Inarizushi

My alarm didn't go off, again. I didn't wake until 7:00 am and Paige had to leave in just a few minutes so I didn't have time to take a picture of the actual bento. I did put some more together though for some photos.

Last night I simmered the tofu skins in chicken broth (I had no dashi) soy, mirin and saki. I found the skins in the freezer from last year, and the rest I had left over from the year before. They were stuffed with fresh sushi rice that my husband kindly started when he got up in the morning. We just rinse it and set it up the night before so it is just a matter of plugging it in and flipping the switch. Still, I am grateful that he remembers in the morning fog.
I also made a variation of one of the Just Bento recipes. Thinly sliced cucumbers with shaved carrots that had some lemon rind, juice and sea salt. The other side was also from the cookbook and was some green beans that I have for dinner that were lightly steamed then tossed with a touch of light miso and butter.

This is going to be a trying time for us as we are having money problems like so many others. Buying things specifically for bento is not going to be happening very often as I try to conform our dinner foods into something different for her bento.

Happy St. Patrick's Day Dinner

The reason I haven't been posting bentos this week is because I am on Spring Break. In the past I still had to get up early and make Pippy's bento and get her to school, but this year she volunteered to do it all herself so that I could get some much needed sleep. As a result or as Pippy said "because I am lazy" she has in fact not made bento, but usually a sandwich and a couple of times money for a school lunch which she said that besides the fact that she can't tell what it is, it was pretty good. 

Instead of bento, today I am posting my "boiled" dinner. The reason it is special is because I tried a different cooking method this year. Boiling meat has never been my favorite smell and all that water leaves the corned beef very tender, but tasteless and impossible to slice into neat slices. The cabbage always comes out waterlogged. The potatoes and carrots are usually okay, but because most recipes call for up to 3 quarts of water, they don't gain any real flavor from the bath. My Gramma would do a smoked pork shoulder which could take the boiling, but the corned beef just does not seem to like it as much.
For the corned beef, I pricked the meat on the fat side and stuck in some cloves. Then I rubbed the top with honey mustard and sprinkle brown sugar on top. This goes into foil, and wrapped so that the foil doesn't rest on the fat. Pop it into a 350 degree oven for a couple hours and it is done. I may try to cook it lower and slower, or maybe in a crock-pot to make it more fork tender, but the family absolutely loved it. As you will see in the picture, I need to trim off the fat too. What you get is a lot of liquor from the cooking which you can use to flavor the meat more (but it really didn't need it at all) or the potatoes, which, having only been boiled and tossed with butter might like the seasoning and make it feel like a boiled dinner.
The cabbage got special treatment too. I sliced a small head of cabbage a little thin, then sauteed minced garlic in olive oil. Once I could smell the garlic I threw in the cabbage (I have a huge skillet, for those who don't you may have to put it in in batches as it wilts) and tossed to make sure all the bits have the flavored oil on it. Then I pressed it down in the pan and let the cabbage get a little brown, tossed again and repeated.  My entire family, two of whom used to hate cabbage in boiled dinners, absolutely loved it. It has been asked for a repeat performance.
Sadly, I totally forgot the carrots. I also forgot Cat's Irish Soda Bread, but we were very full and unable to move, so everyone ate well.

Nothing Will Be The Same

First I want to tell my friends and anyone else who is suffering because of the tragedy in Japan to know that you are all in my thoughts. I am watching with horror as things unfold and I feel deeply for everyone there. It is difficult to not feel useful in a situation like this, but I would like to recommend to my blog readers that you can donate to the Red Cross specifically for Japan relief. I am not always happy with the Red Cross, but they beat just about any other private relief effort out there.

This is the first bento I have posted in a while. My last one had a horrible picture, so I didn't post it, and on Friday I overslept. Pippy got herself off to school, but didn't make a lunch.

This bento is a new recipe. I purchased Golden Sesame Tofu in the refrigerator section at Whole Foods the other day, and Pippy loved it. A search online found a recipe that was similar, though the ingredients were slightly different than what was on the label. Undaunted, I gave it a try and Pippy gave it the good ole thumbs up. Have I mentioned how much I love the pre cubed tofu? I really do. It makes life so much easier for these types of recipes. With that is simply some baby spinach, raw and undressed as requested, two grape tomatoes and some mango which I also got yesterday at Whole Foods and had to use because it already had a soft spot. I have to check my produce a little better next time. I get lazy.

Below is the recipe for the tofu:

Ingredients 14 ounces extra-firm tofu
1/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons tamari
3 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
2 tablespoons sesame oil (not toasted)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/4 cup cornstarch or flour for dusting
1 tablespoon Canola oil
1/4 cup sesame seeds, lightly toasted
6 green onions

Directions

1.Wrap tofu with paper towels and place on a cutting board. Put another cutting board or heavy plate on top to press out liquid. Set aside for 20 minutes.

2.Meanwhile, put honey, tamari, ginger, sesame oil, vinegar, garlic and chili flakes into a small saucepan and bring just to a simmer. Keep warm.

