project bento for lunch

My first bento lunch projects :-)

fruit and green salad bento with hard-boiled eggs and ham

torta (ground beef omelet) with quinoa and vegetable salad

bear shape hard boiled egg with cantaloupe flowers

fish shape egg with green bell pepper and cucumbers

A creative way to present food in healthy portions that's just right for a light but satisfying lunch. This is what I like most about bento. The colorful fruits and vegetables in cute shapes definitely add a fun element to everyday meal time.

orange tomatoes

I found some interesting orange tomato variety at the grocery recently. They had good flavor so I used them to make a couple of light weekday meals.

Inspired by caprese salad, one of my favorites, I sliced the tomato thinly, arranged and layered them on a plate along with thinly sliced mozzarella cheese, then sprinkled them with salt, pepper and some creamy lemon vinaigrette (shown below). Balsamic vinaigrette will be just as good.

One of the biggest salads I made this summer, this was a combination of mixed baby greens, broccoli, cauliflower, avocado, julienned carrots, tomatoes, a colorful mix of green, red, yellow and orange sweet peppers, hard-boiled eggs and fresh mushroom slices. Red onions, red radishes and alfafa sprouts may also be added. Very healthy and crunchy :-) Serve with some homemade dressing.

refreshing, colorful and crunchy summer salad

green salad days

Now that spring time is officially here again, the warmer sunny days made me think of colorful refreshing green salads. I love using a combination of baby greens, sometimes adding other varieties like romaine, spinach and arugula. For starters, I like serving green salads for lunch or dinner most days now.

 

Very fresh Greek salad, shown above and below, is one of the easiest to put together and one of the healthiest too. The combination of crunchy salad greens and other vegetables, salty feta cheese and olives tossed together with a light vinaigrette, is something I truly crave. The vinaigrette may be mixed ahead and stored in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to blend well. 

Another one of our regular favorites is Cobb salad, which is more filling with the addition of ham or other deli meats. I used pastrami for my version then added more crunchy vegetables and avocado which is usually present in traditional Cobb salad. Shown from left to right in the picture below, shredded red radishes, shredded carrots, diced cucumbers, diced feta cheese, diced tomatoes, sliced red onions, pastrami strips, avocado slices and sliced black olives were arranged over a bed of romaine and spring salad greens.The dressing may be a simple ranch or other creamy mixtures.

quick pickled cucumbers

Sometime ago, while browsing the vegetable section at a local grocery for ideas, I found some salad cucumbers that looked so fresh and crisp. Aside from adding them to our usual Greek and other green salads, I thought of making pickles with them using just a few ingredients. For the dressing, just combine apple cider and rice vinegar together to make about 1/2 cup. Add some white sugar, salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Pour over the sliced cucumbers. Refrigerate to blend the flavors. At serving time, garnish with sliced green onions. For a spicier vesion, sprinkle thinly sliced red Thai chilis on top.

The pickled cucumbers in a very light, sweet and sour vinegar dressing were just the perfect side for our pan fried pork chops dinner that night. Back in Manila, this was always my personal favorite to have with fried whole fish. There's a particular fish, sold in local markets, called "hasa-hasa" which, when fried until the skin is very crispy, worked so well with these pickled cucumbers. I miss that fish :-)

Shown above, the salad cucumbers were smaller than regular cucumbers. They were bright green, very fresh and crisp. I like to use  this Thai vegetable gadget, which can also be used to shred carrots and other vegetables, to score the cucumber peel lengthwise, creating a nice scalloped design when sliced. This gadget is available in most Asian stores.

summer salads

As the summer heat continues to become unbearable outside, there are days when we like to stay cool by doing less cooking. Here are a few refreshing salad ideas to welcome the summer season. Shown above, the addition of quinoa to this antipasto platter along with roasted asparagus, eggs and pickled beets, turned this salad into a healthier and well-balanced meal good for any day of the week.

Crunchy chicken salad with shredded oven-roasted or boiled chicken breast, green leaf or romaine lettuce, carrot strips, thinly sliced cucumbers, canned chickpeas (drained well) and red onions. Other favorite additions like bacon bits, toasted nuts and sunflower seeds may also be sprinkled on top just before serving.

Always refreshing, these summer rolls may have all kinds of meat and vegetable filling combinations. The more colorful, the better :-) Slice them thinly then cut into strips and toss together. Rice papers (sold in Asian markets imported from Thailand or Vietnam) are always to handy to have in the pantry. Soaked in lukewarm water for a few seconds until they become pliable, they make the ideal wrappers for the vegetables.

fresh corn salad

I must admit I've never had corn prepared this way. We've been getting fresh corn on the cob almost weekly and I thought about trying something new. I turned to the clippings I've collected from old issues of Food & Wine magazine and found this colorful raw corn and radish salad. This was my first time to try raw corn in a salad. I like adding corn to green salads but I've always used cooked corn kernels, never raw. This was an eye-opener for me. I've made this salad twice now since I discovered it. It was extra appealing to make this salad in the peak of summer when it gets too hot to cook in the kitchen. This recipe made a nice addition to our everyday salads.

