Bento Boxes

[CWS4322]

I have a cookbook 1984 from the "1000 cookbooks" I picked up at an auction--it is The Chagning Seasions Macrobiotic Cookbook. Many of the dishes/items that have been posted on this forum are similar to the recipes in that book. Are you folks who are doing this follwing the marcobiotic diet? I've tried some of the recipes--ingredients are hard for me to get where I live, but the techniques are similar to the techniques my mother practiced (the "I hate to cook" mother took an asian cooking course at one point). Is this what Bento box cooking is all about?

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Actually, Bento is just a Japanese Lunch Box. I am using it, because of watching portion sizes and a fascination with Japanese cooking/recipes.

I've never done Macrobiotic cooking...if I did...it was an accident!

 

[spork]

Cdubs!
It works well for any diet, or non-diet.
For me, the point of bento lunch boxes is to bring HOME to your midday.

 

[Kathleen]

I found tiny potatoes at TJ's! They are like dime-sized! I plan to have some of them tomorrow in my Bento with a few mini-stuffed peppers! Some pear sauce (or chocolate pudding) and some carrots to round everything out.

For the potatoes, I will toss them with a bit of oil, parsley, vinegar, salt and pepper and eat them chilled after cooking them until done....maybe lemon instead of vinegar.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I found tiny potatoes at TJ's! They are like dime-sized! I plan to have some of them tomorrow in my Bento with a few mini-stuffed peppers! Some pear sauce (or chocolate pudding) and some carrots to round everything out.

For the potatoes, I will toss them with a bit of oil, parsley, vinegar, salt and pepper and eat them chilled after cooking them until done....maybe lemon instead of vinegar.

Fun! a Bento of Mini food!

 

[FrankZ]

The label actually calls them "Teeny Tiny Potatoes" if you can imagine that. Who would be so gullible as to buy.. oh wait.. never mind.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

The label actually calls them "Teeny Tiny Potatoes" if you can imagine that. Who would be so gullible as to buy.. oh wait.. never mind.

Someone with Hello Kitty zipper bags.

 

[Kathleen]

So...my bento tomorrow is tiny stuffed peppers with teeny-tiny potatoes, a small blood orange, some freeze-dried string beans in a hello kitty zipper bag and some pb stuffed pretzels with a probiotic drink for dessert. MMMM

 

[PrincessFiona60]

No pictures of the mini stuffed peppers and teeny-tiny potatoes?

 

[Kathleen]

I'm sorry to say, but no. I've worn myself out today. After going to two garden stores, Walmart, and then to Trader Joe's, I filled a construction-sized trash bag while trimming rose bushes - that were definitely opposed to their being trimmed. Then I weeded a bit around the herb garden and fussed with strawberry plants. Now I'm pouting because I'm too tired to make yogurt. All I can say is that I hope I have clean clothing for work tomorrow.

I used very colorful red, orange, and yellow sweet mini-peppers so they are cute and pretty. The potatoes are itsy-bitsy and looked great with them. The hello kitty bag just made it perfect.

I cannot believe it is already after nine. I detest daylight saving time.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I'm sorry to say, but no. I've worn myself out today. After going to two garden stores, Walmart, and then to Trader Joe's, I filled a construction-sized trash bag while trimming rose bushes - that were definitely opposed to their being trimmed. Then I weeded a bit around the herb garden and fussed with strawberry plants. Now I'm pouting because I'm too tired to make yogurt. All I can say is that I hope I have clean clothing for work tomorrow.

I used very colorful red, orange, and yellow sweet mini-peppers so they are cute and pretty. The potatoes are itsy-bitsy and looked great with them. The hello kitty bag just made it perfect.

I cannot believe it is already after nine. I detest daylight saving time.

Good Grief! What? You think you are a teenager? Get some rest! It's just after 7 here and I feel like it's much later. I need some sleep...I have rehab and weights tomorrow, and my nutrition class...I should probably do laundry, too!

 

[spork]

I noticed them freeze-dried string beans at the market for the first time just two week ago! It didn't take much convincing my produce grocer to open a pack and pass 'em around to everyone shopping that morning. Very tasty snack with great green bean flavor, but I highly suspect mine was extruded to form and possibly fried. I gave my produce gal a no-thanks and hug nonetheless cuz she's a cutie who puts up with my weekly requests to halve a cabbage head.

 

[spork]

tsukemono

If you visit any supermarket in Japan, an entire aisle will be devoted to self-serve ten gallon bucket bins containing a variety of tsukemono – “add/season thing.” Your local Asian market might sell them refrigerated in 1-cup containers. Umeboshi, pickled sour plums, is one kind of tsukemono, and typical in that many preparations are simple pickled vegetables. A family table spread will usually have a selection of three tsukemono in small plates for whoever wants to add a taste tidbit to their meal. A Japanese kitchen will have a rice cooker, and if there’s any other “appliance” that I’d bet all kitchens have, it’s this:

It’s a corkscrew pickle press. You certainly don’t need it. Dead weight works. For some vegetables with high water content, no weight at all will work, too. But the press helps speed up osmosis for a finished pickle. Proteins and cooked foods are also made into tsukemono. Even though I have a cookbook solely for tsukemono, I confess I don’t have a strong repertoire of recipes. Salt, vinegar, and miso paste are some of the common pickling agents. A local Asian market might also sell small packages of pickling salt/powder.

