Rice Waffles (Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free, Wheat-Free, Fat/Oil-Free)

I haven't had wheat flour in the house for about a month now, and I'm really enjoying it. I'm able to get out of the whole "dry wheat toast for breakfast with fruit" and instead moving on to other carbs. These are great for those that can't have gluten or wheat, and thankfully they have stevia to make them slightly sweet without rotting your teeth. These are toothy, crispy and absolutely delicious with a  great texture. They're very similar to hand-pounded mochi waffles and are, infact, half-hand pounded to give them that nice texture. Cinnamon sprinkled throughout, topped with fruit and agave nectar makes this an amazingly cheap, quick and fun breakfast.

(Ingredients)

• 2 cups Cooked White & Brown Rice
• 1 tsp of Baking Powder
• 2 & 1/2 tsp Stevia Powder
• 2 tsp of Cinnamon

(Directions)

• Cook your rice according to the directions and once it has steamed for about 15 minutes (after full cooking) you can take half of the rice and put it into a large metal bowl.
• Use a crab mallet, mortar and pestle or whatever you can and start to pound the grain. The goal here is to let everything get mashed together so that the grains stick. Once it has gotten into a sticky paste, fold in your dry ingredients and pound them in, stretching and pulling the rice across the bowl as you pound and mix.
• Then, take an electric mixer and continue to beat the rice down until only a few half-shaped grains are left.
• Preheat your waffle iron and spray heavily, then place a big dollop in the middle and cook until crisp - you may need to "cook" it twice. Be sure to watch out for the steam.
• Serve with your favorite toppings, a big glass of non-dairy milk and enjoy!

Baked Kinako Rice Pudding (Gluten-Free)

Have you ever been making a rice dish, be it casserole, onigiri or stir-fry, and found that it was too mushy to be used as is? Don't fear - if you just have some sugar, organic soybeans and peanut butter you can have an absolutely mouthwatering and addicting, enjoyable dessert. This sweet and salty treat is traditionally served on Japanese new years in squares after being broiled in the oven until puffy in crispy, then it is quickly dipped in hot water and rolled in sugar, salt and roasted soy beans. It is so delicious and, in my opinion, the best type of mochi there is - even besting my coconut mochi

(Ingredients)

• About 1 cup of cooked Mixed Rice (Brown + White)
• 1/4 cup of Crunchy Peanut Butter
• 1/2 cup of Raw Sugar
• 4 tbl Vegan Margarine
• Toasted and Ground Soybeans
• Water to Mix
• Salt to taste

(Directions)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Take about half of your mushy rice and place into a blender with some water. Blend until it is a thick paste and mix with your rice and other ingredients other than the soybeans.
• Pack into a parchment-paper lined baking dish and then coat liberally with more sugar and a bit of salt, being just as liberal with your beans.
• Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, take out and see if it is done - if it is still sticky but has started to brown then you are at a great place.
• Using a large and clean knife, cut into sizable squares and crank the heat up to 400 degrees. Continue baking until it has finally started to crisp and finally be fully cooked.
• Allow it to rest slightly but keep it warm, and give a slice to everyone with a nice small scoop of vanilla ice cream or to add more fun to it. You could also put each slice on a stick and let everyone (under careful supervision) toast their mochi pudding to their liking in a nice toaster oven.
• Enjoy!

Mandrake Bento (Harry Potter)

This bento I decided to be more or-less artistic with since my shaping of a human face wasn't working out that well. Because of the color of the rice and the fact that the head was pretty close anyway, I decided to make a mandrake bento. Broccoli sprouts make up the hair, meatless ground made up the dirt and a put a few, pearl-like, beans around. You may have heard of a mandrake if you've ever watched Harry Potter (poor Neville) or mayhaps even if you've seen plants with oddly humanoid bodies and hair.

Mandrake Bento Ingredients:
Brown and White Rice
White Beans
Tomatoes
Kale
Broccoli Sprouts
Cucumbers

Enjoy!

