Jumpy Ghostface Bento (Hero 108)

This bento is based on "Jumpy Ghostface" aka the Rabbit King from Hero 108, a show that I catch multiple times in the morning. I've been wanting to use rice for my bentos and it isn't until recently since I've really started to enjoy them, there's nothing like un-seasoned rice fresh from the steamer basket. To go along with Jumpy I added rice cheese face, nori appendages and eyes, kale, split green beans and of course tonkatsu. Normally Jumpy has a carrot in his mouth (as he is the boss) and a jumprope in hand but this Jumpy is too depressed as he's been made into a bento.

Jumpy Ghostface Bento Ingredients:
Dill Pickles
Watermelon
Seitan Tonkatsu
Raw Kale
Split Green Beans
Brown & White Rice
Rice Cheese
Nori

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!

Happy Earth Day (Dragonball Z Bento)

Nappa and Vegeta may seem like unlikely characters to celebrate Earth Day - but hey, everyone can change at some point. This bento was really fun to make, although it made me a bit nervous to draw and "carve" out, I didn't even think of just making these exactly like my vegan egg sheets and instead used my pasta dough as a clay-like substance. The pasta was made from masa which made it all the more durable, and in the bento are some cherry tomatoes, kale, broccoli, masa sheets, bitter melon, Mexican rice, carrots, a corn tortilla and lots of nori details.

How are you celebrating Earth Day?

Happy Earth Day Bento Ingredients:

Kale

Masa Pasta Sheets

Nori

Broccoli

Cherry Tomatoes

Corn Tortilla

Mexican Salsa Rice

Stewed Black Beans

Bitter Melon

Carrots

I hope that you guys like it! ^^ And Happy Earth Day!

Powerpuff Girls Bento

Fighting crime just to save the world! The lyrics went something like that, right? Eh, my childhood is fuzzy...but what I do remember is Blossom being one of my favorite PowerPuff girls since she was the medium between both Bubbles and Buttercup...but as I got older I've liked the butt-kicking attitude of Buttercup. Who was your favorite character from the show?

Powerpuff Girls Bento Ingredients:
Peanut Butter, Cinnamon and Raisin Sandwich Balls
Radishes
Nori
Carrots
Raw Sweet Potato
Broccoli
Zucchini
Herbs
Caulifower

Who should I make a bento of next? Feel free to comment and tell me! ^^ I hope that you liked this post!

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! ^^



Skips The Yeti Bento

Unfortunately my "egg" sheet didn't turn out right because someone had accidentally bought extra-firm tofu (and I used the wrong pan). I would suggest using medium-firm for the strength and some smoothness, but silken for total smoothness. I added a little High-Five Ghost onigiri from the leftover rice and made Skips a bit more adorable with sriracha cheeks and nori eyes.

Skips Bento Ingredient List:
Sticky Rice
Vegan Egg Sheet
Nori
Sriracha
Tomatillo
Grapes (two colors)
Carrots
Black Bean Falafel
Spinach
Oven-Dried Tomatoes

Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3



Kittybread/Neko-pan (猫ーパン）

First of all, I want to point out how clear this picture is - I'm really getting better with my photos, don't you think? Second of all - this is another bread themed animal in meme form! It came all the way from a storybook in Japan so why don't you invite it for breakfast, lunch and dinner? You can use any type of sticky condiment onto the bread for the facial features or you can use more bread before you bake it.

Kittybread Recipe:
1 and 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 and 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 and 1/4 cups Warm Water
2 tsp Rapid-Rise Yeast
1/2 tsp Sea Salt

Kittybread Ears Recipe:
1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Rapid-Rise Yeast
Enough Warm Water to make the dough

Mix all of the dry ingredients together (keeping the two recipes separate) and then slowly add the water. Once they are a dough, toss one onto a well-floured board and knead for about 10 minutes or until an elastic ball. Repeat with the other dough and let them rise for about one and a half hours. After they have risen, place the larger dough in a well-greased bread pan and then separate the smaller ball. Roll the two smaller balls into tube shapes and place over the large loaf. Pinch the tops and try to shape them into triangles as much as possible. Let that rest for one and half more hours and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for about 30 minutes or until your knife comes out clean from the insides. Let that rest for an hour and use whatever you like to put on the facial features - I used peanut butter and nori since it was what I could think of.


Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

Mordecai The Bluejay Bento

Yes - it's another member of the "Regular Show" Gang, Mordecai! He's surrounded by delicious food, but this time he IS the food. Don't worry though, Mordecai made it out of this dastardly bento - and into my mouth.

Ingredient List:



Sticky Rice
Vegan Tempura (Wasabi Tofu)
Carrots
Steamed Tofu
Black Bean Balls
Nori
Radish
Parsley

Wasabi Tofu Recipe:
1/4 Package of Extra-Firm Tofu
1/2-1 tsp Wasabi Paste
Enough Rice Flour (Mochiko) for Coating and Pasting
Water for the Paste
Vegetable Oil
Salt to Taste


Slice your tofu through the the middle and again into thick "steak fry" pieces. Press the tofu until as dry as possible and then roll it in some of the rice flour. Meanwhile, take a pair of chopsticks and mix your wasabi in a bowl with the rice flour. Once fully incorporated and a bit lumpy, stream in the water until it's a thick paste. Place your floured tofu into the mixture, coat it, roll it in the flour and place it back into the paste. Fry them off for about 30-45 seconds on each side or until crisp, then bake them off in a 450 degree oven for about 10 minutes. After that you can lower the heat to 200 degrees after you've prepared the rest of the bento. Be prepared to see a lot more of the gang soon.

Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

Hello Kitty Tea-Sandwiches

I was actually going to make a video for this one but I've been too busy working on a paper for next month. All you need for the great shapes is the bottom of a Hello Kitty egg mold (which I got online from Japan). Once you have that, everything else is a breeze, even though I obviously got the bows facing the wrong way.

Ingredients List:
1 tbl Hummus (spread 3/4 in the middle of each sandwich and the rest on the top)
2 Slices of Whole Wheat Bread
Baby Spinach Leaves or Other Small Fillings (for the sandwich)
2 Slices Mozzarella-Style Tofutti
1 Slice Orange Cheddar Tofutti
1 Small Patch of Nori
1 Small Patch of Red Pepper and Kamaboko
Cucumber Slices for decorating

Use your egg mold bottom to cut out the slices of bread first (side by side in Whole Wheat Bread) and then carefully spread some of the hummus on. Set it aside, add two small pieces of folded spinach and repeat with the other slice of bread.  You should get two HK pieces from each. Sandwich a naked bottom to a hummus-topped one and spread the rest of the hummus gently on top (not too much). Cut out your white cheese with the egg mold and carefully place it on top. Cut out your bows (make sure they'll face the right way) by cutting out one largish heart and a smaller heart, plus a little dot to connect them. Place them on the right side of HK's head and then cut out your nori with a very small hole punch. Add the eyes and then cut out six whiskers for each, using either tweezers or a bamboo skewer to adjust them. Add the nose with a lightly pinched straw (to give it that oval shape) and add cucumbers for decoration.

This dish is perfect for those with small children or for those who have a small appetite. I really hope that you'll enjoy this. Make sure to leave a comment to tell me how I'm doing! Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

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

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

Princess Mononoke Bento

I wanted to make this bento very simple as my bentos are (mostly) already natural. I used some leftover black bean chili that I had for last night's dinner and a bit of white rice with some vegetables (I also had a seperate veggie platter). The "H" is made out of a nori and it stands for both Hime (princess) and Hayao Miyazaki. The recipe is a bit different than what I did because I just mixed corn meal (sub rice flour) with chili.

Black Bean Burger Recipe:
1/4 cup of Cooked Black Beans + Juice
1 Jumbo Garlic Clove (minced and cooked)
1/4 Small Onion (minced and cooked)
1/2 Green Bell Pepper (minced)
Cumin, pepper, salt and chili powder to taste
Cornstarch or other thickener mixed + water (depending on your allergies)
Corn Meal or Rice flour (enough to make a paste)

Mix the ingredients together until they create a paste and then lightly oil or spray your cooking pan. Place the mixture in the pan and then cover it with a top until the bottom has cooked, flip it and then repeat until it has cooked to your liking. Add it on top of rice colored with chlorophyll and brocolli then create your kodama onigiri.

Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

How To Make A (Vegan) Egg Sheet


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Four tofu sheets and one Lightlife Smartdog 

I mentioned this in my Adventure Time Sushi post but I decided to make a whole tutorial on it. Here is what you will need -

Tofu Sheet Recipe:
1/4-1/2 Block of Tofu (soft - not silken works best)
1/2-1 tbl Cornstarch
1/2-1 tbl Liquid Food Dye (I used chlorophyll for this example)
1/4 tsp Iodized Salt
A few teaspoons of Flavor-less Oil (to coat the bottom but not to make it oily)

Tools List:
1 Rubber Spatula (for lifting the sheet)
1 Rubber Spatula (used for mixing)
1 Food Processor
1 Medium-sized Pan (that heats well)
1 Lid for the pan (preferably clear)

Slurry for the Pig Face

Step 1. Mix your liquid food dye with the cornstarch. Put the liquid in a ramekin or cup first and then add your cornstarch. Stir it into a slurry and set aside.






Step 2. Break up your tofu but don't squeeze it out. Simply place it in a food processor and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Pour your slurry over it but just remember that the end result will be a much lighter color than what you started with. Get as much of the liquid onto the tofu and then puree it. There might be some color around the rim that hasn't been fully incorporated so you will need a small rubber spatula to mix it thoroughly. It should look like this -

Step 3. Oil your pan lightly and set it on the eye but don't light the fire yet. Spread your tofu around as smoothly as possible and if you have a large and round Wilton cutter then you can try to use it as your mold and guide. Just try to spread it as thinly and evenly as possible without having any holes. Place the lid on top of the pan and then set the heating level on low. Wait until it starts to steam and sputter a bit and then you can remove the top. Let that cook for a few minutes until the top has firmed completely. It won't be completely round, but if you want it to be you can take a smaller plastic top (as in from a crock pot) and place it in the middle while it is still steaming. Once the edges firm up you can remove it carefully and then cut it more easily from the ridges. If you're making the crown like I did, then you have to use water in place of the dye and add a bit of turmeric. Carefully scrape along the ridges with the bigger spatula, being careful with the center. Place it onto a plate and repeat the process until you have as many different egg sheet colors as you want.

Spreading the paste

Before cooking

Finished sheet

Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

Lunch With Totoro

I planned on making a bigger bento but forgot to buy a few things so I just stuck to some of the key characters and parts from "My Neighbor Totoro". Since I normally see Totoro made with black sesame seeds I decided instead to use cocoa powder and soy sauce (it tastes like coffee) to create a rather tasty Totoro. Next it was a vegan Chu Totoro egg. What? A vegan egg that isn't tofu? Yes, ladies and gentlemen - it's true. But first we have to get through the rest of the bowl. I made a catbus head out of couscous and store-bought hummus that was absolutely delicious, wrapped it up in plastic and stashed it in the fridge to keep it fresh. Next I added a nice English cucumber that you normally see in oi sun or Japanese pickles. I added radishes to symbolize the seeds and carrots for stability and a s a filler. As another filler and a double-agent I also used cauliflower for clouds. Nori and cheese made up the rest of the Totoros and then you're done.

I peered through two recipes for the vegan egg but ended up with my own combination. Because I didn't have soy creamer like most of the recipes required I ended up with an off-white egg instead. Still cute though, right?

Shin's Vegan Egg Recipe:

1 tbl Agar Agar

1/2 cup Soymilk

2 tbl All-Purpose Flour

2 tbl Cold Water

A pinch of Salt

Let the agar agar mix with the water for about 5-10 minutes and start to boil your soymilk with the flour, once that is done you can add the agar mixture and cook it for about 2-3 minutes. Whisk it together a few times and strain it into your choice of mold. I didn't have any actual egg molds that were shaped like eggs so I decided to use some of those 30 cent "eggs" used to hold pantyhose. After snapping on the tops and making sure that they didn't move, I stashed them in the fridge for about 2-3 hours and made my own Chu Totoro as per AnnaTheRed's instructions here, subbing soy cheese for the kamaboko and the whole egg for the agar mixture.