Here’s one, possibly the most common homemade tsukemono:

napa cabbage
salt
dried red chili flakes
dried kombu seaweed
1. mix and refrigerate
2. should be good to go in 3 or 4 days
3. drain extruded liquid, rinse if you prefer, refrigerate

I prefer chopping the cabbage to large bite size. For salt, a place to start is about 1/2 cup to a whole head. Just a pinch of chili to taste. Not a lot of kombu, maybe a 4-inch long strip for a whole head. You can discard the kombu, or cut it into thin julienne if it has reconstituted well.

Tsukemono adds variety to a bento box. I'll post a few more, but you should feel free to improvise.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

That sounds really good! thanks, Spork. Basically, anything you can pickle?

I was going to pick up umeboshi this time around but they didn't have it and had ordered paste to replace it. Made me shy away again, I heard that it is very salty! And since I am supposed to be low-sodium these days...

 

[spork]

Princess, I knew about your sodium requirements; I posted what's probably the most common tsukemono. I also soak napa cabbage, cucumber, and wakame seaweed in rice vinegar plus mirin sweet rice wine.

Vegetables: napa cabbage, daikon radish, cucumber, eggplant, carrots, and others. Dark greens, like spinach, are usually cooked first. Protein tsukemono is less common, but include cooked squid and marinated dried sardines.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Princess, I knew about your sodium requirements; I posted what's probably the most common tsukemono. I also soak napa cabbage, cucumber, and wakame seaweed in rice vinegar plus mirin sweet rice wine.

Vegetables: napa cabbage, daikon radish, cucumber, eggplant, carrots, and others. Dark greens, like spinach, are usually cooked first. Protein tsukemono is less common, but include cooked squid and marinated dried sardines.

I did find low-sodium Soy sauce. It's tough, I grew up on Soy Sauce!

I did read a recipe that uses the kombu after it's used for Dashi, kind of a sweet and sour. I should try that!

I appreciate your assist!

 

[Kathleen]

Good Grief! What? You think you are a teenager? Get some rest! It's just after 7 here and I feel like it's much later. I need some sleep...I have rehab and weights tomorrow, and my nutrition class...I should probably do laundry, too!

No, I just make choices like one. For example: Laundry. I've needed to do laundry for weeks.

I noticed them freeze-dried string beans at the market for the first time just two week ago! It didn't take much convincing my produce grocer to open a pack and pass 'em around to everyone shopping that morning. Very tasty snack with great green bean flavor, but I highly suspect mine was extruded to form and possibly fried. I gave my produce gal a no-thanks and hug nonetheless cuz she's a cutie who puts up with my weekly requests to halve a cabbage head.

I think the string beans at TJ's are fried and they have sea salt on them. I do believe they are whole string beans though. So yummy!

I did find low-sodium Soy sauce. It's tough, I grew up on Soy Sauce!

I did read a recipe that uses the kombu after it's used for Dashi, kind of a sweet and sour. I should try that!

I appreciate your assist!

I love Kikkoman low-salt soy sauce and use it all of the time.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

No, I just make choices like one. For example: Laundry. I've needed to do laundry for weeks.

I love Kikkoman low-salt soy sauce and use it all of the time.

I run out of scrubs if I don't do laundry every 2 weeks. Actually, if I wore all my holiday scrubs i might be able to make it a month.

I have San-J Reduced Sodium Tamari, 700 mg in a tablespoon and Kikkoman Reduced Sodium, 575 mg in a tablespoon. Besides the gallons of Shoyu, Kikkoman, Tamari, Korean Soy Sauce, etc. I have stashed in the pantry.

 

[spork]

I run out of scrubs if I don't do laundry every 2 weeks. Actually, if I wore all my holiday scrubs i might be able to make it a month.

I have San-J Reduced Sodium Tamari, 700 mg in a tablespoon and Kikkoman Reduced Sodium, 575 mg in a tablespoon. Besides the gallons of Shoyu, Kikkoman, Tamari, Korean Soy Sauce, etc. I have stashed in the pantry.

I'm thinking... oversized scrubs would make a great kitchen apron! I dare think I might be brilliant and must somehow scheme The Princess and her scary Ogre from realizing that my new business empire was usurped from their idea.

A quick note about tsukenomo...
It's a bite or two to add/season your meal. At a restaurant, they might be served on a separate 3-inch diameter plate. In a bento box, they're ideal for miniature cupcake containers. Think of it as something smaller than a side dish. Like a forkful of thinly sliced raw onion and tomato marinated in a pinch of sugar, salt and vinegar for thirty minutes to be eaten halfway through a plate of marinara pasta as a cleansing and complementary addition/seasoning to the plate. My frig, at any given time, has a half dozen small tupperware containers of various tsukemono, including this, to add to a dinner/lunch spread or easily spike my Mr. Bento.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I'm thinking... oversized scrubs would make a great kitchen apron! I dare think I might be brilliant and must somehow scheme The Princess and her scary Ogre from realizing that my new business empire was usurped from their idea.

A quick note about tsukenomo...
It's a bite or two to add/season your meal. At a restaurant, they might be served on a separate 3-inch diameter plate. In a bento box, they're ideal for miniature cupcake containers. Think of it as something smaller than a side dish. Like a forkful of thinly sliced raw onion and tomato marinated in a pinch of sugar, salt and vinegar for thirty minutes to be eaten halfway through a plate of marinara pasta as a cleansing and complementary addition/seasoning to the plate. My frig, at any given time, has a half dozen small tupperware containers of various tsukemono, including this, to add to a dinner/lunch spread or easily spike my Mr. Bento.

Oh, like pickled ginger with Sushi! Got it. Not alot, just a bite! And I have the mini cupcake holders.

I have a bunch of "oversize" scrubs now...they make good PJ's and paint outfits, too!