Feels like Spring

Finally getting some warmer days here and the snow has melted. But it doesn't LOOK like spring yet since nothing is green. And it doesn't TASTE like spring yet because there are really no local foods available to speak of and little to forage for. But regardless, the approach of real spring weather has made me want to put a bit more effort into lunches again, so that's a good thing!

Ryan
& AJ's
lunches:
cucu-
mber
slices;
cold
spin-
ach;
carrot;
rice
trian-
gle;
purple
grapes;
eda-
mame.






Maia's lunch: pickles;
wrap sandwich slices;
checkered apple; dried
apricot; strawberries;
steamed broccoli.

Ryan & AJ's lunches
were the same except
AJ had grapes.



Ryan & AJ's lunches: bagel sandwiches; cucumber slices; carrot; pickle; grapes (with strawberries for Ryan).

Ryan
& AJ's
lunches:
udon
noodles
with
peanut
sauce
& broc-
coli;
cucu-
mber
slices;
baby
carrots;
green
grapes;
pickle;
orange
slices.



Maia's lunch: udon
noodles & broccoli with
sesame oil & soy sauce;
strawberries; carrot;
slice of smoked Tofurky.




AJ's lunch: carrots; rice balls with furikake; blanched spinach with toasted sesame seeds; peanuts; pickles; frosted carrot cake.

Ryan didn't go to school on friday because I took him to the newly renovated Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Science in Boston instead.

























Ryan's lunch: his favourite sandwich; apple; mini s'mores Luna bar; fruit rollup.

Pig

Yesterday was National Pig Day. Not quite sure the significance, but I had an idea for a pig, but not an idea for Peanut Butter Lover's Day. So a pig it was!

Ryan and AJ's lunches:
pickle; smoked Tofurky
"flower"; carrot "flowers";
gel cups; asian rice crackers;
pink rice pig with soy cheese
ears & nose, nori eyes, &
strawberry jam cheeks;
steamed broccoli; purple
grapes.



Maia asked for a "butterfly sandwich" for her lunch...
Maia's lunch for preschool: pickle; baby carrot; steamed broccoli; purple grapes; jam sandwich.

And Monday's lunches...
Ryan & AJ: edamame; sauteed asparagus; soba noodles; orange slices.

past week

Catching up with lunches...

Ryan & AJ's lunches: Tofutti cream cheese & jelly mini pitas; blanched spinach; carrots; meatless meatballs; mini banana muffin.

Maia's lunch for preschool:
blanched spinach; carrots;
raisins; Tofutti cream
cheese & jelly mini pita.





Rice;
spin-
ach;
cucu-
mber
slices;
spring
roll.














Peanut butter & agave
nectar sandwiches; seed
crackers; cucumber slices;
grape gel cup; carrots.
Raisins for AJ, dried apricots
for Ryan.






Hummus & spinach sandwich;
carrots; baked blue corn chips;
mini banana muffins; Tofurky
slice.








Mini banana muffin; cucumber slices; steamed broccoli; Sunshine breakfast rice.

worst picture award

Wow. All my pics were terrible this morning! Maybe it had something to do with the sleet and rain and dark clouds? And no flash? And the iPhone camera? Possibly. No recipes either today. Such is life...Ryan & AJ's lunches: clementines; rice & beans garnished w/carrot flower & steamed broccoli; vegan rice krispie square; pickle; peanuts & smoked almonds; baby carrot; checkered apple.

That's all I got! Tomorrow I'll be off hiking, so I'll be packing up most of the lunches tonight before bed.

wednesday

Nope, no clever title. It's just wednesday, what can I say. Only AJ needed a lunch today.

AJ's lunch: rice triangle w/goma shio; Tofurky slice; honeydew melon; a pickle; blanched spinach w/toasted sesame seeds.

When the cool fall mornings arrive, I really shy away from the typical american breakfasts.
My breakfast of ramen noodles with miso shoyu sauce, shaved salad turnips, turnip greens, kombu & scallion. Total yumminess! I don't always use the same greens of course. Whatever is available from the farm or the yard or nearby trails will suffice: dandelion greens, radish tops, spinach, tat soi, mizuna, mustard greens, carrot tops, beet greens, etc. A variety of seaweed options round out the meal, usually about one tablespoon dried seaweed crushed, ripped or chopped goes in with the noodles. In place of the salad turnips I have substituted radishes, bok choy, leeks & mushrooms. This is an easy way to make a quick, cheap, hearty breakfast.

Apparently I'm not the only person who feels noodle soups make an excellent breakfast (well, besides the country of Japan!). Check out Chez Cayenne's thai tofu noodle soup! Looks delish.

Hello Kitty!!

It's finally time for Maia's first preschool lunch!

Maia's lunch: Hello Kitty rice face; steamed broccoli; carrot flowers; edamame; Tofurky flower.

I thought I was going to be faced with making 3 lunches and 4 snacks this morning, but Ryan saved me the trouble by throwing up all over his bed and his brother's bed last night. I'm so glad all the sheets had just been washed...not. So only AJ needed a lunch. And we were providing the preschool snack today, so I made 4 dozen mini muffins, enough to put in all of the kids' snacks.

AJ's lunch: mini pumpkin muffin; cucumber slices; edamame; rice ball; carrot flower; steamed broccoli; Tofurky flower.

Can you tell that Tofurky slices were on sale this weekend?? LOL. They can be shaped into cute things pretty easily. More often than not I create lunches based on what's available on sale versus buying specifically for a bento design.

