I’m a creature of habit. I like what I like and I usually don’t stray too far from it…until recently, that is. Living in a big city has truly expanded my food choices. I like to say “I’ll try anything once” and I’ve stayed true to that so far. (But that doesn’t mean that I’m giving you permission to put a chocolate covered cockroach in front of me and ask me to try it…unless I’m going to win $1million for eating it!)
What I’ve found is that my taste buds have definitely matured. From simple things like the fact that I now like mustard, ketchup, pickles, and lettuce on my burgers when I used to only eat them with ketchup…to more expanded things like the fact that I love hummus, edamame, and green curry chicken (but not all 3 together)—things I never thought I’d like. And to top it off, I’m actually developing a taste for tomatoes now! My Dad would be SO proud!
What I’ve found is that my taste buds have definitely matured. From simple things like the fact that I now like mustard, ketchup, pickles, and lettuce on my burgers when I used to only eat them with ketchup…to more expanded things like the fact that I love hummus, edamame, and green curry chicken (but not all 3 together)—things I never thought I’d like. And to top it off, I’m actually developing a taste for tomatoes now! My Dad would be SO proud!
Side note: I like to think that it’s not just my palate that’s maturing and appreciating other cultures now. But that’s another blog post…
So I was making my grocery list yesterday afternoon and realized how bored I am of the same ol' pb&j sandwiches I bring every day for lunch. Yes people, I’m only a few short weeks away from being 30 years old and I still eat pb&j’s most days of the week! I’ve had a couple of people at work make fun of my lunch and tell me it looks like the lunch they pack for their children (think pb&j, goldfish, and jello). I’m certainly not saying that I’m abandoning my beloved pb&j; however, if I don’t give it a break I’m going to get burned out on it for good. And that would be a tragedy!
So I’m at my computer (I do my grocery list electronically—more efficient that way since I can sort it in the order that my HEB is set up)…so I’m at my computer and I google something along the lines of “ideas for cold lunches” (cold because I like to eat at my desk so I can check my personal email and my friends’ blogs while I’m eating—and I sit at a cube which means I can’t eat anything with a strong odor—and most things that are heated emit some type of odor)…so I type that into google and a lot of the articles that pop up are referring to something called “bento”.
So I’m thinking to myself, “what the heck is bento?” I investigate further. Turns out that bentō is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. (Click here for the longer definition) I stumble upon the website http://www.justbento.com/ and the first thing I see is a post where the author is asking the readers to post their favorite bento recipes so that new readers (i.e., me) can get a good summary. How convenient! It’s meant to be!
So I scroll down and several people mention the “carrot kinpira”. I like carrots, and it turns out that kinpira is a Japanese cooking style that can be summarized as a technique of "sauté and simmer". Sounds easy enough and after reading the recipe, I decide that it looks like something I’d enjoy eating so I add a few things to my grocery list. I whipped up a batch after we ate dinner, which is when I usually prepare all of my lunches for the week (if I don’t do this on Sunday nights it never happens and I end up spending money on unhealthy lunches—neither of which is good). I packed it in my work bag this morning and was excited to try it out as part of my reinvented lunch.
So I tried my carrot kinpira today for lunch and it was yummy! Quite the departure from my usual lunch, but certainly worth it. Yay for trying something new and liking it! I’ve included the recipe below, and you can also click here to go to the recipe on the justbento site. The hardest part for me was cutting the carrots (I’m terrible with a knife!), so next time I’ll probably spend a little more money to get the pre-shredded carrots meant for a salad and then I’ll just lessen the cooking time a bit. Anyway, the rest was SO easy! This is the first time (I’m serious) that I’ve made a recipe and it actually looks like the picture! First time, people! This is exciting stuff! Is it just me who makes stuff that never looks like the pictures??
So I was making my grocery list yesterday afternoon and realized how bored I am of the same ol' pb&j sandwiches I bring every day for lunch. Yes people, I’m only a few short weeks away from being 30 years old and I still eat pb&j’s most days of the week! I’ve had a couple of people at work make fun of my lunch and tell me it looks like the lunch they pack for their children (think pb&j, goldfish, and jello). I’m certainly not saying that I’m abandoning my beloved pb&j; however, if I don’t give it a break I’m going to get burned out on it for good. And that would be a tragedy!
So I’m at my computer (I do my grocery list electronically—more efficient that way since I can sort it in the order that my HEB is set up)…so I’m at my computer and I google something along the lines of “ideas for cold lunches” (cold because I like to eat at my desk so I can check my personal email and my friends’ blogs while I’m eating—and I sit at a cube which means I can’t eat anything with a strong odor—and most things that are heated emit some type of odor)…so I type that into google and a lot of the articles that pop up are referring to something called “bento”.