American Stir-Fry (Low-Fat, Fun, Simple)

American stir-fry actually originated in Thailand somewhere around the 1960's for American soldiers. Normally it contains hot sauce, hot dogs, fried chicken, rice and possibly macaroni - but they all vary and just about anything can be considered that style of stir-fry nowadays. Its meant to provide a lot of dense, nutritional value that is easy to eat and it was used to provide a 'homey' feeling for the soldiers. It is still served in some restaurants, but its popularity varies.

Here is my version of a "breakfast" American stir-fry

American Stir-Fry Recipe:
1 Handful of Cooked Veggie Sausage
1 large Collard Green
1/4 package of Tofu
Cooked Brown Rice
Turmeric
Bell Peppers, Onions and Garlic
Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder

*Nutritional facts will be configurated later

If you wish, you can season it with soy sauce and a yummy, spicy garlic sauce instead or do as I did and pour a mix of the two and Louisiana hot sauce on it.

Mr Bobinsky Bento (Coraline Bento)

Sergei Alexander Bobinski (aka Mr. Bobisnky) happens to be my favorite character from the book and movie "Coraline". How couldn't you love him? He's strong and athletic, handsome, blue and quite kind to Coraline - plus he loves vegetables (namely beets)! So, instead of me telling you what went into making this super fun I decided to call up Mr. Bobinsky himself! Take it away Bobo!

How do you feel about Mr. Bobinsky?

Bobinsky: Oh hello, Ms. Shine! What is it that I am to be taking away? This "benuto"?

Me: "Be-n-to" and yes, Mr. Bobinsky! Tell us how you really feel about it!

Bobinsky: Well let me first say that there are no beets in this bento. How can you have a strong Bobinsky bento without beets? They make you strong and able to aerodynamic! *lifts up small car and throws it* Do you see what I mean Ms. Shine? Otherwise this bento is fantastic and looks like Mr. Bobo himself! Those little mice are made of Russian Miysniy Bitki, yes? So inventive with the brown and white rice covering, cranberries (red, like beets), noree eyes, almond ears and soba noodle tails! The kale that surrounds it all added with the red grapes, cherry tomatoes, masa sheet, red and orange bell peppers and blue onigiri me are amazing! The tortilla you used for my shirt is eeehh, how I would say in my Mother tongue, vyglyadit krasivo. More tortilla for the eyes, some nori and boom! You've got a Bobinsky - eh? Ey, where's my badge from Chernobyl - I was there for the cleanup after the-

Me: Oh, lookie here we're out of time so soon! Thanks for visiting Mr. Bobinsky, I think that its time for you to go back to the Pink Palace!

Bobinsky: But I haven't even told you about my wonderful Mouse Circus improvements yet! Come with me - you must see how they go "Oompa peep" now! Halfway there I must say! *grabs Ms. Shin's hands*

Me: Maybe some other time - woah! See you next time and I hope that you enjoyed this segment of Coraline Bentos, everybody! If you need the list its at the bottooooooom - The tutorial for the mice is coming soon!

Mr. Bobinsky Bento Ingredients:

Kale

Cherry Tomatoes

Red Grapes

Red and Yellow Bell Peppers

White and Brown Rice Onigiri

Miysniy Bitki Meatballs

Almonds

Dark Blue Masa Sheet

Nori

Cranberries

Corn Tortilla

Enjoy everyone!

Luigi Bento

Originally this was suppose to be Mario (notice how the mustache is "bumpy") but I noticed right away how long his head was and subconciously I knew that this was to be Luigi. I used the healthy vegan food markers for this and this bento is what I consider to be a no-fruit bento culinary-wise.  I used radishes instead of cheese to be healthier - did you notice? I also made some really tasty sausages to go with this bento that were excellent!

Luigi Bento Ingredients:

1 Green Pea Sausage

Carrots

Zucchini

Bell Peppers

Parsnips

Tomatoes

Cucumbers

Lotus Root

Green Pea Sausage (gluten-free) Recipe:

1 tsp of Sage

1 and 1/2 tsp Fennel

Pepper, Salt, Parsley and Oregano to Taste

2 tsp of Garlic Powder

1 bag of Shocked Peas

1/4 cup of Cooked Lentils

1/4 cup of Roasted Mushrooms



A handful of Toasted Walnuts
Potato Starch (enough to mix)

Combine everything together in a food processor except for the walnuts which you will chop up. Stir in the walnuts and any starch that is needed to keep it from becoming to thin or gummy, but don't let it get too thin either. Lightly fry on both sides and then bake at 450 degrees to keep extremely crunchy - to be sure, make sure that you only use about four tablespoonfuls of the batter for each patty.

