Dexter's Laboratory Bento

This bento was a super easy "throw into the container" bentothat I made. I decided to make it simple and it was so delicious! I made some more cheesy chickpea sauce over the weekend and poured it over some homemade farfalle noodles, then cut up some seitan sausages I made, used some masa sheets and decorated it with vegetables.

Dexter's Laboratory Bento Ingredients:
Broccoli
Radishes
Carrots
Tomatoes
Chickpea Mac
Masa Sheets
Mini Peppers
Seitan Sausage
Nori

Enjoy - and have a happy Sunday!

Friendly Troll Bento

Oops! It looks like this little guy was attracted by your delicious "forest food" and decided to jump right in. And you just had to catch him when he was peeping out - don't you know that all trolls turn into bao the moment they're seen? Oh, well...this might have just been some cleverly made bao with chickpea, onion and roasted cauliflower filling but who says you can't pretend? This is another soy-free bento that you're sure to love!

Friendly Troll Bento Ingredients:
Radishes
Roasted Asparagus with Powdered Hazelnuts
Cauliflower
Chickpea-filled Bao
Carrots
Mung Beans
Fresh Mushrooms

I hope you enjoy this lovely meal as much as he did! ^^

Phineas and Pherb Valentine's Bento

This was the last bento I made and I was really sad that I didn't have anything besides white for the girl's skin. I would have used yellow - but that doesn't look so much as brown skin as it does jaundice. I've placed half of a mini deep dish pizza, a cinnamon and flax nut butter sandwich alongside plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. This was one of the few bentos that was able to be finished but I think that I'll wrap up my sandwiches with green plastic wrap from now on.

Phineas and Pherb Bento:

Rice Cheese

Carrots
Nori
Radishes
Broccoli
Mini Pizza
Peanut Butter and Flax Sandwich
Strawberries
Spinach
Pineapple
Banana

I hope you have a chance to make your own soon - and that you enjoy what I've created now! ^^

Mickey and Minnie Valentine's Bento

This is my retro version of Mickie and Minnie for my bento on Monday (I made it Sunday night). I think its one of my cutest and most simple bentos - the meatloaf made this one especially filling and had little crunchy and chewy bits of roasted cauliflower rounds and leaves. It was absolutely delicious and I fell in /love/ with it! You'll also notice the cloves and heart shapes that I've carved into the apple which are supposed to represent the saying "When one door closes, another door opens.".

Mickey and Minnie Bento Ingredients:

Roasted Cauliflower Stem and Pressed Leaves

Roasted Potatoes

Chickpea Meatloaf with Spaghetti Sauce

Apple with Lemon Juice and Cloves

Broccoli

Carrots

Radish Slices

Spinach

I hope you enjoy! ^^



Mickey Mouse Bento

Hello everyone! I'm so sorry that I haven't been posting as much lately - its just that I've been so busy that I haven't had time to post pictures and blog about them. ^^ But some of that stuff is calming down after I've finished most of my test taking - so still expect to see a few (simple) blog posts around this time. This bento is actually one of my favorites because it has most of my favorite vegetables in it and the sweet potato is so adorable, which is just enhanced by the little Micky in the middle of it all.

Mickey Mouse Bento Ingredients:
Stewed Chickpeas
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Radishes
Spinach
Green Beans
Sweet Potato
Carrots

Some of the ingredients are different then what I usually use in my bentos - but that just means that the seasons are changing and they will be full of lots more of fresh and in season fruits and veggies! ^^

Enjoy!

Happy New Years Rilakkuma & Friends Bento

This is the cutest (and healthiest) bento that I've ever made! I was going to make the little chicken out of the rice or the falafel, but decided that the two bears were just right (get it?) for this bento. Surrounding everything I have lots of fresh "foraging space",  wild strawberries, fresh water, cashews and lots of other delicious things that a growing bear needs.

