Thursday 31 January 2013

Week 65


Bacon-bean bent-to
A bacon - bean - celeriac leaves roll. This was made by frying only half of a slice of bacon. The rest of the bacon was held above the frying pan.
So half was crunchy and the other half was "soft". Then it was rolled up with beans (capucijners in Dutch) and celeriac leaves.

I think it looks kinda pretty!


Capucijners tests
 The can of beans is quite large so there were enough beans to experiment with.
First: Capucijners with Sandwich Spread: Yumm!
Second: Capucijners with blue cheese: very nice.
Third: Capucijners with Japanese rice dressing: nice but a bit strange.


Rose made a "normal" bento for a change
Hello Kitty bento box brought from Asia by our good friend Ilonka! <3
This bento was filled with celeriac stems cut in slices on top of fried mushrooms (fried with garlic, butter, sea salt, freshly ground pepper and a drop of lemon juice.)
In the right trier some broccoli with slices of pork chop. Again standard seasoning. Perhaps some English mustard powder... perhaps some chili... perhaps some MSG. 




Bento Bean experiment with blue cheese made perfect.

This is a stalk of celery filled with blue cheese and topped with brown beans. It tasted very very yummy! (Even though it looks like a flute...)







*** HAVE A HAPPY BENTO DAY!!! ***


Thursday 24 January 2013

Week 64




 
Kids activity: 
preparing little healthy school
bento breaks!
Sliced and diced bananas,
mandarins, kiwi and apple,
put on little sticks
so all little hands will stay clean!

Tasting during preparing is allowed!

Nature's own bento:
stuffed bell pepper (with spicy ground meat), served in a bento with steamed peas and broccoli add some salt flakes and you're fixed for a busy day.


 

Homemade vegetable soup with meatballs.
Easy to prepare, bottle it, store it and a healthy lunch or dinner. Super easy when one lacks the time!











Rose made a bento with left-overs.
Spaghetti in one trier. 
Spinach - leek - feta cheese in the other trier.  









*** HAVE A HAPPY BENTO DAY !!! ***





Friday 11 January 2013

Week 63


Liz made with her daughter some lovely retro-inspired bento's! 

 


O so forbidden pleasure: clotted cream vanilla ice cream with caramelized salted popcorn and chocolate chunks dressed with pink marbles, created with Helke :)




Dinner... but so easily put in a bentobox: 
Dutch shrimps & 70ties style fusion! 
Asian cocktail sauce, Japanese omelet, cucumber with soy sauce and sesame seeds.
Hard to accompany with wine, but we managed: a single vineyard oaken chardonnay - served chilled!





*** HAVE A HAPPY BENTO DAY!!! ***


Tuesday 8 January 2013

Week 62

Liz and Rose had a catching up and making bento's up evening. This is the result.

Steamed broccoli topped with carrot and ginger mousse. The mousse is very lovey on its own but it can be served (hot or cold) with many things because of its "warm" quality.

Carrots: cooked in broth and roasted in the oven.
Garlic: cooked in broth and roasted in the oven.
Ginger: cooked in broth.
I think for "warmth" sesame oil was added.

The "flavor feeling" can be compared to the Dutch or Surinam or Indonesian peanut sauce.




Previously mentioned squid and Chinese cabbage sweet and sour salad presented on a celeryleaf.



A cracker topped with a topping that is a bit like a Rambol cheese. It is made of sour cream, real butter and freshly opened walnuts. And of course some sea salt and freshly ground pepper.



Top:
Chicory leaf topped with Dutch shrimps, guacamole (homemade with avocado, lemon juice, crushed garlic, salt and pepper) and topped with trenches of spicy red pepper.

Bottom:
Chicory leaf with tuna salad with a black olive.

A "boat" made out of fennel topped with the same tuna salad (per-packed but very yummy and scrumptious).


Fennel "boat" topped with the same guacamole, shrimp, pepper mixture.
ad on a celery

*** HAVE A HAPPY BENTO DAY !!! ***

Week 61





After Christmas staying at home can be a true joy.
With an excess  of food and a bit of imagination I made some avocado fillings to put in my "beef cups".

The jars in the back contain home-pickled vegetables. Most other foods like vegetables, herbs, dairy, nuts, noodles and beef are recognizable, I suppose.
 


This is an "evident" mix of ingredients.
Avocado, garlic, salt, home pickled spicy green beans (not so "evident" but pickled spicy peppers can be used too. In Holland they can be found in Turkish shops). Diced tomatoes on top.








Avocado, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, rings of spring onion, sea salt and fresh pepper. Sour cream on top.




This one is a bit interesting at first but it is really yummy.

Avocado, mixed with rum-raisins and dark chocolate (70+ coco content) with pistachio, sea salt.








 This one is spicy. And inspired by German and Asian food.

Avocado, mayonnaise, horseradish (daikon or rettich or mierikswortel) AND wasabi paste, coriander seeds and topped by fried onions.




   

I baked cups made of beef in a muffin tray. Some parts of beef I topped with garlic or onion.


I filled the cups with different kinds of "guacamole".
*** HAVE A HAPPY BENTO DAY !!! ***

Thursday 3 January 2013

Week 60



From top to bottom.
Spices in a bowl.
Left: Sweet and sour salad made from pulpo and Chinese cabbage.
Right: Leek and fennel salad. Fennel seeds, butter low heat lid on the pot.
Add fennel and then the leek.
The leek and fennel salad finished with cubes of blue Stilton and walnuts.
Two pieces of pulpo that looked cute on the pink plate.

*** HAVE A HAPPY BENTO DAY !!! ***