Enjoy!

Monster's Inc Bento (Mike and Sully)

This bento is probably one of my favorites - everyone in the house loves Monster's Inc and this bento makes them look more like little kids. What kid wouldn't want to see a smiling Mike and Sully in their lunch with plenty of tasty food? And don't let the word "haggis" put you off - there are some delicious haggis meatballs made with bulgur, lentil and oats that are extremely delicious.

Monsters Inc Bento Ingredient List:

Two Brown and White Rice Balls

Nori

Carrots

Steamed Brocolli

Cucumbers

Tofutti Cheese

Cubed Asian Pear

Celery Sticks

I hope that you enjoy! ^^



Homemade Cocoa Krispies

This is more of a "toss around" food since all you need is five or six ingredients to make it - making it very simple. I prefer to make my own cereal for this because I prefer bitter foods moreso than I do the normal cereal and I can control the taste a bit better. Added to the fact that brown rice cereal is used doesn't make it half bad either.

(Cocoa Krispies Ingredients)

• 1 Cup of Puffed Rice Cereal (preferably Brown)
• 1/4 cup of Cocoa Powder
• 2 tbl of Raw Sugar
• 1 tsp of Neutral Oil
• Agave Nectar to taste

(Directions)

• Toss your cereal with the oil and coat with the sugar and cocoa powder.
• Sift the excess cocoa powder and sugar off of the cereal and place onto a parchment paper-covered pan.
• Toast at 250 degrees for about five minutes or until you can smell the taste of cocoa has changed.
• Add in a drizzle of agave nectar, some fruit and serve in a bowl with your favorite non-dairy milk
• Enjoy!

Eeyore Bento

An Eeyore Bento that I'm entering for the Cooking Gallery's new bento contest. ^^ I realized that  I colored Eeyore the wrong way and so placed some oddly colored (Eeyore's true color) vegan tamagoyaki at the very bottom. I hope that you and everyone else loves it!

Eeyore Bento Ingredients:

Brown and White Rice Onigiri

Purple Vegan Tamagoyaki

Steamed Tofu

Steamed Kale

Mini Sweet Bell Peppers

Pink Mochi

Nori

Soy Cheese

Mung Beans

Orange Slices



Wish me luck, everyone! ^^

Here Doggy Doggy!

This isn't a bento but it can be easily modified to be placed into a cupcake tin for a bento. It's a vegan egg from this recipe with sriracha and plenty of veggies on the bottom. The trick is to fill about 3/4 of the holder with vegetables and just to allow enough brown rice to cover a bit of the bottom of the "egg". I used the cheap (clean) egg used for pantyhose to make this so that I didn't have to cut anything in half. Then I added some sticky rice mixed with soy sauce around the edge to make it softer and more of a mound shape. Then I added some sliced spinach and spring onion. It looks kind of like something from the Yum-Yum Bento Box by Crystal Watanabe and Maki Ogawa doesn't it?
Obviously not as cute - but it's a first and unique try.
Dog Bento Ingredients:
Soy Sauce
Vegan Egg + Yolk
Nori
Sriracha
Spinach
Spring Onion
Brown Rice
Sticky Rice
Your choice of vegetables

Construct as you like and enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

Paul and Percy Bento

If you haven't checked out the game on Newgrounds yet - this is a must. In the bento it's technically just Paul (or Percy?) and Carl because my first brown rice onigiri fell apart and it would take up too much space. I also wanted to dye Carl's radish wings but I didn't have any red cabbage to dye it with. What do you think?

Paul and Percy Bento Ingredients:
Soy Cheese
Nori
Lightlife Hot Dog
Cucumber
White Button Mushrooms
Spinach
Parsley
Brown Rice (with 1 tbl Soy Sauce, 1 tbl Beet Juice and 3/4 tbl Paprika)

Enjoy the game and the bento! I plan on experimenting more with treats based on this game.

