Thursday, January 29, 2009

#8 Wonton Bento

Bottom Tier: Pan-fried wontons with crab filling
Top Tier: Laughing Cow Gouda cheese, baby carrots, blueberries, strawberries, 2 Dove dark chocolate squares.

I bought the wonton wrappers in my local Publix, in the refrigerated section, and made the filling myself:
Put some cream cheese in a bowl and microwave for about 20 seconds to soften. Stir in your favorite spices (I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, and an Italian seasoning mix. Chop up some crab legs (or, if you're cheap like me, some imitation crab meat), and mix it in. I went pretty heavy on the crab to cream cheese ratio, but you can mix it to taste. Put about a teaspoon of filling into the center of each wrapper, and moisten the edges with some water. Fold and press together. Pan fry on each side.
Note- Make sure you don't overfill the wrappers, because then you might get leakage, and also the wonton won't lay flat on the pan, and it won't all cook.
Another note- Next time I'm planning on making a sweet version with cinnamon and sugar, and possibly apples. Or berries? Or craisins? The possibilities are mostly endless at this point.

Friday, January 23, 2009

#7 Salad Bento

Bottom Tier: Broccoli slaw with Asian ginger dressing underneath
Top Tier: Pistachio, almond and cashew mix, garlic cheddar cubes, baby carrots, papaya spears

Monday, January 19, 2009

#5 Sick Bento

Bowl: Home-made chicken soup with a drumstick, topped with fresh dill
Box: Garlic-flavored bagel crisps, strawberries, raspberries, chocolate-covered raspberry sticks

I was feeling really sick, but had to go into work anyway, so I made this soup that my mom used to make me when I was sick:
Put some chicken in a pot (I like dark meat, because it makes a more flavorful soup). Cover completely with water. Bring to a boil. This will make the meat release a foam that will float up to the top, which you can then remove with a spoon. Add some salt, some cut carrots, and a parsnip (you're also supposed to also add one whole onion, but I hate onions, so I don't). Turn the burner down to medium low, cover, and simmer for at least 1.5 hours. The more you cook it after this point, the stronger the tasty goodness will be, but I can only wait so long. Add your favorite pasta, rice, or in this particular case, farina, and allow to cook for however long said carb is supposed to cook. Top with some chopped fresh dill, and feel better!

Another note about this bento:
Since I had to use the bowl for the soup, I used one tier (and a lid) of one of my boxes for the other things.

#4 Sushi Bento!

Top Tier: Imitation crab stick, avocado, carrot, and cream cheese sushi roll
Bottom Tier: Sliced strawberries and raspberries

Yum!