All posts tagged: Bento

Korean Inspired Pancakes, The Breakfast Of Champions!

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About a couple of months ago I decided to give Korean pancakes a try. They are salty, they are full of vegetables, and frankly they just looked exotically delicious. So I decided to make a classic; a green onion pancake. I printed a recipe from a reputable Korean cook, gathered my ingredients and went at it with extreme confidence, after all; How hard could it be? Well, I found out that there is a learning process to it. You can’t just add batter and fry, the onions release moisture, which make the pancake soggy if it is too thick. I learned that the egg has to be added at a certain time, that the green onions don’t always stick to the batter. Basically I made quite a few, but every try ended in me having to fix something since we Americans (at least the ones in my house) are not much for eating raw pancake mix, or raw egg, or slimy onions. So my first try ended in disappointment and me deciding that I had …

Bento Series #8 — Jalapeño Poppers Salad

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Jalapeño poppers are a very easy treat to make. They are great for appetizers, as hors d’oeuvre at parties, as a dish to bring to potlucks or barbeques. They are little peppers filled with cheese wrapped in bacon. Now some people might be scared to try them because Jalapeños have fame for being spicy. However most of the spiciness is located within the seeds and ribs, so if you clean them really well there is nothing to fear! Some tips when handling Jalapeños. Use rubber gloves so that none of the capsaicin (the spiciness) gets under your nails, which will cause you some discomfort. Also DO NOT touch your eyes when handling the seeds and ribs or you will be in a world of pain and agony (queue sinister music). But other than that they are super safe ^_^ Bento Components: Jalapeño Poppers Salad Greens Sausage Octopus Radish Flowers Lemon Wedge Jalapeño Poppers– Ingredients: – 8 jalapeños (about 2 per person) -1 block of cream cheese at room temperature -3 green onion stalks, diced -bacon (1 slice per …

Bento Series #7 — Slow Cooker Brisket

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A slow cooker can be a huge help on very busy days. Wake up a few minutes earlier, throw everything in there, set for the whole day and “Forget About It.”(<– with a New England Accent) Now you might say: “Wake up a few minutes earlier? HA, HA, HA!” Well, to you I say; you can also set it up the night before and you will have a cooked meal when you wake up, like the food fairy visited and left you a delicious meal while you slept, just remember to turn off the slow cooker before you leave for work. You don’t want to burn that meal the food fairy slaved all night making for you! In this particular instance I made a brisket. Brisket is a relatively inexpensive cut of beef and generally tough, so it benefits from that long and slow cooking process. Bento Components: Slow cooked brisket Vegetables Rice with peas   Slow Cooker Brisket — Ingredients: -4 lb brisket -5 carrots -3 stalks of celery -1 onion diced -salt and pepper …

Vegetarian Fall Fried Rice

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A couple of weeks ago I decided to give Meatless Monday a try, a decision that met with many protests from my husband (I don’t like veggies, I like meat, I am a man! I need meat, But meat is delicious, I am not a rabbit, etc. were some of the arguments that arose). But I had some great arguments up my sleeve; Vegetables are good for you and this family, I am the one cooking! You will eat what I make, You are acting like a baby! Even our daughter is embarrassed for you! He ended up eating a peanut butter sandwich >_< still meatless though, Ha! Here is the recipe for the vegetarian fried rice that the rest of us enjoyed that day. It is great as a fall dish since it uses a lot of ingredients that are seasonal right now. Ingredients: -Cooked white and wild rice mixture. (1/2 cup pre-cooked wild rice to 2 cups white rice) -1 Zucchini chopped -2 Carrots diced (diced is smaller than chopped) -1 package of mushrooms …

Bento Series #5 — Egg Noodles and Ginger Pork

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This is a very Asian bento. All the components are things that could be found in a Japanese bento, however they are extremely easy to make here in the U.S.A., the ingredients can be found in your nearest grocery store, and I have adjusted them a bit for a taste that our palates would enjoy. (Did not want a repeat of the pickled radish incident). These dishes take no time at all to cook, so they are great for a busy weekday night. Bento Components: Egg Noodles Tossed in a Salty, Sour, Nutty Dressing Ginger Pork Steamed Carrots Simmered Mushrooms Ramen Quail Egg Today I will be sharing my recipes for the noodles and the ginger pork. In the future I will share how to make a ramen egg, soft boiled or hard boiled, in a post where I have a better picture of the egg, the inside and the outside. Call it vanity but these little eggs did not look that pretty, they looked average in this picture which makes no justice to the amazing flavor …

Bento Series #4 — Soboro Bento

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Soboro (AKA clean your fridge and pantry out in the most delicious way possible) is a very popular lunch dish in Japan. It is easy to make, keeps really well and just tastes delicious. You can think of it as a deconstructed fried rice. So I thought, why not make it popular here as well? If Soboro is too hard to pronounce or remember, then call it “Deconstructed Fried Rice” and now you are a fancy schmancy chef! So win-win! Basically in a bed of rice of your choosing (white, brown, wild, other grains such as quinoa or even couscous could also work) you arrange an assortment of toppings that can later be mixed in and enjoyed with the rice (make sure your toppings compliment your base starch). Bento Components: Soboro Tamagoyaki Sliced Pineapple Soy Sauce in container For this soboro I took a look at my pantry and fridge and just grabbed things I had. Like I mentioned this is a great dish to clear out your fridge at the end of the week. Any …

Bento Series #3 — Katsu Sandwich

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Oh Katsu, how can I describe thee? A mouth watering, crispy, delicious bite of heaven? That might do it! Katsu is a Japanese word for a meat that is sliced thin, then pounded even thinner, coated with a breading and fried. If we want to get technical this sandwich in particular is a Tonkatsu because it is made with pork. But who cares about the name? All you need to know is that it is delicious. However it is Fried. Yes, I said it, that dirty word that means we are going to have to feel guilty while we enjoy every last bite of it, the word that means we will have to negotiate with ourselves and agree to extra laps/treadmill time. Fried >_< But I have a solution… We can oven “fry” it. So I will be giving you two options, for those of you who want to be naughty, fry that glorious tonkatsu in peanut oil. For those of you who say ” Oh, no I can not negotiate another lap, I already …