When I have all the cool vegetables, but I can’t think of any particular dish you can make to showcase them, I like to use them for Bento.
It’s always fun to open the mini Furoshiki (cloth wrapper).
It brings some excitement (even when I know what’s inside!).
I didn’t have to make any major cooking for this.
Most of the things were already pre-cooked and stored in the fridge.
You and Me Onigiri rice balls went into a Bento box this time.
This is one of my favorite ways to cook Kabocha.
This has two boxes, but one box contains enough food for me.
I usually make several vegetable dishes on weekends so that I have healthy food I quickly grab and put together.
I don’t assemble them in advance, because I like to make a meal with different small dishes depending on my mood each day.
These small dishes make it so easy to put together a beautiful Bento box like this.
The main of this Bento box was the apple BBQ vegan meatballs.
This homemade apple BBQ sauce was a great way to use up a few apples I got from the local orchard.
Have a great week everyone!
Onigirazu rice balls.
This is my third time making this type of rice balls.
It’s still a little tricky (I had to re-do the second one) to make, but I think I’m getting better.
I like them because I can see exactly what’s in them.
I made two types this time.
This one has teriyaki tempeh, spinach leaves, and radish salad.
This is the other version.
In this one you will find turmeric tofu and braised Hijiki seaweed and carrots.
I made this bento box several months ago.
I loved it, but for some reason I forgot to post it.
I’m glad that I just remember it.
I knew I made an awesome bento box in the spring time (lol).
Ginger okra.
Spicy eggplant
Sesame carrots.
It’s been a while.
Maybe it’s time to make a bento box again.
Napolitan Spaghetti may sound Italian, but it has nothing to do with an Italian dish.
It’s a classic Japanese spaghetti dish.
It’s basically spaghetti sauteed with vegetables and some type of cured meat (ham, bacon, etc) and finished with ketchup.
I grew up eating this spaghetti so many times, both at home and at kissa-ten.
You don’t find it at a fancy restaurant, but it’s a must dish on the menu at any kissa-ten, an older type of sit-down cafe.
These are the veggies I used this time.
First you saute the veggies.
Add cooked spaghetti.
Add ketchup.
Salt and pepper.
I like to doctor it up a little, usually with hot sauce and Japanese Worcestershire sauce, which gives a depth and richness to the flavor.
So tasty!!
It’s also a popular dish for bento.
Probably one of the easiest (and cheapest) ones to make.
I sprinkled a little nutty Parm.
And it was perfect.
Have a great weekend everyone.
It’s been a while since last time I made Bento.
Carrot Namul.
Braised Daikon and Soy Curd.
Curried Green Peppers.
Love these veggies.
I didn’t have to take it anywhere, but it was still fun to pack and wrap it just like a real bento box.
Mock fried oysters.
This may be one of my favorite bento boxes I’ve made.
Flavors, colors, and textures…
Everything kind of came together and worked wonderfully.
A view from the other side.
The leftover was saved in the fridge for me to enjoy the following week.
By the way, “Shojin” cuisine is a Japanese Bhuddist plant-based cuisine traditionally prepared by monks.
