Week 72

It is almost Easter.
With the kids we made Easter bunnies with candy eyes. Some are holding per-boiled eggs.

Don't the candy eyes make bunnies
(and other Easter animals) extra super cute?



Thinking out of the box...
It is not easy when bento becomes second nature.
XD












Two types of dumpling soup. One clear with an egg on top.
One made with broccoli and fish stock. Underneath the dumpling are tiger shrimps.

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

Week 71

This picture is as yummy as it tastes. It is a Moroccan low-carb pie made by Liz.
The exact ingredients I don't have but the yellow on top is egg. Underneath that is a surprise of nuts and lamb. The spices are ras el hanout (a Moroccan spice blend that can contain over 60 spices - there are many varieties), coriander, parsley and something lemony.

This bento is completely vegetarian.
Left is a picture of a "all-in-one-box-bento".
The three separate bento-boxes underneath contain the same foods.

The recipe does not exist. It is cooked with intuition and imagination.

Ingredients used are listed below.
   

The left container:

Ingredients: Onion, garam massala, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, deep freeze spinach, baby tomatoes, young white cheese (feta like), salt, freshly ground pepper.


Another surprise flavor magic!

The middle compartment or trier consists of tofu (not silky - the kind one can get in Dutch supermarkets - it is quite tough) with papaya balls out of a jar and coconut milk (out of a can). And that is really delicious! It is cooked with per-fabricated yellow curry paste. Flavor was added with (forest) honey, (sesame) oil, (mushroom flavored dark) soy sauce, (fleur de sel rock) salt, (vegetable) bouillon powder, tamarind concentrate, (fresh) mint, garlic (powder) and (fresly ground mixed) pepper.


The last container just contains rice....
Also nice!

This bento box was filled with chicken livers cooked in green coconut curry. The salad was made of finely sliced white cabbage and pieces of dried cranberries.The dressing was made from equal parts mirin, soy sauce, sesame oil and white wine vinegar- for the recipe look farther up.

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

Week 70

This "tool box" is filled with Japanese soba noodles in the top left cubicle accompanied by a little bottle of dressing (1 part mirin, 1 part sesame oil, 1 part light soy sauce, 1 part white wine vinegar). The right top cubicle contains strips of dried seaweed as used in making sushi. 

The bottom containers are filled with Japanese furikake (Kameya original), slightly cooked onion rings, well cooked eggs, eggs topped on a bed of home made wasabi paste and dried onion rings.

Liz has a magnetic board at home that functions very well as  nut preservative. The different boxes are also magnetic so it is a very handy way of storing and selecting healthy snacks in a kitchen!

Liz made bento at her work!
The Indonesian influence in the Dutch kitchen is very evident. This is a very tasty example. Saté with sweet and sour cucumber, rice and hard boiled egg.

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

Week 69

These boxes were given to me this Dutch "christmas" (a.k.a. Sinterklaas) from my good friend, and bento buddy, Liz.

This bento box consists of vegetarian meat balls by Vivera (that also really taste good cold) with an avocado salad.

These baby food containers are great for bento box-ing. They are filled with tomatoes and cauliflower and cheese omelet pieces.

*** HAVE A HAPPY BENTO DAY !!! *** 

Week 68

This bento is filled with left overs from a Dutch adapted Chinese restaurant.

These are typical Surinam dishes that I love:

Bere and Fladder.
(They are so good I capitalize the names :-] )

The dishes consist of cooked stomach and cooked intestines. They are an acquired taste. The yellow in the photograph is "peper" it is a kind of sambal or hot sauce, but Surinam style. It is made from madame jeanette peppers or jalapeño peppers I believe.

*** HAVE A HAPPY BENTO DAY !!! *** 

Week 67

This bento is made from left overs.
Nicely cooked beef served with home pickled vegetables, dutch old cheese and fresh tasty tomatoes.

This bento is made with only finely cut fresh vegetables: tomatoes, cauliflower and orange bell pepper. The dressing is made with oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and freshly ground pepper (it is served in the cute bottle).

Later cheese cubes were added. (As can be seen in the almost finished bento box on the bottom).

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