Perle d'Asie Bento
Labels:
apple,
beef,
black rice,
blackberries,
blueberries,
chicken,
ginger pork,
grapes,
scampi,
strawberries
·
I didn't feel like cooking last night, so when I got an last minute invitation to come over for some Chinese takeout at a friend's, I couldn't pass on the occasion. Moreover, as there usually is always more than enough for the next day, I came over carrying an empty box (very subtle :o)) So I spent not only a very nice evening over a tasty meal, I also came home with a full bento.
And that is what I am having for lunch today (counter clockwise) : yellow curry scampis, cantonese rice, beef with vegetables and the last section has lacquered pork and lemongrass chicken. The only "homemade" part is the fruit section although I have to admit that not too much effort went into this neither : grapes, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and a few apple slices.
請慢用 (-> should be "bon appetit" in Chinese).
Have a nice week everybody !
Frigo Pulito Capellini Bento
Labels:
apple,
bell pepper,
blackberries,
blueberries,
cappellini,
carrot,
grapes,
peach,
pork,
snow peas,
strawberries,
witloof,
zucchini
·
Ok, so I could have called this bento "Fridge Clean Out Pasta Bento" but somehow, that doesn't sounds as good as the Italian version, does it? :o)
It's Friday again (yay), so I'll be going for groceries tonight and in order to make some room for the fresh stuff, I needed to clean out the fridge of all bits and pieces of vegetables I still had in there. The result was this maybe not very attractive looking, but nevertheless tasty pasta dish.
I have some capellini pasta coated with tomato sauce, all kind of veggies (endives, zucchini, bell pepper, snow peas, eggplant, carrots) and finally some pork dices for proteins.
The sweet section features my regular fruit selection : white and black grapes, peach, strawberry, blueberries, blackberries and a apple square.
And that's it for this week. Only have one more thing to do and that is telling you to
See you next week !
Chicken Sausage Bento
Labels:
apple,
bell pepper,
blackberries,
blueberries,
brocoli,
carrot,
cheese,
cherry tomatoes,
chicken chipolata,
grapes,
peach,
radish,
scallion,
snow peas,
strawberries,
witloof,
zucchini
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Another day, another bento. And for today's lunch I dusted off my sakura box which had been laying fornlorn in the bento cabinet for these last few months.
In this single tier box I squeezed in everything I will be eating today : a stirfry of all the veggies I had in the fridge (i.e. carrots, zucchini, bell pepper, endives, snowpeas, spring onions), a steamed broccoli roset topped with a cheese maple leaf, a diced up chicken chipolata, some grenaille potatoes with a cherry tomato on top and a radish for decoration. I also packed my usual fruit selection (the advantage of summer and its abundant supply) : white peach, strawberries, apple, white and black grapes, blueberries and blackberries.
Bon appetit.
Terriyaki Turkey Bento
Labels:
apple,
bell pepper,
blackberries,
blueberries,
carrot,
cheese,
cherry tomatoes,
grapes,
nectarine,
peach,
radish,
scallion,
snow peas,
strawberries,
turkey,
witloof
·
Today's bento is already looking a bit better than yesterday's (if I may say so myself). Proof that I am slowly getting back in a certain routine :o)
Bottom tier has terriyaki turkey (I was planning to make duck but they were sold out), glazed carrots, a bell pepper/snowpeas/endives/spring onion stirfry, some grenaille potatoes and radishes and cherry tomatoes for decoration. I also added a little container of orange sauce (I deglazed the frying pan with some orange juice after frying the turkey).
Top tier holds the dessert and snack section : white peach, nectarine, strawberries, pink lady apple (my fave), white and black grapes, blueberries and blackberries, a piece of Camembert, and two mini tartines russes. I don't know how they are called in English, literally translated these are "Russian sandwiches", basically two crispy biscuit slices with some buttercream in between. Yumm.
Usually, I don't use a same box two days in a row but as I am housesitting for my parents at the moment (who are enjoying some happy time far from cold and rainy Belgium) my packing possibilities are rather limited. I already dragged along my "bento accessories" storage box, so I couldn't take all my bentos with me as well. I'll try to pick up a couple of other ones at home tonight, so I break the monotony. Somehow the vivid red of this box, is just too much for the camera to handle.
