinch of salt

Directions:

* Boil green beans for 3-4 minutes or until desired softness.  
* Shock the beans in ice cold water and drain well. 
* Toss the beans with the lime juice. 
* Grind almonds in a small blender or food processor until the size of bread crumbs. 
* Mix 1/2 the crumbs in with the beans and use the remaining 1/2 to sprinkle on top.

Black Beans with Caramelized Onion in Baked Tomato Cup (2 portions)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup cooked black beans
1/8 cup caramelized onion pureed with olive oil
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Japanese seven spice (shichimi)
2 small hothouse tomatoes

Directions:

* Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
* Cut the top 1/4-1/3 of the tomatoes off (depending of the size of the tomato and the bento box you are using.) 
* Slice the very bottom of the tomatoes off so that they will sit flat. Using a spoon carefully scoop out the inside of the tomatoes. 
* Mix the remaining ingredients together in a small pan and heat.
* Fill the tomato cups with the black bean mixture.
* Bake for 12 minutes. You don't want the tomatoes to get too soft or they will break.
* Let cool before packing and sprinkle with a pinch of Japanese seven spice or chili powder.

Vegan: Curried grains and Coconut Creamed Corn Bento

We are going to go Paleo for a month! As part of the Whole30 food challenge I'll be making 30 days worth of bentos that are not only gluten-free, but also grain, nut/seed, and bean/legume free! In preparation I've been going through my freezer and pantry and using up those foods that will be off-limit during our Paleo adventure. 

So Rice: I'll miss you, you wonderful bento staple! But for now: get yourself yummy in my bentos!

Bottom tier of bento: Red endive with lime juice, Easy Pickled asparagus, Coconut Creamed Corn (bee pollen).

Top tier of bento: Curried Rice and Millet with Tamari Roasted Sunflower Seeds (parsley and pickled carrot flower), Green and Black Beans with Asian Dressing (lettuce leaves).

Notes: the curried rice and millet was pulled from the freezer the night before. At that time I also put sliced asparagus in my probiotic rich brine for more Easy Pickles. The corn and black beans were also easy freezer grabs (soooo grateful for the incredible invention of the home freezer!) 

My Bento Recipes:

Green and Black Beans with Asian Dressing (1 portion as shown)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup cooked black beans
1/4 cup diced green beans
1 tablespoon Asian-style dressing (totally used store bought)

Directions:

* Cook green beans in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. 
* Drain the green and black beans very, very well. 
* Toss with dressing.

Coconut Creamed Corn (1 portion as shown)
A simple and comforting vegan and Paleo side dish that adds a bit of sweetness to the bento.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons additive-free coconut milk
pinch of salt

Directions:

* Defrost corn in boiled water and drain well. 
* In a small blender blend 3 tablespoons of the corn with the coconut milk and pinch of salt until creamy. 
* Pour over remaining corn and mix well.

South-western Bento: the Remix

Using leftovers and making multiple portions at a time is a big part of my bento making process. Here I used leftovers from the day before's bento cooking with the addition of some easy over-night pickles. Again the combination of almonds, rice, and beans creates a complete protein.

Top tier of bento: Spanish rice with black beans, chili-lime roasted almonds, pickled green beans, carrot, and garlic.

Bottom tier of bento: Roasted Corn and Chilies with Lime, South-western Kale and Roasted Vegetables. 

Super Tired Wifey Bento

Yup, I was really, really tired. But the hubs still had lunch! It can be this easy. This simple. The point it that packing food as a part of healthy eating is a priority even when the results are super low-key.

Top tier of bento: Leftover spinach and pea frittata with parmesan.

Bottom tier of bento: Curried cabbage salad with baked tofu and fresh cilantro, Gluten-free breakfast bar.

South-Western Vegan Bento

Beans and rice are a stable the world over. The addition of roasted almonds in this bento delivers a budget friendly complete protein (beans/legume+grain+nut/seed=all the essential amino acids!)

We haven't been vegan or vegetarian for years, but I've been including plant based meals during the week because they remain a healthy and economic option. When I buy meats I buy the best I can afford (hormone-free, grass-fed, free-range, local, or organic etc.) This means meat isn't on the menu every meal, or even every day.

In order to increase the digestibility of beans (and grains) I always soak them in plenty of filtered water with a tablespoon or two of raw apple cider vinegar over night before cooking. 

I used to actually sprout my beans/legumes/grains over a period of a few days after soaking them...but lately, soaking is good enough. Because that's what I'm up for.

Top tier of bento: Chili-lime roasted almonds, easy pickled carrot flowers, South-western Kale and Roasted Vegetables.

