bento #13

Seasoned brown rice, steamed vegetables, and nori with cashews and soy sauce.

Process: Steam vegetables and rice. Fill bento 2/3 with mixed vegetables and rice, top with nori and cashews. Drizzle on soy sauce. I tried to cut shapes out of the nori (that's a magen david in the upper left) but my cutters weren't a good tool with the dry nori.

Feedback: a little dry, but tasty

(kosher, gluten free, vegan

Bento #9

Vegan Spring Rolls and Popcorn with Thai Peanut Sauce

Process: Cut up carrots and cucumber into long, thin matchsticks (about 4" long), and slice up avocado. Soak 1 spring roll wrapper (mine are made from tapioca) at a time, until soft. Place a layer of spinach along the center, then a line of carrots, a line of cucumber, and a line of avocado. Roll up. Repeat until done making rolls. Slice. Pop some popcorn. Toss with olive oil and garlic. Serve with Thai Peanut Sauce (I make my own. Regular peanut sauce uses fish sauce, which is not vegan. As far as I know, there is not a regularly available kosher fish sauce either). This is not a quick lunch, unless you make the wraps (and sauce) ahead of time.

Feedback: Delicious!

(kosher, vegan, gluten free)

Bento #6

Steamed brown rice, black beans, sauteed chopped vegetables

Process: Warmed up the leftover brown rice from the previous day and filled bentos halfway. Warmed veggies and beans in some oil. Placed cookie cutter in each, filled with veggies and surrounded with black beans. Removed the cutters before eating, so the boys could mix everything together, but the shapes were completely lost without them in there, so for the picture they stayed in. 

Feedback: Can I eat it can I eat it can I eat it?

(kosher, gluten free, vegan)

Bento #5

Sauteed mushrooms and garbanzo beans, carrots, and avocado slices

Process: Sauteed mushrooms in butter, then added garbanzos and continued to cook until warmed. Filled bentos halfway with mixture, topped with rough cut carrots and some ridged discs of avocado made with a cookie cutter. There was supposed to be brown rice in here but it took too long to cook and we were hungry, so we went ahead without it.

Feedback: I love avocado!

(kosher, gluten-free, vegan if using oil instead of butter)

 

I meant to post this a lot earlier, but I'm still getting the hang of scheduling these things. As in, I need to figure out how it actually works.

Bento #4

Steamed white rice, tuna, steamed vegetables

Process: Steamed rice and the cut vegetables. Mixed rice with canned tuna and filled containers halfway. Placed veggies in rows on top; broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. Later added some tamari, as boys selected that rather than butter or oil. Quick, simple bento, and easy on the stomach.

Feedback: none, but they did eat all of it :)

(kosher, gluten-free, vegan)