hapa bento

I have a basket in my pantry that holds all my non-perishable bento-stash.  And currently, The Stash only held numerous baggies of different kinds of rice, not enough to cook on their own and needed to be blended to make it worthwhile.

I also had an oddball can of mandarin oranges which for the life of me can’t remember why I bought it. Maybe Saba Man picked it up for something.

“Hey Saba Man…did you buy this can of mandarin oranges?”

“No.”

So I took a chance and boy and I glad I did.  It smelled wonderful when it all got  heated up.

After the “ding”,  I mixed in a bit of sweet mango butter, almonds, and a splash of rice vinegar all the while wishing that I had cilantro.  Darn.

Anyway, it turned out great.

Tangy.

Which complimented the salty, sesame-ness of these Asian-style tuna burgers. 

Recipe will be posted later but think garlic, sesame oil, sesame seeds, shoyu, mirin….you get the idea.

“Hey, Saba Man…do you want butter on your asparagus and the scallions caramelized?”

“Yes, please.”

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Last week was the one year anniversary of the first bento that I ever posted online.  I know!  A whole year!   Now 300 plus bentos later I find myself looking back at that first bento post and scrutinizing my progress!

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This is my  guest article  written for and posted on JustBento.

The classic bento box with its proportioned rice, protein and vegetable combination is a balance of taste, harmony of flavors, and prepared to keep spoilage to a minimum. Another dimension of this classic lunch is nutrition. The rice provides carbohydrates, and carbs are arguably the most important source of energy. The protein keeps your muscles in repair, vegetables offer crucial vitamins that nourish your organs, and lastly but just as vital, some fats. More about the value of fats a little later. A bento box lunch is designed to offer sustenance.

But what if you need more? What if you are an active person and need to turn it up a notch? Well, a nutritionally dense bento box may be your answer.

Tweaking your bento box by packing nutritionally intense foods is an important enhancement for people who exercise or train on a regular basis. More “bang for your buck” as the saying goes.  Read the rest of this entry →