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

A Bento For Mom

This is just one of the bentos that I made for my mom, cute isn't it? I'm so glad that I'm getting better and just wanted to show off my skills (and my love). Why not do the same or show your love with something a little different like Bento4Japan?

Ingredient List:

Brocolli

Radish

Spinach

Tofu + Beet Juice (for words)

Sticky Rice

Soy Cheese + Soy Sauce

Nori

Sriracha

Kale, Avocado and Sweet Pepper Salad

Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

Silly Raccoon

I'm in love with J.G Quintel, or moreso - his works (and hair) and wanted to show off some things totally inspired by him. This bento features a nice little healthy surprise for Rigby the Raccoon when he tries to get off of his diet. The little rascal thinks that he can eat all of the "french fries" in the bento and get away with no fruits or  vegetables. I'm sorry to say tell him that this is a healthy vegan lunch box.

Rigby's Body:

California Brown Rice (I used a different type, but this works much better)

Nori

Sticky Rice + Soy Sauce (for color)

Steamed Tofu

Make Rigby's body anyway you want to after fluffing the rice. Wrap it up into plastic wrap and with the back of a spoon, drag a dugout for Rigby's stomach. Place the packaged rice into the fridge for about five minutes and steam the white rice. After steaming your sticky rice and mixing it lightly with some good quality soy sauce, unwrap the brown rice package and pack the other rice onto it. Add a pointy nose out of brown rice and stick some nori onto it with a touch of water. Place the hair around Rigby's head, place thin strips of nori there for hair follicles and then place rounds of nori onto Rigby's face. Cut out smaller rounds of tofu and place them onto the nori, then place some nori eyes onto his face. Add a tail and an arm and do whatever els you like with it.

Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

Brown Rice, Rice Baby

That's right, another vegan milk recipe that goes out there for those of you who are allergic to soy or want to use it for other reasons. The process is quick and simple - take a cup of brown rice and soak it in two cups of cold water for about 30 minutes and once time has elapsed, drain and wash the rice, then follow the instructions for cooking the rice on the package and do just that. Make sure that the rice is still firm and feel free to add a tray of ice cubes into it, otherwise you might have a hot mess of rice coming out of your blender and that's a very painful no-no.

Add half of the rice to a nice glass blender with 3 cups of cold water. Liquefy it and shake it a bit to make sure that the rice has been thoroughly crushed. Now you can either take out the rice and leave the milk, or vice versa. Add the secondbatch of rice and do the same, but keep some of the rice in some time with just a tiny bit of the milk. Shake it around and liquefy it to make it creamier. After that is done, strain it thoroughly and heat it on the pot for about 5-10 minutes, then strain it again and let it cool. If you are drinking it you can add 1/2-1 crushed tablet of a vitamin B12 tablet and 1/2 a calcium tablet to the milk and shake it in its container constantly. If you want it to have flavor add a tablespoon of sugar or vegan sweetener and 1/2 a tsp of almond extract or vanilla extract.

(Brown Rice Milk Recipe)

• 1 cup of Cooked Brown Rice
• 2 cups of Cold Water (for cooking)
• 2 cups of Cold Water (for soaking)
• 6 cups of cold water (for blending)

(Optional Add-Ins)

• 1 tbl Vegan Sugar (or other sweetener)
• 1/2 a tsp of Vanilla or Almond Extract
• 1/2 a tsp of Iodized Salt
• Crushed vitamin B12 and/or Calcium tablet

I don't personally drink rice milk unless it's something like horchata, but I do use it in baked goods or to cover oatmeal. When used in baked goods it makes the pastry (or whatever you're making) much lighter than soy milk would be. However, like soy milk - this should be used quickly and efficiently, as well as the leftovers, meaning the pulverized rice mix.

I would suggest making a sweet rice porridge known as Okayu, although I'm not sure how it would work out with pulverized rice (haven't had it in a long time). If you make it and don't have too much of a sweet tooth - don't add too much Azuki bean paste to it either.