All in Good Food

Hello everyone today’s bento was put together for my daughter and me for today. I know very little about Chinese New Year and neither of us are Valentine people but we always like doing things for each other on special occasions. I decided for today to fix a combine bento for the two of us instead of two separate bentos. This gave me a chance to use one of my larger two tier bentos that I don’t use very often.


What I made for today’s bento was in tray 1 bacon wrapped chicken in sesame sauce, fiesta rice balls, penne pasta salad with roasted broccoli with garlic and parmesan and cheddar cheese hearts. Plus baby carrot sticks and tortilla hearts.

The second tier has chicken taco cones, 2 wedges of laughing cow cheese, thin wheat crackers, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies (daughter’s favorite) as well as loaded oatmeal cookies, plus a small amount of trail mix to snack on.

That was today’s bento I shared with my daughter. I wish all who celebrate a Happy Valentine's Day and a wonderful Chinese New Year celebration.

Note: As I did not want to take up a lot of time when preparing this bento I will write up how I prepared some of the items in my bento in another post. Thanks for understanding.

Itadaki masu!

Today’s bento is very simply full of love. I racked my brain on how to bring out the spirit of Valentines Day in my bento. When I was at the store I went to the Valentines section and found a multi-size heart shaped cutter set and I guess the wheels began to turn. Then I saw the Fish & Salsa Bento by Sherimiya of Happy Little Bento and though I could do mini chicken tacos. Yeah I know my bento is a far cry from hers but it was the taco aspect that caught my attention. You know I like to work in miniature. Then I thought what else can I do to go with the tacos of course chips and salsa and that is when it hit me. So that’s how this bento was born. It’s very simple in presentation but big on taste.

In the first part there are mini chicken tacos and baby carrots. In the second part there is salsa and heart shaped home made tortilla chips.

Today’s recipe is a mini pot pie I came up with. Today’s pot pies are made with my basic ground turkey mix. For me this mix is one of my staple mixes that I can go to for many different dishes. It mixes well for pasta and rice as well as a base for my chili and spaghetti. The dishes are endless.

As with many of my dishes this one is very simple to make and put together. I like to keep pre-made pie dough in the freezer as a got to. I use my Wilton mini muffin pans to make the pies because they are the perfect size for my bentos also they make the perfect bite size meal.



Basic Turkey Mix

Ingredients

1 lb Ground Turkey
6 oz French Cut Green Beans
1/4 cup Chicken Gravy [est.] (I usually use brown gravy for more flavor but I changed it for this recipe)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Seasoning Salt (to taste)
3 tsp Vegetable Oil (or any oil you like to cook with)

Added for this recipe: (optional)

Cayenne Pepper (to taste)
Sesame Oil (to taste)

I cooked up the turkey as usual (see this post) the only difference is I used chicken gravy instead of brown gravy. I also decided I wanted a little kick to it so I added cayenne pepper (about a 1/2 teaspoon) to the mix. I then wanted to add some cumin but realized I didn’t have any. I forgot to replace it the last time I went to the grocery store. So it’s substitution time. After the mix was cooked I add some sesame oil. Yeah I know not exactly like cumin but it gave the mix a smoky and nutty taste so it worked for me. Once the mix was done I let it sit and cool for about 30 to 45 minutes stirring the mix occasionally to help it cool. I know it was going to be heated up when I put in the oven but for some reason I didn’t want to put the hot mix right into the uncooked pie crust. I thought it would make it get soggy and not bake right. I’ve never baked a pie from scratch so this was a gut instinct I don’t know if there is anything to it.

Then I added the lid sealing it as you do with any pastry by wetting the edges with water. Because of the size of the pot pies and how close they sat to each other, instead of using a fork to crimp the edges I used the blunt end of a knife. This kind of made them look like the crimping you see on the store bought ones.

I then cut slits in the top for ventilation in a star shape. Then I baked them in my toaster oven for 10 to 15 minutes at 425° or until they were lightly golden brown. I have to be very careful with my toaster oven because the heating element is only in the center and it can burn while cooking very easily.

Once they come out and have been cooked to a tasty golden crispiness I let them sit for about 5 minutes and then it’s time to eat or pack in my bento. The good thing about these mini pot pies is that they are good at room temperature so great for a bento or lunch box. However they can be reheated easily in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds. Try not to over heat them or they will get a little soft and not have the crispiness of a pie (unless you like them like that).

I also made some mini apples pies but I will leave them for another post.

Itadaki masu!

Here is bento #3. As you can see one side is filled with the fried rice cakes and grilled bacon wrapped chicken in sweet n’ sour sauce from yesterdays post.

The other side is filled with sliced carrots, a wedge of The Laughing Cow® Garlic and Herb light cheese, slices of pear and Kellogg’sTM Cherry Fruit Snacks.

This was a real simple bento I made from left over ground turkey pasta mix. I added wheat crackers and Mini Babybel© cheese (original) cut in half. I love this pasta mix because it tastes good whether hot or at room temperature so it works well for a lunch on the go.

Itadaki masu!

Well here it is. I have finally stepped out of my comfort zone and am posting one of my bentos. I have made many bentos before but I never took any pictures of them till now. This bento is very simple. The larger compartment is filled with rice mixed with a little soy sauce and sautéed broccoli. The smaller part is filled with parmesan encrusted tilapia and tamagoyaki like rolled egg with dill and cheddar cheese.

With my very first posted bento I also want to give a thank you to the sites and their authors who helped me start my journey and have inspired me in my journey into bento making and Japanese cooking.

Just Bento and Just Hungry by Makiko Itoh
About.com Japanese Food by Setsuko Yoshizuka

Another source I have to credit is a book I found in the library Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat by Naomi Moriyama and William Doyle. I found it interesting and very helpful during my beginnings into Japanese cooking.

Recently I read a post on Just Bento by Linda Rolle who is a guest poster, about how making a bento lunch is not just for nutrition but also can build a bond between a parent and a child and I can’t agree with her more. I have to admit that I am fairly new at bento making and I still have a lot to learn. I am not Japanese in nationality or Japanese American but I have embraced the idea and use of bento in my family’s lives.

I am a single mom and my daughter is now 19 years old and we all know that most teenagers don’t have the best diets. Well I admit that I was a contributing factor in her unhealthy eating habits. For several years due to stress and other factors my daughter and I ate very unhealthily and I am ashamed to say we gained a lot of weight on that path which was not good because my daughter is diabetic.

However two years ago things changed. We made the change to using bento to help change our eating habits. I decided to look up more on bento boxes and meals and what they were all about. I had seen bento meals before in Japanese movies and shows. However, I had no idea on how to buy a bento box or how to prepare food to go into it. Then I found Just Bento and I found out that I could make bento meals for my family using food that I was use to preparing as well as finding new foods to try.

So for the past two years we have been on a journey with our bento and have collectively lost over 80lbs in the process. As for my daughter’s diabetes it is under control and she feels great. My daughter and I also use our bento to spend quality time together. We will take our bento meals out somewhere and sit, eat and talk which helps me stay a part of her life. As for myself I have also spent the last two year finally earning my bachelor’s degree and making those bento meals has helped a lot because I don’t have to stop my work to make a meal for us.

I must say that Linda Rolle is right I have not just learned more about being creative with the food that I put in the bento boxes but I have opened my daughter up to new foods and being open to trying new things. When I try a new recipe she is my biggest critic and my biggest supporter.

My daughter and I own several bento boxes that we enjoy using and I have to admit that we are still buying more to add to our collection. Yes we use each and every one of them and love every minute of it.

This is just one set we own.