hapa bento

Today’s featured bento box is  another re-used holiday box.  This particular box is an especially  good one to re-use because it doesn’t have Christmas specific designs.  The box is red and the lid is a pewter color so it could be utilized for other holidays. 

Speaking of holidays… this year seems to be extra busy.   Maybe it’s because the Seattle area has been experiencing a week of  sub-freezing temperatures, a  rare occurrence in these parts and the effect has been very disruptive.  We’ve  broken records and it’s been difficult to voluntarily leave the house even to go grocery shopping!   It’s so cold that all I want to do sit in my comfy chair with a  blanket and sip hot chocolate.  So with that said, my choice for bento box really wasn’t a choice.  I had to use whatever I had in in stock.

So for  today’s bento box… it’s a simple one, using ready- to- eat Tofurky Italian sausages!    Sliced  lengthwise and steamed with broccolini. Very easy.  The pre-cooked frozen brown rice was reheated then topped with fukikake and cucumber shio-zuke for garnish.  I added some grape tomatoes and the tiniest little pear. (so cute, it’s smaller than a hen’s egg) The food items are packed snug and tight, another bento guideline, which keeps your lunch from rattling around the box in transit.  This lunch is  an example of speedy bento assembly and it took me less than 15 minutes to prepare.  I lined this box with parchment instead of lettuce for no particular reason but after completion, the final result looked like a real holiday gift box… complete with tissue paper! 

What  began or what I thought would be a thoughtless bento lunch, turned out a lot better than expected. 

 1. Quick to prepare.

2. Packed with a  re-purposed box.

3.  Vegan!

4. Nutritious.

5. Holiday themed with green and red colors.

But the fun ends here as I must get out to replenish supplies, not only for bento box but I’m also out of hot chocolate!