Talking about boxes, I encountered some wonderful boxes and tiffins while perusing some (food) blogs yesterday and a couple of them just scream out "come and get me". I don't know how long I will be able to resist their siren song, but I will do my best. And because shared happiness is always better, these are the ones I am talking about.
First of all, this gorgeous handpainted Lolita tiffin on sale at monbento.com. The price is steep and its volume and weight quite impressive, but you have to admit that this stunning container is one of those "got to have".
The second box that charmed me is the Jenggala Rantang from the Indonesian factory Jenggala Keramik Bali. Unfortunately the post on Decorablog dates from last year and I couldn't find this ceramic and wooden box anymore in Jenggala's online catalogue. At 32 EUR, it would have been a wonderful addition to my growing collection. Maybe I'll get lucky on ebay. Anyway, this is what this beauty looks like. If anyone sees it on sale somewhere, please drop me a line.
Until tomorrow, enjoy your bentos ! :o)
Bami Goreng Bento
Today I am trying out a new red two-tier box I got as a free gift with a bento cookbook. OK, I'll admit that the box was the main reason for buying the book ... I always live up to the marketeers' expectations ;o)
As for the contents of the box, I am not really excelling in originality. And although I do tend to eat with my eyes too, sometimes producing something tasty is just that tiny bit more important than delivering a picture perfect dish. So please bear with my rather unattractive bento.
The bottom tier has some leftover bami goreng from last night's dinner : stirfried noodles with chicken, omelette and assorted vegetables. The top tier has some carrot and cheese sticks in between slices of tuna cake and the usual fruity vitamins : apricot, nectarine, apple, kiwi gold and a strawberry.
Smakelijk !
Garlic Chicken Bento
Labels:
apple,
apricot,
bean sprouts,
bell pepper,
bento,
chicken,
garlic,
kiwi,
leek,
nectarine,
potato,
strawberries
·
After a hiatus of a couple of months and lots of changes in my life, I am trying to get back into the bento groove and what better way to do that, than by just making one in the famous M4SB.
Obviously, I am a bit out of (bento) shape, so this new first one is relatively simple : some stirfried veggies (leek, bean sprouts, bell pepper and cabbage), potato salad and some ovenbacked garlic chicken. Quite a few fruits for dessert too : apricot, nectarine, apple, kiwi gold and strawberries.
Bon appetit !
Terriyaki Pork Noodle Bento
Works are being executed in the kitchen since last week and I think that at least for the rest of the week or so, I will be without a cooker. I only have the microwave, the oven and (lucky me) an electric wok to prepare dinner right now. As these works weren't really planned (gas leak), last week was a bit of a balancing act in the gourmet department and preparing bentos wasn't high on the priority list. Nevertheless eating sandwiches for lunch is becoming a bit boring, so I tried to make myself again a bento for the first day of the week.
As usual my two tier bento has a savoury and a sweet compartment. The savoury tier consists of a noodle terriyaki pork stirfry with snowpeas, yellow bellpepper, mushrooms and a bit of green cabbage with a cheese sakura for decoration. The fruity vitamins for Monday are white grapes, orange, pear and kiwi slices and a piece of apple with a sakura cutout.
So no special pink bento or hearts galore, but nonetheless I wish everybody out there a
Coconut Lemon Chicken Stirfry
Labels:
bell pepper,
carrot,
chicken,
stirfry,
sugar snaps,
zucchini
·
I didn't spend a lot of time preparing my bento last night as I was too caught up in following the progression of the bushfires in Roleystone, Western Australia. A very close and dear friend of mine is living in that area and being on the other side of the world, there wasn't a lot I could do except watch and pray that he and his loved ones would stay safe from harm. Meanwhile, we did manage to make contact today and I am so relieved that they're all doing OK and that he managed to save his home after battling the fires all through the night.
Back to the bento. As I didn't want to spent a lot of time in the kitchen away from the news updates, I stirfried some strips of chicken thights with a mixed assortment of veggies (carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, sugarsnaps, ...) all seasoned with a ready made coconut & lime spice mix. And that's what I had for lunch today. Because I didn't add any noodles, rice or potatoes, this is a low points value bento, only 6 points for the chicken and the oil. Decorations are cucumber slices topped with black & regular sesame seeds.
Smakelijk.
