Monday, March 15, 2010

Bento #11

4 comments Posted by Marisa Lyn at 4:54 PM


Bento number 11 is another very simple bento. However everything in this bento with the exception of the boiled egg was seasoned with Hidden Valley Dip Mixes. I like using these mixes because they are very quick and versatile. This bento consisted of dill season rice, dill season tilapia, seasoned green beans and a bowled egg.

First off I used rice from my bento stash. I measured out 1 cup and placed that in a microwave safe bowl with 2 tablespoons of chicken broth made from the last time I cooked chicken and about 1/4 teaspoon of Hidden Valley Dip Mix Harvest Dill flavor. I mixed and microwaved it for about 2 minutes. Then I thinly sliced a baby carrot to decorate the top and give it a little more color.

Next I place 1/2 cup of canned green beans in a microwave safe bowl. I seasoned it with some of the HVR original dip mix (I ran out of the harvest dill) and mixed it. I microwaved it for about 1 minute.

I prepped the tilapia the night before by cutting it into small nugget sized pieces and then I seasoned them with the HVR harvest dill dip mix. When I was ready to cook it for the bento I went to the recipe for Korokke Pan by Cooking With Dog from You Tube. I found that cooking method worked out well for cooking the tilapia as well.

I added a boiled egg (“green”) baran between the tilapia and the green beans which qualifies this bento for the Hapabento March B.O.M.B. challenge. The egg was not season. However I did cut it with a paring knife in the zig zag design for a decorative effect.

There we go. Until the next bento.

Itadaki masu!

 

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Thursday, February 4, 2010

Home (Made) Easy: Mini Pot Pies

19 comments Posted by Marisa Lyn at 8:26 AM

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.

While the turkey mix was cooling I prepared the pie crust in the muffin pan. I cut out rounds in two different sizes for the top and bottom. Top 8” and the bottom 9” around. Because this was made in a muffin pan I had to make the measured cuts to make it easier to assemble. Even though the pan is nonstick I lightly sprayed it with cooking oil. Just as an aside I had a set of these pans before and did not spay them when I cooked with them every time and when things stuck to it the surface was ruined. Not taking any chances this time. I put the bottom round in the muffin cup and gently pressed it in.

When the mix was cooled I put in about a teaspoon in each cup (sorry I didn’t measure the amount) but basically I filled it to have a slight mound on 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!


 

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