The fresh sweet flavor of the corn was highlighted in this raw salad. Thinly sliced radish not just made it more colorful but added flavor and crunch as well. Green specks of flat leaf parsley (cilantro may be used instead) were sprinkled just before serving. The combination of lime and honey in the dressing was zesty and light.

This Raw Corn and Radish Salad recipe by Nick Fauchald was featured in the August 2007 issue of Food & Wine magazine. It's a lovely summer salad and a great alternative to cooked corn.

beets and Russian salad

While dicing the ingredients, I was reminded of the many times I used to make this salad for my father. It was his favorite and every year on New Year's eve, he requested for this. It has been a part of our celebration for as long as I could remember. My mother had a list of traditional foods that she cooked for our family on New Year's eve which included this salad, chicken asparagus soup, ube (purple yam) cooked in coconut milk, fruit cocktail salad, embutido (steamed meatloaf) and morcon (meat roll). To this day, we still try our best to continue this tradition.

There are many versions but in the Philippines, we like to use a combination of diced beets, carrots and potatoes. We like also add diced or shredded cooked chicken to our version. The beets are important as they give the distinctive pink highlights to this salad. The combination of flavors is what sets it apart with the beets and the carrots adding natural sweetness and texture along with the potatoes.

Getting these organic beets (shown above) recently instantly made me think of this salad. I've always loved the flavor of beets and I'm sure my fellow beet lovers will agree.

two bean salad

It may not be officially summer yet but it feels like the heat of summer came early this year and is here to stay :-) We're looking forward to the next big holiday, 4th of July. It's the season for cook outs and backyard barbecue picnics again. With that in mind, I have to say this salad has potential to be the star at any barbecue party.

This is one of the best combination of sweet, sour and salty flavors I've tried in a dressing. This is a much improved recipe idea for this summer salad. I used only two kinds of beans, yellow wax beans and canned red kidney beans. The sliced carrots provided the attractive color contrast. I found this must-try recipe at Jane Spice foodblog.

still enjoying our organic vegetable and fruit supply

Last week, our organic produce box included some pretty yellow wax beans which were just perfect for this salad.

carrots and yellow wax beans shown getting an ice bath after blanching

Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small saucepan then simmer until the sugar dissolves. Let the mixture cool down before pouring over the vegetables. Best made a day ahead and chilled in the refrigerator so the flavors will have time to blend well. I just followed the recipe and procedure but omitted the oranges and replaced the green beans with sliced carrots.

pan-seared salmon with broc-cauli salad

I try my best to eat fish once a week and if I can't get it fresh, frozen tilapia fillets, canned tuna and salmon are what I would consider my best substitutes but I have to say my weakness is fresh salmon. I'm lucky to be able to get very fresh salmon (as in not even the slightest hint of fish smell) at a fish market nearby. I asked where the salmon they sell comes from and I was told from Canada. I always see a big whole salmon in the store ready to slice up or fillet. My favorite way to cook it is pan-seared just right and not dry. Just sprinkle lemon juice, salt and pepper on the salmon and let it sit for a few minutes at room temperature. Use a folded papertowel to dry the salmon before cooking. Sear on all sides until golden brown.

My husband suggested that I try to make a salad using raw cauliflower and broccoli (shown above) to serve with the salmon. It reminded me of a recipe that my friend shared with me from way back. I thought it's amusing to call it "broc-cauli" salad for short :-)

BROC-CAULI SALAD 

2-3 stalks broccoli
1 head cauliflower
1/2 cup gouda cheese, diced
1/4 cup crispy bacon bits
1/2 cup red radishes, thinly sliced

Cut the broccoli and cauliflower in small bite-size pieces. Wash and drain them well. A salad spinner works great for this task. Slice about 4 pieces of bacon into smaller pieces. Pan-fry until crispy and drain well. In a bowl, add strips of carrots, the crispy bacon bits, diced gouda cheese and thinly sliced red radishes. With a wire whisk, mix mayo, apple cider vinegar, a little sugar, salt and pepper until smooth. Toss the salad with the creamy dressing and keep chilled in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

pasta with beans and escarole

There are a few items that I consider pantry staples and this may be true for many households. Dried pasta, canned beans, canned chicken and beef broth for quick soups and simple dinner time side dishes are essential for me. With some pasta and a can of beans, it's easy to create a healthy and affordable dish for everyday meals at home.

