This Week in Bento: December 7 - 11, 2010

Hey there bento friends! Here in Chi-town it's snowing sideways, so I think it's safe to say winter is in full swing. You'll notice I've made a lot of warm, meaty bentos this week, and trust me, it's helped me make it through the chilly days!

December 7

I kicked off the week with a phở bo bento. I made the classic Vietnamese beef soup over the weekend, and I'll post the recipe here on PopArtichoke ASAP, so stay tuned!  (UPDATE: I've posted the recipe here!) The recipe I used was from a truly inspiring blog called Wandering Chopsticks. I was able to bring the soup in my Ms. Bento box by packing the broth in one container and all the other stuff in the other compartments. (I've done this before with wonton soup too!) As before, it transported very well. The bottom compartment of the Ms. Bento is designed for soup and is the most airtight, so I put the broth (with some beef slices and bean sprouts) in that one. In the middle container I put beef meatballs, bahn pho noodles, sliced onion and scallions. Finally, in the back, are the rest of the garnishes: chopped cilantro and culantro, lime wedges, Thai basil, and mini bottles of Sriracha chili sauce and hoisin sauce. Then, for a bit of dessert, is a bánh rán, a Vietnamese fried rice ball with sesame that I found at a Vietnamese grocery.  Such a tasty lunch!

December 8

After the two-day process of making the phở, Steve was nice enough to make dinner the next night.  He found humanely-raised veal chops and pan-fried them.  He made a rosemary jus to go over the chops by deglazing the pan with white wine and balsamic and adding some herbs.  Add some herbed roasted potatoes, and you've got a splendid meal!  This was my first time having veal, so it was quite a treat!  I brought a bit of leftovers in my lunch the next day with a salad with red onion, red pepper, and blue cheese, and a homemade chocolate chip cookie.  Notice I packed this one in my smallest bento box (500 ml) to keep the portions small.  For me, this is the best way to enjoy a rich lunch without feeling like I ate too much!

December 9

Here's a lighter bento: grilled chicken over a green salad.  The salad has blue cheese, kalamata olives, and red pepper in it, and I added some potatoes from the veal dish to this bento as well.  Then, to finish up with a touch of tangy sweetness, I included some kiwi fruit in a cute heart-shaped cup.

December 10

I have to say, I'm really in love with the color scheme of this bento!  The feature here is a dish called "Chicken 88" from Friendship, our favorite Chinese takeout place.  It's got jalapeño slices and giant slabs of ginger to add some nice spice to the dish, and features a lovely Chardonnay glaze.  Then there's rice with bean sprouts.  The desserts include a fortune cookie and a store-bought honeydew melon mochi ball.  Then there's a dessert I created on the fly: raw almond butter mixed with mashed banana and honey, and rolled in coconut flakes.  It was all stuff I had lying around, and it turned out really well!

December 11

To finish up the week, here's some leftovers from yet another delicious meal that Steve made.  Orzo with feta and spinach accompanies wine-braised lamb shanks full of rich flavor.  Another little green salad, this time with kalamatas and piquillo peppers, sits in the far corner, and then there's prunes and pistachios to round out the lunch.

Alright, now it's time for me to stop typing and go warm up by the fire!  Hope everyone is having a great weekend and staying warm!  See you next week for another group of bentos! ^_^