Sunshine Burger Breakfast rice

I like rice for breakfast. There was one variety of Sunshine Burger that I'd never used before, which was the Breakfast style. I nuked one for 30 seconds, broke off a bite, and immediately knew what I'd be having for breakfast and serving Ryan for his lunch. There was leftover rice in the rice cooker from the night before, just the right amount for fried rice.
I heated a tablespoon of both olive oil & Earth Balance in a pan, diced about 2 tablespoons of onion, and crumbled in the burger. After sauteing for a minute or so, I added the leftover rice, sprinkled on a bit of salt and a pinch of garlic powder, and stir fried for another minute or two. Voila. Super yumminess. Ryan had requested a repeat of yesterday's Sunshine Burger falafel wraps because he loved them so much (actually fell down on the floor in bliss describing their deliciousness), but when he saw and SMELLED what was in the pan he was very excited.

Ryan's lunch: peanuts; honeydew melon; raspberries; broccoli; Sunshine Burger Breakfast rice.
Sunshine Burger Breakfast Rice

1 T. Earth Balance (opt.)
1 T. olive oil
2-3 T. diced onion
1 Sunshine Burger
Breakfast pattie
2 cups cooked rice
1/4-1/2 tsp. salt
1/8-1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Heat Earth Balance & olive oil over medium heat. Add onion & crumble in the Sunshine Burger. Saute for a minute or so. Add rice & remaining ingredients, raising heat slightly if necessary. Stir almost constantly for another minute or two. Done! Feel free to add in some diced veggies with the burger to round out the meal.

On to AJ's lunch...I am going to refrain from introducing new dishes to him in his school lunches. He responds best to new things while assisting me in the kitchen or eating them in the company of his siblings. So for him I took two rice balls out of the freezer, a handy thing to have ready to speed up lunch prep...they just need to be nuked briefly and they're ready to go.

AJ's lunch: rice balls with goma shio & rice cheese stars w/nori faces; broccoli; honeydew melon; raspberries; peanuts, cashews & raisins.

Book Review: Fun & Fancy Sushi

Eye candy alert!! This is one
of my favourite bedside table
books, packed with photos
that make you drool and
inspire you to make a
beautiful bento or party
platter. Fun & Fancy Sushi
by Seiko Ogawa & Ine Mizuno
is one of the best idea books
out there in my opinion.

This is not a vegetarian
cookbook, but there are plenty of vegetarian items and recipes, and many more that are easily veganizable. If you want to learn to cook proper sushi rice, form, fill or top some delicious rice triangles or onigiri, or roll some fabulous looking maki sushi, then this book is a must have.

I have the first edition (1999)
of this cookbook, but there is
a more recent edition as well
(2008). I am highlighting the
1999 edition, but they appear
to use most of the same photos.

There are few actual bento
photos in the book, but most
of the food obviously lends
itself to bento presentation.

I think the best part of this
cookbook is its copious array
of rice triangles & onigiri.
There are full colour photos
of every type, along with a
recipe for each.

For example, this page is
packed with mouth-
watering rice shapes, two-
third of which are vegan:
cowpeas, mushrooms,
shiso, chrysanthemum &
gingko nuts.

Or check out this page
with its barley & seaweed,
molasses & soybean flour,
or delicious kurumi-miso
topping, amazing when grilled.

There are just so many
ideas that I never would
have thought to pair with
onigiri, such as tea leaves
& peanuts, bracken, bamboo
& wild mushrooms, even
pumpkin, carrot & onion.






Rice is used a lot in Japan
for party food, in place of
sugary treats, just made to
look extra fancy & cute.
Rice ball cones! And the
tiny bite in the front almost
look like rice petit fours to me.
There are recipes for rice "cakes", wrapped onigiri party favours, rice & nori finger sandwiches, and of course inari-zushi. In addition to the recipes, there are blurbs about the traditions and customs surrounding the preparation and eating of these foods.

This it all looks too complicated? There are many extremely detailed photo directions, like this spread on how to make this party panda sushi:
There are directions for many of the seasonal sushi:
One of the things I really appreciate about this book is the attention to seasonal ingredients used in the different regions of Japan. Each district of the country has its own unique types of traditional onigiri, often using crops specific to that area.

From basics to ultra-fancy party food, this cookbook will help make your sushi impressive and delicious.

a little girl

Well, yesterday Maia officially turned 18 months old. I always think of that age as no longer a baby anymore.

First though, food...I used the last of our frozen strawberries from the farm that we harvested back in June. Five more months until we get more!
Ryan's lunch: rice triangle; blanched spinach; edamame; side of strawberry applesauce.

And now a brief photo spread of not-a-baby Maia...

Welcome to VeganMofo!

It's October 1st! That means it's time for Vegan Mofo III...Vegan Month of Food 2009. For a complete list of participating blogs click here.

I don't have anything special planned besides the usual...vegan bentos and recipes. I'll try to limit the kid pics this month, but it'll be tough! I don't usually talk much about veganism in general, so maybe I'll interject a few of my thoughts for the occasion.

Ryan's lunch: smiling
rice triangle; mini gel
cup; ginger asparagus;
roasted almonds; a
Thermos of potato
leek soup.

The boys all brought
granola bars for snacks.

I buy the tiny gel cups
at our local Korean
market. They are usually
made with carrageenan
or agar instead of gelatin.