Bento Box Giveaway
Before we begin February’s The BOMB Challenge, let’s have a little fun with next month’s activities. There’s Valentine’s Day on the 14th… and for 2010 the 14th is also the Lunar New Year’s Day, “Year of the Tiger”, and February is also Black History Month! But there’s another important theme that is observed every February. Do you know what it is?
February is American Heart Association’s ’Heart Awareness Month”! Which brings us back to the theme for this giveaway.
You can win a brand new, still wrapped bento box just like the one in the photo. This is the ever popular and newly crowned “M4SB” (Magic 4 Squared Bento). This bento box triggers more emails than any of my other bento box styles so I wanted to give one away.
If you’d like to win this bento box, all you have to do is to tell us how you would pack each of the squares! I want to this to be a fun giveaway so I’ll keep the rules to a minimum but in the spirit of caring for our hearts, let’s keep the recipe’s and food items healthy, “heart healthy” would be ideal… that means, no bacon, french fries, or double cheese pizza. :) Entries will be added to the pool where the winner will be randomly selected. You can submit multiple entries as long as one of the boxes contains a different recipe from your previous entry. That’s it! And yes, I will prepare and pack the winning bento entry!
There will be other exciting activites in February; that’s why we are tackling the “heart healthy” theme now in preparation for next month!
Let’s review:
1. Win a bento box just like the one in the photo.
2. Submit your ideas for packing a heart healthy bento box, one recipe or food per square-
purple-?
yellow-?
red-?
green-?
3. Heart healthy foods and recipe will qualify to win.
4. Enter as many times as you like, provided that each entry is different from your other entries. ( at least one square needs to be different)
5. The winning entry will be selected randomly.
6. I will pack a bento using the winning recipes.
7. The contest starts now.
8. The contest ends on January 30, 2010 at Midnight Pacific Standard Time.
9. Contest is open to anyone!
Let the fun begin!
purple – salad: lettuce, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, avocado, toasted sunflower seeds
yellow – green lentils in garlic and balsamic vinegar marinade.
red – fruits: apple and orange slices, grapes
green – whole grain crackers and hummus
(hapabento entry #46)
Okay, I am going to take the plunge and give my thoughts on this bento box (I am a newbie):
Green: Rice paper spring rolls with avocado, sun-dried tomato, teriyaki marinated fried tempeh, carrot, cucumber, snow peas, sprouts, thai basil, wasabi, and napa cabbage. Cut in half on the diagonal so you can see the pretty colors. Served with a spicy sweet peanut dipping sauce.
Red: Stir Fry Noodles and Peppers, from the February 2010 issue of VegNews.
Recipe:
1/2 package (4 ounces) alimentary paste noodles, or rice noodles
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups 1/2-inch tofu slices, fried
1 cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup white onion, thinly sliced
1 cup bamboo shoots, thinly sliced
1 1/2 Tbs. salt (I don’t use this much)
1 1/2 Tbs. soy sauce (I use Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, a non-fermented soy sauce that has a lighter flavor and less sodium)
1 1/2 tsp. white ground pepper
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced
1 tsp. lime juice
Cook noodles as directed. Rinse in cold water, drain, and set aside.
In frying pan on high heat, heat oil. Add garlic, cook until golden. Add all the ingredients but the scallions and lime juice and cook for 7-10 minutes, making sure not to overcook vegetables.
In a large bowl, combine vegetables and noodles, add scallions and lime juice, mix everything together.
Purple: Roasted asparagus, eggplant, and Okinawan Sweet potatoes (even though I have never had any and we don’t get them here I think it would be pretty-I am going to try to grow them here this year) miso, honey, toasted sesame oil with sesame seeds sprinkled on top.
Yellow: Fruit salad with mango, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, sliced kumquat, and asian pear with a drizzle of lime juice and honey.
(hapabento entry #47)
I am new to bentos but would love to have this box for these:
purple-Here would be a fruit salad with kiwi, star fruit, blackberries, strawbeeries and cantelope
yellow- homemade baked pita chips with sun dried tomato tapenade (recipe follows)I would put the tapenade on a lettuce leaf to keep the chips crispy:
Recipe:
Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade Recipe
Ingredients
• 1 cup sun dried tomatoes, drained (reserve the oil)
• 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tbsp. drained capers packed in brine
• 1 tbsp. minced fresh basil
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. salt, to taste
• 1/8 tsp. crumbled dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 3 to 5 tbsp. of the oil in which the tomatoes were packed
• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
Place the tomatoes in a food processor and chop to a coarse puree. Remove and reserve them.
1. With the motor of the processor running, drop in the garlic and chop it fine, scraping down the workbowl once or twice. Add the capers and process the mixture to a course puree. Turn off the machine.
2. Return the chopped tomatoes to the processor. Add the basil, 1/2 tsp. salt, the oregano, rosemary, 3 tbsp. oil and the vinegar. Process the ingredients briefly, just long enough to mix them well; the texture should be slightly rough. Taste the mixture and add more seasonings and, if desired, more oil, stirring in the additions by hand to avoid over-processing.