Chicken Chipolata & Oyster Mushroom Bento
Labels:
apple,
brocoli,
carrot,
cauliflower,
chicken chipolata,
goat cheese,
grapes,
orange,
oyster mushroom,
pomegranate
·
I wanted to call today's lunch Oyster Mushroom bento but considering that they are hardly visible on the picture, I opted to add the chipolata in the title as well, at least the meat part is clearly visible :o). So today's bento features, mini chicken chipolatas, baby oster mushrooms sauteed with apples and a bit of goat cheese, steamed brocoli and cauliflower rosets, baby potatoes and some carrot slices as baran. The WW total for today is 8 propoints.
For dessert I am having roughly the same as the previous days : white grapes, apple and blood orange slices and more pomegranate seeds.
Bon appetit !
Ginger Pork Bento
Labels:
apple,
blackberries,
blueberries,
brocoli,
cauliflower,
cherry tomatoes,
ginger pork,
grapes,
green asparagus,
green beans,
olives,
orange,
pomegranate,
potato,
radish
·
Because I still had ginger to use before it went stale, I decided to make some ginger pork for my bento last night. It's an recipe I already used for bento (and which you can find here). This time I did as Maki suggested in her book and coated some new potatoes with the ginger sauce, to accompany the meat. It smelled divine and I am sure the taste will be equally satisfying. In between the gingery elements, I added green beans, green asparagus tips, some broccoli rosets, radish, a mini cauliflower, a cherry tomato and a few olives (inspired by Ohayobento's post from yesterday). The WW total for today is 7 propoints.
As I am still battling the nasty germs, I stocked up on as many fruit vitamins as possible : white grapes, blueberries, blackberries, apple bunnies, blood orange slices, pomegranate seeds and some dried fruits (pineapple, papya, cranberries, banana).
Wishing everybody a healthy bento lunch today !
Bon appetit
Chicken Burger Bento
Labels:
apple,
blackberries,
blueberries,
chicken,
clementine,
grapes,
pomegranate,
strawberries,
witloof
·
I spent the whole weekend being sick and feeling miserable, so I was not really in the mood to make an elaborate bento last night. The savoury part only has some steamed potatoes, mini chicken burgers and braised mini endives (witloof). Considering that the only ingredients to be counted are the cooking oil, potatoes and chicken burgers, this bento is very low on points, only 5 WW propoints.
As I need as much vitamins as I can get at the moment, I packed the second tier full of fruits : white grapes, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, apple, clementine wedges and some pomegranate seeds. With all this healthy stuff, I should be back to good health in no time.
No bento post tomorrow as I am having a business lunch then and I can't really show up at the restaurant with my bento and furoshiki :o) But I'll be back on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, bon appetit !
Salade Liegeoise Bento
Labels:
apple,
banana,
bean sprouts,
blackberries,
blueberries,
carrot,
clementine,
grapes,
green asparagus,
green beans,
ham,
potato,
radish,
ramiro pepper,
stirfry
·
As I was feeling a bit under the weather last night (and unfortunately not any better today), I didn't feel like whipping up something extra special for my bento. Quick and tasty were my only objectives. So I opted for another typical Belgian dish to add to my bento : Salade Liegeoise, although in a slightly less calorific version.
Salade Liegeoise, is a one pan dish that is usually eaten hot, but which you can eat at room temperature too so perfect for bento. It is a mix of green beans, potatoes, onions and bacon although I substituted the bacon by diced ham. I didn't know it was "popular" outside my little country's frontiers, but apparently the recipe even made it to the New York Times at one point :o)
So, for lunch today I have : some salade Liegeoise, more ramiro pepper/beansprouts stirfy, carrot kinpira, a few green asparagus tips, a few radishes for decoration and some zucchini slices as a baran. Like the previous days, the fruity vitamins consist of strawberries, white grapes, blackberries, blueberries, apple, half a banana and a few clementine wedges.
As the only ingredients to be counted are the oil, potatoes and ham, this bento is very low on points, only 6 WW propoints.
This also happens to be my last bento for this work week, as we are having or corporate New Year's Lunch tomorrow at noon and I don't have to pack anything.
See you all next week and I hope you'll have a great weekend!
Vegetarian bento
I'm having a vegetarian bento for my midweek lunchbreak, as I still had some vegetarian "meatballs" in the fridge that had to be consumed by today. Even though I couldn't possibly do without meat or fish, I appreciate the vegetarian alternative every now and then.