3.Dry drained tofu with paper towels and cut into cubes. Dust very lightly all over with cornstarch or flour. Heat 1 inch of oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat until it reaches 350�F on a deep-fry thermometer. Fry tofu until golden brown, then transfer to a large bowl and toss with 2/3 cup of the warm sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions and toss gently. Serve with remaining sauce for dipping, or drizzle over vegetables on the side

Read more: http://caloriecount.about.com/whole-foods-pan-fried-sesame-recipe-r139629#ixzz1GWHtz6i2

Surprisingly Simple

First, Paige did not like the rice yesterday. Funny, the kid will eat ketchup on anything but rice. So, that is one recipe off the list. She has a surprising small list if you take into account all the variations on similar ingredients.

Today I planned to get up early and make tempura for her bento. I figured that it would take a while fixing the vegetables and heating up the oil. Well, I didn't get up until 6:15 so I thought my plans were shattered. Then I thought that I may as well give it a go and I did. It worked out nicely. The baby zucchinis were sliced thin, some julienne red bell peppers and shaved carrots went into the fryer. The carrots were shaved using a vegetable peeler and after tasting them I have to say they came out the yummiest. I love cooked zucchini, but a few of them got a bit soggy while cooling, so I had to cherry pick the ones that were crispy, though I am a bit worried that the moisture content may cause some problems.

The curry sesame seeds on the rice were supposed to be in the shape of a mitten, but that didn't work out as well as I hoped. I think that the next time I pack something round I will put it on a bed of lettuce or spinach. I don't like the look of the bottom of the box showing. Those are freezer meatballs simmered in BBQ sauce. On the other side is the tempura vegetables, a container for more BBQ sauce and some dried cranberries.
Tempura batter is easy. 1 cup of ice water, 1 cup of flour and an egg. Mix well and dip whatever you want into it and deep fry it. You can also use the bits of tempura batter in octopus balls at a later time.

Takoyaki

When we went to Ebisuya I picked up a nice piece of octopus for takoyaki, so I made it this morning since the weekend was sort of a blur. My first batch stuck to the pan, but that may have been because I was impatient. I really need a takoyaki pick because using toothpicks was not fun. The rest of the bento is incredibly simple. Pippy actually didn't want anything with her takoyaki, but I insist on some greenery.

I am trying to figure out how I did this with chopsticks the last time. They aren't as brown all over as I would have liked, but hey, I am still a novice. I put some sauce in her bear bottle and some Kewpie mayonnaise in the monkey container.

Here is my incredibly simple takoyaki recipe

2 2/3 c. flour
2 1/2 c. dashi stock
2 eggs
cooked octopus I have used squid before, but you may want to cut that small and put it in raw as precooking made it rubbery.
chopped green onions

Mix the flour, stock and eggs. Pour into preheated and greased takoyaki pan. Place some chopped cooked octopus into each hole and sprinkle some green onion in. Cook until browned on the bottom side and spin it 45 degrees so it is on its side. Scrape any bits of batter that fell between the holes into the takoyaki. Let cook until browned and spin them another 45 degrees, allowing the bottom to brown. I had to use toothpicks for turning them, but you can use a special pick for it, which is probably easier.

Additions to the batter could be some tempura scraps and bonito flakes. You could also add those teeny dried shrimp to it while it is cooking. Pippy and I don't like things to taste too fishy, so I make it pretty plain. This is a blog for a picky child after all.

Ground Beef Teriyaki

This isn't a bento recipe yet, but given the praise for this dish that I made up because we have very little to work with in the house means that it will be making an appearance in bentos at one point. I have no pictures because the entire thing was eaten up pretty fast. As far as I know, there isn't another recipe for this, so here is what I did.

Teriyaki sauce:
1/2 cup of soy
1/2 cup of white sugar (yep, it is a lot, this is sweet and salty)
2 tablespoons mirin
2 teaspoons grated ginger (fresh or frozen, it keeps in the freezer a long time)
1 good sized clove of garlic
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Mix together well and set aside

The "stir fry":
1 pound ground beef or pork or turkey, whatever you like
4 carrots (mine were medium sized)
Handful of edamame beans (they are a pain to shell btw so use frozen if you have them)

Cut the carrots into sticks. Mine were a couple inches long and fairly narrow.
Shell edamame beans if you are using fresh.
Cook ground beef in pan chopping it up until in small pieces
Drain in colander and set aside
Put carrots and edamame into the pan and add about 1/2 cup of water. Cover and let steam about 5 minutes until you can just pierce the carrots with a fork, time will depend on how small you cut the carrots. I suggest trying to have the carrot and edamame finish at the same time.
Take off cover and allow last of liquid to dry up and stir fry briefly. Get the carrots as brown as you like them.
Add ground meat back into the pan and stir together.
Stir the teriyaki again until well incorporated and add to pan.  Reduce heat and allow to simmer a few minutes.
Serve on top of rice.

Not only did my eldest and husband like it, but even more amazingly my youngest loved it too and was even asking for it this afternoon, but there was none left. Carrots and all! This will definitely make it into a bento in the near future. It is perfect to make the night before because letting it soak in the sauce will only make it better.

Broccoli Coleslaw

This is a very simple recipe that calls for broccoli stems and carrots

1 broccoli stem, peeled
1/2 carrot, peeled
2 tsp mayo

I have a great little doohickey that looks like a vegetable peeler but makes "julienne" vegetables. You can always use the big holes on your grater or the attachment for a food processor. Also, this is a recipe for 1, you can adjust for more.

Grate broccoli stem and carrots.
Sprinkle with a little salt
Mix in mayo

Done. If you have people who like flavorings, some dill weed or seed would compliment this nicely.