Other Recipes Links:
First Egg Recipe (that I found)
Second Egg Recipe (that I found)

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

Susuwatari Meatballs

Sorry that I didn't post this yesterday but happy late 4th of July for those who celebrate it! Last night's dish was another straight from Hayao Miyazaki's cookbook (okay, I made that up). Ever see spaghetti that had dark marks on it? Yeah, that's the soot sprites. I told them to try to clean up their mess this time though since it was a holiday and all.

(Ingredients)

• Lightlife Gimme Lean Sausage Style
• Pepper, Cracked Red Pepper, Garlic Powder, Rosemary, Oregano and Basil to taste
• Organic Red and Orange Peppers
• Olive Oil (to cook the meatballs)
• Soy Cheese
• Nori
• Spaghetti  + Sauce

(Directions)

• Fold the spices into about half of the package of veggie sausage
• Shape into balls. If it gets sticky you can use some water on your hands to prevent it.
• Fry them in olive oil to your liking and drain them on a paper towel while you cut out your cheese eyes, nori, and peppers in the shape of stars. .
• Cook your spaghetti and sauce.
• Arrange them as you like once finished.
• Enjoy!

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

I Prefer My Penguins Cold

I just found him like this - I swear, man! I can't go back to Antartica, I just..this is food? I knew that, I'm just practicing some...acting lessons. Yeah, acting. He's surrounded by tofu, salad,  rice and lots of bell peppers. Doesn't that sound tasty and not like evidence of some horrible penguin crime against nature? The answer is yes. Yes it does.

Penguin Components:

Nori Sheets (covering the penguin)

Brown Rice (on the inside)

White Rice mixed with Edamame (surrounding him)

Steamed Tofu (stomach and eyes)

Organic Sweet Peppers (Cheeks, feet, arms and strips:

Fried Tofu (Tofu Fish)

It's simple, the head of the penguin was formed by placing nori in a ramekin and filling it halfway with brown rice. Fold it carefully and seal the edges with water. Place a tiny bit of brown rice in the middle of half a nori sheet and fold it to form a body. Place that together and place it on top of the steamed rice mixed with Edamame. Take two red peppers and cut the tips off, wrap those in nori and place onto the body of the penguin. Take a small coffee straw and place it through one of the peppers for the cheeks, add that to the face and add some steamed tofu onto the stomach. Punch out (or cut out) pieces of nori for the eyes.

Take the leftover tofu and mix it with some mirin, salt and turmeric. You can add sugar if you want, and you can cut it into fish shapes if you like. To make it even cuter I did two "X" mark slashes on the sides, but if you have a small fish-shaped cutter than that can work well on its own. That's it - now eat the evidence!

Enjoy!

Signed,

<3 Bou Shin <3

Vegan Sakura Denbu

I never really liked denbu, but I've always loved the color so I decided to make it. Since I constantly make bentos I thought that I could check and see if there were any recipes but to my surprise none of them have been veganized! This was no mere challenge for me, however, as I had to get pretty near perfect for it to even be near the original denbu (made with fishy-bits). I think I succeeded - but it just so happens to be your opinion that matters to me.

(Vegan Sakura Denbu Ingredients)

• Half a package of Extra-Firm Tofu (frozen and defrosted twice)
• 2-3 tbl Canned Beet Juice
• 1/2-3/4 tsp of Iodized Salt
• 1 and a half tbl Granulated Sugar (vegan brand)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp Mirin
• A few bits of Nori

(Directions)

• Take the tofu out and rip it with your hands once it has defrosted, then place it in the food processor and give it about three short runs.
• Take that out and squeeze it with a cheese cloth until the moisture is completely gone, then cover with the rest of the ingredients and mix them gently with a pair of chopsticks. Let it rest for about an hour or until the flavor and color have completely soaked into the tofu.
• Then, ring it out a touch more (not too much or the color might run out) and mix with your rice and make anything you like with it.
• Enjoy!