My sakura bento has some of these "meatballs", white rice topped with green asparagus and a cheese sakura, a beansprouts/ramiro pepper stirfry, carrot kinpira (recipe here) and more steamed veggies (romanesco, cauliflower, green beans, zucchini). The fruit section has like most days, strawberries, white grapes, blackberries, blueberries and a few clementine wedges.
And like yesterday's bento, this one also totals a value of 9,5 WW propoints.
Smakelijk !
Chicken Sausage Bento
Labels:
banana,
clementine,
cucumber,
edamame,
grapes,
green asparagus,
potato,
romanesco,
sausage,
snow peas,
strawberries
·
First of all, yes I am aware that the furoshiki I used as a background is in bad need of ironing, but as the main focus of the picture is supposed to be the bento, I thought that all in all it didn't look too bad. Call it artistic freedom :o)
When looking at all the bento boxes last night and considering which one to pick for today's lunch, I was again drawn to my favourite M4SB, with its colourful compartments. As usual I didn't really plan on the box to be (rather) colour coordinated but halfway through packing, I realised I was doing it again ... OCD anyone? :o)
Anyway, today I will be having a sliced up chicken sausage, green veggies (being romanesco, edamame, snowpeas, cucumber slices and green asparagus tips), steamed potatoes with spring onion and the usual fruit selection i.e. grapes, clementine, strawberries and two banana chip slices.
And all this for a total points value of 9,5 WW propoints.
Bon appetit !
Chicons au gratin bento
Labels:
apple,
banana,
carrot,
cheese,
cherry tomatoes,
cucumber,
grapes,
ham,
strawberries,
witloof
·
Today's bento features a typical Belgian dish : (Belgian) Endives rolls, locally knows as Chicons au gratin (in French) or Witloofgratin (in Dutch). Basically these are braised endives, rolled in a slice of ham, covered with bechamel (or as I did cheese sauce - although I didn't add any liquids to the bento) and generously sprinkled with grated cheese, before getting a tan in a hot oven.
It is a typical winter dish as well, as endives are very much in season now. I always go for the field-grown variety as I find those more savoury and less bitter than their greenhouse counterparts.
So besides, the endives, my bento has a few cherry tomatoes, shredded carrots and cucumber slices. The sweet dessert portion consists of half a banana, white grapes, apple and a few strawberries. And all this for a total points value of 6,5 WW propoints.
Bon appetit !
Green Curry Chicken Noodles bento
Labels:
brocolini,
chicken,
coconut milk,
green curry,
noodles,
radish,
zucchini
·
To tie in with the green curry bento I posted back in October, I decided to make my first bento post of 2011, again a green curry one. I still owed you all the recipe to that one anyway.
A rather straigthforward bento, to get back into the groove : green curry chicken with brocoli, zucchini and noodles, and the finishing touch radishes for that little dash of colour.
Since the beginning of this year, I have decided to address the weight issue (again) and I think bento-ing will be very helpful for this as well. I will therefore try to add the WW propoints totals for all bentos.
How to green curry bento : (3 servings - 12 propoints per serving)
Ingredients:
* 4 tsp of vegetal oil
* 400g boneless chicken thighs, diced
* 1 zucchini, diced
* a few broccoli rosets (but you can use green beans, or eggplant or whatever vegetable you prefer), cut up
* 4 spring onions, diced
* 3 cm of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
* 2 garlic cloves, diced
* 1 Tsp of fish sauce
* 1 tsp of green curry paste
* 1 tsp of green curry paste
* 250 ml defatted chicken stock
* 200 ml coconut milk
* 400 g pre-cooked noodles
* coriander
* lime juice
Heat one tbsp of oil in a wok and fry the diced chicken. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the remaining oil and sauté the vegetables for about 4 minutes. (If you use eggplant, it will suck up the oil at first but release it afterwards.) Add the spring onion, the curry paste and the ginger and stirfry for a minute.
Add the garlic, the fish sauce, the chicken stock and the coconut milk, bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Add all the chicken you set aside and the noodles and let simmer for an additional 4 minutes. Before serving sprinkle with coriander and lime juice. Done.
Bon appetit !
Happy 2011 !
·
2010 was a year with lots of ups and downs for me and the blog updates were few and far between. I will try to make a fresh start in 2011, by uploading some nice bentos for you too look at.
Wishing all of my bento friends a yummilicious, bentolicious 2011 !
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