Fresh

Thanks to Just Bento for the image

Who can resist a good Bento or Hello Kitty? Put them together and the little girl in me is clapping her hands in delight.

This is a simpler Bento featuring Mimmy, Hello Kitty’s Twin Sister: Hmmm…mm…mm. Looks like someone’s started eating already, she’s missing some whiskers. *Grins*

Tamagoyaki

Thanks to about.com for the recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 3 tbsps dashi soup stock
• 2 tbsps sugar

Preparation:

Beat eggs in a bowl. Add dashi soup and sugar in the egg and mix well. Heat a frying pan on medium heat. *Preferably, use a square tamagoyaki pan.

Oil the pan. Pour a scoop of egg mixture in the pan and spread over the surface. Cook it until half done and roll the egg toward the bottom side. Move the rolled egg to the top side. Oil the empty part of the pan and pour another scoop of egg mixture in the space and under the rolled egg. Cook it until half done and roll the egg again so that the omelet becomes thicker. Cook the omelet until done. If you are using a regular frying pan, shape tamagoyaki on bamboo mat. Cut tamagoyaki into 1-inch thick pieces.

Makes 4 servings (2 tamagoyaki)

Thanks to cooking cute for this image and recipe

Soba Noodles with Veggies and Tofu

An enticing Bento for the grown-up you, Berries and chocolate coated biscuits shaped like little mushrooms tops off this delicious stir-fry. Of course you can use anything you like in your Bento.

Ingredients*

2 bundles of soba noodles

1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced

big handful of shredded carrots

3 small radishes, julienned

1/3 cup scallions, thinly sliced

1 cup English cucumber, thinly sliced (I like to quarter the rounds first)

1 8-oz. package of extra-firm cubed tofu (or you cut your own 1/2″ cubes from a big block), rinsed and drained

2 tbsp. of a stir-fry sauce (I used Soy Vay’s Very Teriyaki Sauce)

3 tbsp. rice vinegar

2 tbsp. low-sodium tamari sauce (or soy sauce)

3/4 tbsp. peanut oil

Steps*

1. Cook soba noodles according to package directions (mine took about 5 minutes after I added the noodles to boiling water) — do not overcook! Drain, rinse under cold running water, then drain again and set aside..
2. Combine the rice vinegar, tamari, peanut oil, toasted sesame oil, sugar, and crushed red pepper in a small bowl. Don’t fret if the sauce is not that salty — the soba noodles themselves are a bit salty.
3. Heat a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray then add the tofu cubes and toss to lightly coat in oil. Add the stir-fry sauce and continue tossing until the pan is almost dry and the tofu is browned to your taste..
4. In a large bowl, gently fold the veggies into the drained noodles. Add the sauce (in increments — you may not need it all) and toss gently. You can add the tofu into the mix at this point or just top the noodles with it. Garnish with the sesame seeds (I put mine through a coarse grinder first) and enjoy!

Thanks to ebay for this image

Hello Kitty Smoothie

• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh peeled and pitted peaches (about 3) (375ml)
• 1 cup sliced strawberries (250ml)
• 1 banana (1)
• 2 cups berry fruit juice blend (500ml)
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt (250ml)
• 2 tbsp liquid honey (30ml)

Put ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Frozen unsweetened fruit is fine too. Use Silken Tofu or Soy Milk instead of Yogurt. If using Tofu or Soy Milk add a touch of vanilla extract. Freeze leftovers in ice cube trays or a container and use as a dessert.

Thanks to amyalice.blogspot.com for this original image

Hello Kitty Cooler

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry-pack unsweetened frozen strawberries
• 2/3 cup dry-pack unsweetened frozen peaches
• 3/4 cup orange juice

Directions
In a 2-cup measure or similar microwave-safe bowl, combine the strawberries and peaches. Cover with wax paper, and microwave on high power 45 seconds to 1 minute to thaw the fruit slightly. The fruit should be icy but not hard. Working with a small knife in the measuring cup, cut each peach slice in half.

Put the peaches and strawberries into the blender. Add the orange juice. Blend on low power to combine. Then increase power to high and continue to blend until the peaches are completely pureed, at least 1-1/2 minutes.

Posted on February 29th, 2008 by Ruth
Filed under: Beverages, Dairy, Fish, Fruit, Grains and Seeds, Living Raw, Meat, Nuts, Pasta, Pickles, Pizza, Rice, Salad, Sandwiches, Seafood, Soups and Stews, Sweets, Trends, Vegetables, Vegetarian