hapa bento

Here we go… starting off 2012 with a relatively healthy bento: baked salmon, egg omelette, fried brown rice, and broccoli.  Embellishments include a sprig of kaiware (radish sprouts), black sesame seeds, nori, and beni shoga (pickled red ginger).

I consider this bento healthier than not because  I used sprouted brown rice,  just a dash of olive oil and low salt shoyu for the fried rice.  The two-egg omelette is missing one yolk.  And the mayo on the broccoli is made from grape seed oil.   The baked salmon is… um…baked!

Most of the ingredients are organic as well!

We try our very best to eat the better options, a practice that we abandoned during the holidays.  So now with the new year we are focused and ready tackle our cravings with smarter choices.

I hope to keep it up to at least through February.  Do you think we’ll make it? Ha ha!

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Japanistic - cool, fun, well-designed Japanese bentos and other products!

It’s a melancholy moment when I pack an in-flight bento.  But happy memories overshadow the sad good-byes especially when I include foods that are reminiscent of the fun-filled visit!

Salmon is de-riqueur for a Seattle-style lunch and Rainier cherries from our trip to the farmers market evoke happy flashbacks of a enjoyable vacation!

That alone should conjure desires for return trip…and to seal-the-deal…I added baked chicken, sautéed asparagus, steamed carrots, tomato, white rice and a luscious chunk o’ purple sweet potato!

For more bento tips, information and recipes subscribe to hapa bento via your email or newsreader

Japanistic – cool, fun, well-designed Japanese bentos and other products!

If you’re like me, my first experience with figs was eating Fig Newtons or should I say NOT eating Fig Newtons.   Those were not cookies, not to me as a kid anyways.   No way. Gross.   But now as an adult I love them but I enjoy eating the real thing even more.

Fresh figs.

They are delicious.  Sweet, but not overly so.  Great texture, color and size for packing in a lunch.

Complimenting today’s fig is baked salmon, stir-fried gai lan, potato salad, chow fun and a tomato.

There will be plenty of bento lunches filled with these yummy fruits as they are plentiful in the markets this summer.

Summer… ha ha ha!  The calendar says it is so.  But the news reports say that Seattle has only experienced 78 days of 80 plus degrees thus far!

Oh well, we will eat like it’s summer no matter despite the weather.

So here’s to more figs!

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JaponMania -Lovely bento supplies and more!

I have a new bento box— compliments of our friends from JaponMania!  They asked me to review their new “Keep Cool Palette” boxes and I of course I agreed.  As a bento-nerd, I love talking about anything that has to do with bento boxes, bento-gear and bento shopping!  Bring it on.

The  first thing you probably noticed is that I did a charaben or kyaraben.   I know, right?  It’s not my usual approach for packing lunches… I’ll tell you more about this along with a special JaponMania discount later in this post.

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I am having so much fun being a  part of Kitchen-Play‘s “National Onion Association”  Progressive Party.  This Progressive Party will feature six different courses created by six different bloggers using Fresh Dry Bulb Onions . There are many varieties of this onion and for this recipe I selected, because I live in Washington State,   the Walla Walla Sweets®!  A very large one.

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The weekend flew by without catching a breath.   So while I have a moment  to catch my own breath,  I thought I’d better post a bento before you think I’ve stopped packing them.   

Today’s bento features herbed baked salmon, sesame long beans, sprouted rice and a giant kakimochi. 

Just kidding.  That’s not a giant kakimochi.  It’s a piece of tofu jun wrapped in a piece of nori!

Garnishes are furikake (rice topping),beni shoga (pickled red ginger), kaiware (radish sprouts), shiso (perilla leaf), and enoki mushrooms.

Have a fantastic week everybody!

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For more bento tips, information and recipes subscribe to hapa bento via your email or newsreader.

Today’s lunch (really yesterday’s but I “ran out of Sunday” and didn’t post) is a speedy omelet bento.  Or shall we call it an “Omuben?” 

“Omelet Bento”…too long.

“Omuben”…easy to say and even simpler to pack!

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Here’s a snowball bento!  Or should we call it a “snow bao” bento!

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We’ve definately turned the corner where our weather is concerned.  No more flip-flops, tee shirts, and shorts!   From here on out it’s layered clothing, thick socks, and rain boots!

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Saba Man wishes everyday is National Sushi Day as he loves when his bento is  filled with inarizushi. 

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I think I’ve already complained (in earlier posts) about being too busy too cook  so I’ll spare you the moaning and groaning.  Let’s skip the dirty details on my long days and get to the bento!

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Today’s featured bento contains an unlikely ingredient…karaage or Japanese style fried chicken!

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