3. Scrape the tomato essence into a clean, dry jar and store it, covered, in the fridge where it will keep indefinitely. Let it come to room temperature before serving. Makes about 1 cup.
red- mini turkey kabobs
Turkey meatballs with grape tomatoes and lowfat cheese cubes
green: poates salad with purple potates and light mayo and pickle relish…on a bed of red leaf lettuse and some radish and corrot “flowers”
The open spaces would have “radsh roses” and blood oranges
(hapabento- entry #48)
Oh the possiblies….
purple-Pineapple and blood orange wedges
yellow-Salad with Lettuce, avacado,radishes and pinenuts
red-”cold enchiladas” Made with low fat cream cheese,enchilada sauce and chicken wrapped in whole weat tortillas
green-Red beans and rice
Decor would be Grapes tomato, crinkle cut carrots and radishes, yellow,green and red peper strips…
(hapabento- entry #49)
purple-Thai chicken and vegetable curry (leftover)
Thai Chicken & Vegetable Curry
4 servings
Ingredients
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1- to 2-inch-long julienne strips
• 1 medium onion, halved and sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1-2 teaspoons red curry paste, to taste (see Ingredient note)
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup “lite” coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce, or reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• Lime wedges
Preparation
1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and onion; cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, ginger and curry paste; stir to mix. Add chicken and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, coconut milk, fish sauce (or soy sauce) and brown sugar; bring to a simmer. Add cauliflower, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in spinach and lime juice; cook just until spinach has wilted.
yellow-roasted vegi’s summer squash, zucchinni, asparagus
red- Yin and Yang shaped rice ball…with stick white and black rice
green-Strawberries,kumquat slices and blueberries
(hapabento- entry #50)
* Green – Healthy Low-Fat Chicken Cordon Bleu Rolls over saffron rice with fresh vegetables arranged in between
* Red – Warm Spinach Salad
* Yellow – Baked Sweet Potato fries with Rosemary
* Purple – Ambrosia
(hapabento- entry #51)
recipes for above post here
Green – Lamb-Feta Meatballs with Ajvar Relish
Red – Salade Composee with French Vinagrette
Yellow – Spinach and Potato Curry (Aloo Palak) & Pappadums
Purple – Sugared Cranberries and Sage Leaves
recipes here
(hapabento- entry #52)
purple – low salt saltines
yellow- Mixed melons
red-low fat cottage cheese
green-Tuna salid with lowfat mayonaise
(hapabento- entry #53)
Okay I never packed a bento this huge! And sorry if I got some of the terms wrong because I am Dutch.
purple – Corn of the cob marinated in mashed tomato with chilipowder and koriander.
yellow – Japanese potato salad containing patatoes, egg, cucumber, peas and Japanese Mayonaise
red- Mixed fruits & veggies like apple slices, grapes, cherry tomatoes & cucumber on some lettuce
green- Some kind of sushi like Inari sushi or maki sushi, onigiri or some mix of the above (depending on what I have) with some soy sauce.
(hapabento- entry #54)
purple – Corn of the cob marinated in mashed tomato with chilipowder and koriander.
yellow – Japanese potato salad containing patatoes, egg, cucumber, peas and Japanese Mayonaise
red- Mixed fruits & veggies like apple slices, grapes, cherry tomatoes & cucumber on some lettuce
green- A slice of quiche with 3 different colors of paprika, mushrooms, cream cheese & vegetarian shoarma (a kind of turkish meat, but the soy alternative)
(hapabento- entry #55)
purple – Corn of the cob marinated in mashed tomato with chilipowder and koriander.
yellow – Onigiri filled with mashed sweet potato, cheddar cheese & chives.
red- Mixed fruits & veggies like apple slices, grapes, cherry tomatoes & cucumber on some lettuce
green- A slice of quiche with 3 different colors of paprika, mushrooms, cream cheese & vegetarian shoarma (a kind of turkish meat, but the soy alternative)
(hapabento- entry #56)
purple – Corn of the cob marinated in mashed tomato with chilipowder and koriander.
yellow – Onigiri filled with mashed sweet potato, cheddar cheese & chives.
red- Mixed fruits & veggies like apple slices, grapes, cherry tomatoes & cucumber on some lettuce
green- Salmon wraps with cream cheese
(hapabento- entry #57)
purple – Corn of the cob marinated in mashed tomato with chilipowder and koriander.
yellow – Onigiri filled with mashed sweet potato, cheddar cheese & chives.
red- Broccoli & shii take mushrooms in koriander & garlic marinade
green- Salmon wraps with cream cheese
(hapabento- entry #58)
purple – Corn of the cob marinated in mashed tomato with chilipowder and koriander.
yellow – Onigiri filled with mashed sweet potato, cheddar cheese & chives.
red- Broccoli & shii take mushrooms in koriander & garlic marinade
green- Falafel ball in pita bread on lettuce with some garlic sauce in a cup.
(hapabento- entry #59)
Green means healthy: green peas as base, then brocolli and decorate with celery sticks
Red means HeART: so heart shaped honey lazed carrots and heart shaped onigiri with salmon furikake
Purple means happiness: Sweet potatoes and seedless purple SWEET grapes with some raisins
Yellow means LUCK: ommelette with shrimp in coin shape, and sprinkle some corn on it.
(hapabento- entry #60)
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