This simple pasta side dish showcased my favorite cannellini beans, rotini pasta and escarole. In a skillet, heat about two tablespoons of olive oil and sautee the sliced escarole for a few minutes or until the color turns bright green. Toss in the cannellini beans and cooked rotini pasta next and gently stir to combine. This dish may also be served cold as a salad. Sprinkle with shaved parmesan cheese and adjust the seasonings.

pasta night

mushroom ravioli and cheese sauce

This was a ravioli version of the classic mac & cheese. I had limited ingredients the day I decided to make this. I had a small can of button mushrooms, a bag of grated cheese, chopped onions and parsley. I cooked the onions and parsley in a little olive oil then added the chopped mushrooms, pinch of salt and pepper. After cooling the mixture slightly, I combined it with about a cup of grated cheese. The ravioli was made with whole wheat flour and pasta flour using the Kitchenaid pasta roller attachment. We also loved how the sauce turned out. It was a cheese version of the basic white sauce. I melted some butter, whisked in about 2 tablespoons of flour then slowly added chicken broth, sour cream and grated cheese until the consistency was just right.

tuna macaroni salad

A great tasting idea that I found in the Big Oven cooking website. Canned tuna turned out to be a very good substitute for the chicken in this macaroni salad. I cooked 8 oz of ditalini pasta (small elbow macaroni and other small pasta will work just as well) then combined it with 2 cans of well drained solid albacore tuna in water, chopped red bell pepper, a tablespoon of pickle relish, sliced green olives with pimiento, olive oil mayo, salt and pepper to taste. May be made a day ahead. Keep refrigerated.

easy Mediterranean meal

mozarella balls & grape tomatoes 
with chopped parsley

In a serving bowl, toss together mozarella balls, grape tomatoes, chopped parsley or basil leaves. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper just before serving or let it marinate for a few minutes up to an hour for maximum flavor.

hummus

In a food processor, combine a small clove of garlic, one 15 oz can chickpeas or garbanzo beans, lemon juice, a little salt and pepper and process until coarsely chopped. Slowly add olive oil to the mixture and continue to process until minced. Add tahini paste (made from toasted sesame seeds) if available. Sprinkle with paprika or cayenne pepper if desired. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with pita bread wedges.

colorful salads

 

Crunchy julienned carrots, cool seedless English cucumbers and thinly sliced spicy red radishes were tossed together with corn kernels to make this colorful well-balanced Asian-inspired side salad. The sweet yellow corn kernels were from the batch of fresh corn that I cooked the previous day. 

Springtime corn on the cob is something I always look forward to. Aside from it's peak season freshness and intense flavor, at 20 cents a piece, the price is unbeatable too :-) I think a simple vinaigrette was all it needed. Just combine seasoned rice vinegar, lime or lemon juice, some warm water, a little sugar, pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Pour the dressing just before serving time or toss it in with the salad and refrigerate for about an hour to allow the flavors to blend together. 

Honey roasted sliced almonds and dried cranberries provided the right balance to the tangy orange dressing used in this spinach salad (shown above). The zest of an orange and freshly squeezed orange juice were combined with dijon mustard, olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. Parmesan cheese was shaved right on top just before serving. I like the sweet, tart and salty flavors of this salad.

This wasn't really intended to be a salad but with my husband's excellent plating skills and striking colorful presentation, I think he may just have elevated this simple meal of Thai fish cakes and colorful vegetables to another level. It also gave me the idea to create more Thai-inspired salads like this one.

caprese salad

There's just something about the clean and delicate taste of this simple caprese salad that appeals to me. I've always ranked it high in my list of salad favorites. We didn't harvest much from our basil plants this year so I just gave up and maybe try again next year. There's just something in the air or some kind of invisible sci-fi bug :-) out there that was constantly chewing on the leaves of our delicate herbs. It was too late to relocate them but next time I will try elevating them. The same bug most probably chewed on our pepper plants but it was a good thing my husband managed to save them from total destruction by moving them to our deck. The absence of basil didn't bother me. The parsley substitution somehow made up for the caprese salad's signature three colors of the Italian flag. We enjoyed it with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped parsley and garlic dip. There's more info in the Seasonal Gourmet and a recipe for it in What's Cooking America website.

