Bento #12: Wafu gyoza (03.24.09)

Bento for Tuesday, March 24, 2009:


Bento contents:
* Wafu gyoza (recipe from "Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese home kitchen" by Elizabeth Andoh)
* Stir-fried vegetables: green cabbage, baby corn, carrots, and sweet red pepper, seasoned with soy sauce and a little gochujang
* Steamed white rice with black sesame seeds
* Dipping sauce for the gyoza (in small bottle) - rice vinegar and soy sauce

Bento menus for next week (March 24-26, 2009)

After a week's hiatus, our bento lunches are back! Here are the menus for this coming week. Orders will close tomorrow at noon because of the half-day for the inservice, so get your orders in (and your boxes, if you can) before then! A hard copy of this menu, with a sign-up sheet, is on the table in the upstairs kitchen at school.

Tuesday, March 24th Menu:
* Wafu gyoza - Japanese-style steam-fried pork and vegetable dumplings with wakame seaweed
* Stir-fried vegetables TBD
* Steamed rice

Wednesday, March 25th Menu:
* Herbed root vegetable and white bean turnovers
* Hard boiled egg
* Salad greens
* Fruit TBD

Thursday, March 26th Menu:
* Blue mac n' cheese - Pasta in a blue cheese-spiked white sauce, topped with minced green onion and chopped walnuts
* Berebere spiced sweet potatoes
* Collard greens
* Grapes

Mr. Chen's Challenge

For Bento Society members:

I have mentioned this idea to some members but wanted to blog about this: the idea of having you submit your favorite dishes from Mr. Chen's for me to make a version of for a future bento lunch. I realized that I haven't included a Chinese item in your bento lunches yet and this would be one way for me to do that.

One word of caution, though: I've heard that stir-fried rice noodles do not necessarily hold up well in bento - they tend to dry out. I am up for trying any stir-fried dishes served with rice, though!

Let me know what you would like me to make, whether in person or by leaving a comment on this blog or a note in my mailbox at school.

No Aidan Bento for Week of March 16 - 20, 2009

Notice to Bento Society members:

Next week, Aidan Bento Society will be taking a week off. I will post the menu for the following week next Wednesday, March 18th.

I will also post a sign on the shelf in the upstairs kitchen (behind the table) to make sure that everyone receives notice of this.

In the meantime, I invite you to think about my idea for a Mr. Chen's Challenge!

Thank you for your participation in the society so far! I hope that you have been enjoying your meals.

~Jamie

Bento #11: Yaki onigiri and tamagoyaki (03.11.09)

Obento for Wednesday, March 11, 2009:


Bento contents:
* Yaki onigiri - "grilled" (actually pan-fried this time) rice balls (seasoned with soy sauce - basically followed notes at Lunch in a Box, here - mine were not pre-frozen). Some are flavored with miso, others with soy sauce
* Umeboshi (for a description of potential health benefits, see here)
* Tamagomaki - rolled sweetened omelette
* Hijiki and carrots - recipe here
* In some lunches, as pictured: Japanese-style potato salad and raw green pepper slices
* In others: stir-fried green cabbage with soy sauce, sesame oil, and black sesame seeds

Bento #10: Pork katsu and potato salad (03.10.09)

Obento for Tuesday, March 10th, 2009:


Bento contents:
* Pork katsu (breaded pork cutlet) on a bed of shredded green cabbage
* Bulldog sauce (to go with the katsu)
* Japanese-style potato salad with mustard (recipe loosely based on Maki's here at Just Bento - no tofu mayonnaise, no cucumber, and I substituted green onions for white onion)
* Steamed short-grain white rice, hinomaru style, with black sesame seeds

Bento #9: Mini Veggie Frittatas (03.05.09)

Obento for Thursday March 5, 2009:


Bento contents:
* Mini vegetable frittatas (I based it on this recipe - really only for the method; the ingredients were my combination)
* Roasted root vegetable medley from CSA (new potatoes, sweet potatoes, rutabaga, winter squash)
* Salad greens with soy-sesame-rice vinegar-honey-olive oil dressing (dressing not pictured)
* Red grapes