Bottom tier: Spanish rice with black beans and fresh cilantro, Roasted Corn and Chilies with Lime. Garnishes: sliced asparagus, pickled carrot flower, lime slice

My Bento Recipes:

Roasted Corn and Chilies with Lime (2 servings)

Using frozen corn and canned roasted chilis makes making this recipe a snap.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup frozen corn

1/2 tablespoon cooking oil

2 tablespoons diced canned roasted green chilies (mild)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Directions:

* Cook the corn on high heat in the oil. Stir frequently, but allow the corn to deeply caramelize for a "roasted" color and flavor. 
* Remove from heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Let cool before packing.

Note: canned chilies can be frozen in small portions, like in an ice-cube tray.

South-western Kale and Roasted Vegetables  (2 large servings)

Once again frozen vegetables made my life, and this bento, ease-y. (I bought both the bag of frozen kale and "fire roasted bell peppers and onions"  at Trader Joe's.)

Ingredients:

1/2 bag frozen kale (or 1/2 bunch fresh kale, washed, de-stemmed, and ripped into small pieces)

1/3 bag "fire roasted bell peppers and onions" (or fresh or canned equivalent)

1/4 cup salsa (I pulled some from the freezer!)

1/4 cup stock

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

* Break the frozen onion and bell pepper pieces into bite-sized bits. 
* Heat all the frozen vegetables in the stock on high heat to defrost. 
* Add the salsa and salt and continue to cook until the excess liquid is cooked off and everything is well mixed. 
* Cool before packing.

Vegetarian Breakfast Bento

Hash-browns! Yay, hash-browns in a bento! At least that was my husband's sentiment. Baked tofu stands in for the traditional eggs and bacon making this an other vegetarian bento. 

Top tier of bento: Hash-browns with caramelized onion sauce and fresh pepper, Parmesan Peas.

Bottom tier: Cubed baked tofu, cabbage and carrot salad with avocado dressing and sunflower seeds. Garnish: radish slices, radish flower with carrot center.

My bento recipes:

Parmesan Peas (2 servings)

I always keep some frozen vegetables on hand. This is a super easy, and tasty, recipe for frozen peas.

Ingredients:

1 cup frozen peas

stock

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon grated parmesan plus some for garnishing

Directions:

* Defrost the peas in stock in a small pan, then drain. 
* While still warm mix in remaining ingredients. The cheese will melt and clump some so mix well. 
* Once cool sprinkle with a little more cheese!

Avocado Dressing (makes about 1/2 cup)

This simple salad dressing uses the whole-food fat of avocado in place of refined oil.

Ingredients:

1/2 small ripe avocado

1/2 tablespoon lime juice (or lemon)

1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 clove garlic

1/2 tablespoon water (or a bit more, to blend)

Directions:

* Blend all the ingredients in a small blender. 
* Depending on the salad your dressing you can add additional spices/herbs and use this recipe as a simple base.

Mashed Potatoes and Baked Tofu Bento

Spring is coming! Bulbs are starting to pop up and bloom around the area, and also in this bento. I was inspired to make flowers using asparagus for the stems and leaves by Kristie and her site beneficial-bentos. Her bentos are so beautiful and colorful! I love them because the are full of vegetables cut in all kinds of appealing and fun shapes. Make sure and check 'em out!

Top tier of bento: Mashed potatoes with green onions and thinly sliced asparagus, caramelized onions (the dirt), flowers made of boiled carrots and radish with asparagus, pickled chard stem and celery, boiled and seasoned carrot flowers.

Bottom tier of bento: Savory baked tofu, red onion salad, spinach with cilantro pesto. Garnish: radish flowers with asparagus centers, radish slices, cilantro leaves.

Uh-oh. Daffodils aren't the only bulbs sprouting around here! My onions are showcasing green tendrils too! So, it's time to use up a lot of onion. Fast. Caramelizing onions is a great way to cook down 2-3 onions in one go. It takes time, but not a lot of effort. By using olive oil to blend caramelized onions I also make a wonderful "sauce" that I freeze in ice-cube trays for later use. A little of this adds a sweet-savory complexity to other dishes and sauces right quick.

Both caramelized onion, and the blended sauce made from them, go wonderfully over starches like potatoes and yams or as a topping/spread on GF pizzas and sand-whiches.

Also: another leftover mashed potato creation!
After packing some mashed taters into my bento I shaped the remaining into patties and topped them with grated parmesan. For dinner I baked them for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. I served them nice and hot with a side of caramelized onion sauce: mmmmm!

(Note: the slight purple you see is colored from from purple cabbage.)