ALMOST CAPRESE SALAD (with parsley instead of basil)
1 ripe and juicy tomato, sliced
fresh mozarella cheese, sliced

Arrange the tomato and mozarella slices alternately on a serving plate. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and garnish with parsley sprigs. For the dip, mix together 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon (or more) finely chopped fresh garlic, 2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (optional) and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley. Season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (if desired) then drizzle on the caprese salad.

carrot ginger miso dressing

One of my "must haves" when dining at Japanese restaurants is the green salad they serve with ginger miso dressing. I've always wanted to recreate it at home. On a recent trip to the grocery, I bought a couple of marinated beef tenderloin, one was teriyaki and the other one was peppercorn which both turned out excellent. We had plenty of leftovers which I was able to use for salad and sandwiches this weekend. Sliced roasted teriyaki tenderloin was the perfect topping for the Japanese-inspired green salad we had for lunch. I was finally able to try to make the Japanese ginger miso dressing at home. The recipe I found had grated carrots, minced fresh ginger and Japanese white miso for the main ingredients. Additional seasonings are rice wine vinegar, a little lemon juice, pepper and honey. A good amount of fresh ginger was important for the flavor to come out. The carrot was essential for the striking yellow orange color while the miso added a unique salty flavor to this dressing.

CARROT GINGER MISO DRESSING
1 medium carrot, finely grated
2-3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons white Japanese miso
1/4 cup rice wine or white vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
1-2 tablespoons honey or sugar
freshly ground pepper
water as needed (to adjust the consistency)

Mix together in a blender or food processor until well blended.
Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

mixed vegetable salad

The addition of green olives gave this rather basic vegetable salad a bit of a Spanish touch. I found this recipe in The Book of Spanish Cooking, one of the series of cookbooks we have that I turn to for ideas. All the fresh vegetables, sliced carrots, cubed potatoes and green peas, were blanched, drained well and tossed together in a serving bowl. For the dressing, I simply mixed mayonnaise with the juice or liquid that the green olives were soaking in, a little salt and pepper. Then I poured the dressing over the vegetables and carefully mixed the ingredients with a rubber spatula or spoon. Seal and refrigerate. Top with sliced hard boiled eggs and serve cold sprinkled with torn parsley leaves.

pasta salad with parmesan & roasted pepper dressing

This was the first salad I tried to make from the cookbook my mother in law sent us recently. The cookbook has a hundred different kinds of salads in it so I have a long way to go. There are so many ideas not just for the salads but for the dressings as well. I made this based on the available ingredients I had. An optional ingredient was tuna. I used canned tuna in olive oil which I served in a separate bowl. I also replaced the fussili pasta suggested in the recipe with macaroni. The other vegetables I tossed in were quartered tomatoes, chopped red onion, thinly sliced red bell pepper, torn romaine lettuce, fresh parsley and sliced cucumbers. I topped it with some shaved parmesan cheese.

The dressing (shown above) was something new that I also tried for the first time. The flavor combination of the parmesan cheese and roasted bell peppers came together well and worked great with the salad. I used two whole pieces of roasted bell peppers in a jar and roughly chopped them before blending in with the mayonnaise and grated parmesan cheese. Add a little apple cider vinegar, half and half or milk for a thinner consistency then season with salt and pepper.

a little antipasto

sliced feta cheese, smoked ham, hard-boiled eggs,

quartered tomatoes, orange bell pepper strips

sprinkled with fresh basil leaves and greek oregano

mixed green and kalamata olives

Antipasto which translates to "before the meal" can be a huge platter consisting of marinated vegetables, several kinds of cured meats, olives and many more as discussed in this guide from Whole Foods Market. This small plate I put together was a simpler version but it was just the right appetizer for our meal. For the vinaigrette, I mixed together dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and slowly added the olive oil, whisking the mixture until well emulsified and thicker. Drizzle the vinaigrette on the antipasto at serving time.

arugula in parmesan cups

I have always been a fan of this simple combination of salad ingredients. Fresh arugula, dried cranberries, balsamic vinegar dressing in parmesan cheese cups. For the cheese cups or baskets, grated parmesan cheese were sprinkled on a hot non stick skillet and allowed to slightly melt. With a rubber spatula or pancake turner, lift the parmesan round and drape it over a small bowl to form the basket. I used a coarser cheese grater but I think a finer one will work just as well. The dressing was a mixture of balsamic vinegar, a little dijon mustard and extra virgin olive oil. Whisk together and season with salt and pepper. A little bit of honey may be also be added.

egg, spinach & tomato salad

Whenever I find some fresh and good looking bunches of cooking spinach at the grocery, only one kind of salad comes to my mind. Soft-boiled eggs, sliced tomatoes and wilted spinach make up this simple but colorful salad. Plunging the spinach very quickly in boiling water then draining them well in a colander usually preserves its deep green color. I like the way the spinach looks when placed on a serving plate with the sliced tomatoes and eggs. The bright yellow color of the eggyolks provided a striking contrast to the deep green and red colors of the spinach and tomatoes. I've made a few variations of this salad and we never get tired of it. For the creamy dressing, I combined dijon mustard, cider vinegar, a littte honey, salt and pepper, olive oil, mayo, heavy cream and mixed them well together. Other simple and lighter vinaigrettes may also be used.