Bento Ingredient List:

Italian Parsley

Brown Rice

Sticky Rice (with Soy Sauce)

Carrots

Wasabi Peas

Strawberries, Carrots, Raw Radishes and Parsnips

Cashews

Nori

Soy Cheese

Uncooked Spaghetti Noodles (to hold up ears)

Mini-Bottled Water (fake Sake)

Falafel

I hope that you found this bento to be just as adorable and delicious looking as I did!

Anais Snack To Eat

Get it? A nice snack to eat? I just wanted to show you what you can do with the second batch of vegan Sakura denbu. It was just a mixture of sticky rice, extra beet juice, a bit of water and extra sea salt for the head. Cook the rice with the liquid and once it's fully cooked then you can add the salt and denbu. Shape it and add on some banana, radish slices and nori and you're done! 

Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

A Day In The Garden Kyaraben

This was a simple bento full of fresh fruit that I ate for breakfast but it's perfect at any time! I used more lightlife sausage in this one and combined it with some cracked red pepper and agave nectar. I covered the cheeks with some sriracha and cut out some nori for the facial features. To top it off I made a sweet potato pancake hat and some chocolate potato hair. Tasty, right?

Pancake Recipe:
"It's Pancake Time" recipe + Mashed Sweet Potato (for the hat)
Pancake Recipe + Cocoa Powder


Prepare them the same way but make sure that they're like regular pancakes, flatten them a bit more if you can, cut in half and make one with an edge for the brim of the hat. Attach them to some a sausage ball of your choice (that had been coated with panko) with some raw soba or rice noodles. Cut out the nori and cheese and dot on the sauce.

Next, make your omelette (I used beet juice instead of soymilk) per the directions of the fatfree vegan recipe (not mine) located here.

Line the bottom of the box with some spinach and put in your favorite fruits and vegetables. If you like, you can attach a small strawberry or a slice of a banana to the pancake hat to make a cute little flower.

Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

Its'a Bento!

This isn't my first bento but it is my first fully kyaraben one. It just so happens to be Mario-themed! You could already see that from the picture though, right? I made everything except for the "chicken "patty, and the filling for Yoshi's egg will be revealed very soon. Lets'a cook!

Koopa Shell Recipe:
3 tbl Chlorophyll (or Spinach Juice)
1 tsp Iodized Salt
1 cup of Warm Water
1/2 a packet of Rapid-Rise Yeast
1 tbl Soy Milk
1/4 cup of Granulated Sugar
2 cups Whole Wheat Flour

Combine the ingredients together and shape them into Koopa shells. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and let the buns rise for about 15 minutes before brushing them with soy milk. Place them in the oven for about 20-30 minutes or until your knife comes out clean once you stab one of the buns. Let the buns rest on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before stuffing it with lettuce, tomato and onion. Make an "X" out of the nori sheet and place it on the shell.

For Yoshi's egg it is simply "crab" filled onigiri, shaped like an egg and covered in nori circles. Underneath him is the rest of the vegan crab filling and a lettuce leaf to hold it all.

I heated up a Boca Mock Chicken Patty in the oven until it was heated through and crisped up a bit, then I sprinkled it in five-spice powder and cut it's face into the shape of a Koopa. I slid part of it into the bun and cut out an eye from a radish and the pupil from the rest of the nori sheet. The mushroom is also a radish that is cut has patches cut out carefully with a knife. I lined cauliflower around the edge behind the mushroom and the yellow block as well.

Yellow Stars and Blocks:
3/4 a tsp of Rapid-Rise Yeast
3/4 a tsp of Iodized Salt
1/2 cup of Bread Flour
1/2 a cup of Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tbl Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp of Coconut Oil
Paprika, Garlic Powder and Red Pepper Flakes to taste
Turmeric (just enough to color the dough a bright yellow)

Cut them into the shapes you like and then place them on a greased baking sheet. Let them rise for about 5-10 minutes, then you can place them into the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees or until they look done. For mine I used a knife to cut out four blocks (I ate three), one star, and Yoshi's name (sprinkled around the Koopa)

Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3