So I’m thinking to myself, “what the heck is bento?” I investigate further. Turns out that bentō is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. (Click here for the longer definition) I stumble upon the website http://www.justbento.com/ and the first thing I see is a post where the author is asking the readers to post their favorite bento recipes so that new readers (i.e., me) can get a good summary. How convenient! It’s meant to be!
So I scroll down and several people mention the “carrot kinpira”. I like carrots, and it turns out that kinpira is a Japanese cooking style that can be summarized as a technique of "sauté and simmer". Sounds easy enough and after reading the recipe, I decide that it looks like something I’d enjoy eating so I add a few things to my grocery list. I whipped up a batch after we ate dinner, which is when I usually prepare all of my lunches for the week (if I don’t do this on Sunday nights it never happens and I end up spending money on unhealthy lunches—neither of which is good). I packed it in my work bag this morning and was excited to try it out as part of my reinvented lunch.
So I tried my carrot kinpira today for lunch and it was yummy! Quite the departure from my usual lunch, but certainly worth it. Yay for trying something new and liking it! I’ve included the recipe below, and you can also click here to go to the recipe on the justbento site. The hardest part for me was cutting the carrots (I’m terrible with a knife!), so next time I’ll probably spend a little more money to get the pre-shredded carrots meant for a salad and then I’ll just lessen the cooking time a bit. Anyway, the rest was SO easy! This is the first time (I’m serious) that I’ve made a recipe and it actually looks like the picture! First time, people! This is exciting stuff! Is it just me who makes stuff that never looks like the pictures??
Carrot Kinpira 
# of servings: 2
Ingredients:
2 medium carrots (or use the pre-shredded carrots meant for a salad)
1 Tablespoon dark sesame oil
A pinch of red pepper flakes (about 1/8 teaspoon, or more if you want it spicier)
1 Tablespoon soy sauce (I used the lite kind and it was good)
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
Directions:
Cut the carrots into matchstick size.
Heat up a skillet or wok with the sesame oil (medium-high heat).
Add the carrots and toss around until crisp-tender, about 4 to 5 minutes depending on how skinny the matchsticks are. (Don’t forget to lessen the cooking time a bit if you’re using the shredded carrots.)
Turn the heat down to medium-low.
Add the red pepper flakes and toss.
Add soy sauce and toss.
Add the sesame seeds and toss.
Serve warm, cold, or at room temperature.
Enjoy!
# of servings: 2
Ingredients:
2 medium carrots (or use the pre-shredded carrots meant for a salad)
1 Tablespoon dark sesame oil
A pinch of red pepper flakes (about 1/8 teaspoon, or more if you want it spicier)
1 Tablespoon soy sauce (I used the lite kind and it was good)
1 Tablespoon sesame seeds
Directions:
Cut the carrots into matchstick size.
Heat up a skillet or wok with the sesame oil (medium-high heat).
Add the carrots and toss around until crisp-tender, about 4 to 5 minutes depending on how skinny the matchsticks are. (Don’t forget to lessen the cooking time a bit if you’re using the shredded carrots.)
Turn the heat down to medium-low.
Add the red pepper flakes and toss.
Add soy sauce and toss.
Add the sesame seeds and toss.
Serve warm, cold, or at room temperature.
Enjoy!
And If you have any suggestions for cold lunches, please leave me a comment with the info.
9 comments:
Mmm. Looks yummy. I made the hummus in the Anyone Can Cook Book by BH&G that you gave me (can't find an online link or anything...), and it was so good! And it's good to supplement lunch! Smells a little garlicky of course, but it wasn't too bad in the office.
While we're on cooking... in case you haven't heard of the Pioneer Woman, here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking
There aren't a whole lot of cold lunch options... there are a few salads and pastas that look like they'd be good for that, and the Veggie and Cheese Bagel looks really good to me! Either way, it's a great recipe source. The step by step, beautifully-illustrated instructions are very helpful and entertaining! We made her Sherried Tomato Soup... whoa good.
Happy cooking!
Um, how about tuna?? I know its your favorite!! I'd even split my Hostess Cupcake with you!! I'll have to think of something for you b/c that stuff sounded gross!!
try these
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/15-fresh-brown-bag-lunch-ideas
I hear you on the doesn't look like the picture thing. So this looks good, but did it fill you up? Lastly, did you still bring jello? Cause you need dessert to go with carrots!
Lauren you crack me up! I love your new blog! And I'm glad someone else does their grocery list electronically (in the order that the store is set up) like I do. My husband thinks I'm weird!
Thanks for all of the comments, ladies!
Sarah - thanks for the link. I've heard of the pioneer woman from several of my friends, but haven't ever really checked it out closely. I will now.
Mindy - you know me so well! I'll only eat tuna if you try my carrots. hehe! Do you remember how we would take our retainers out at lunch and put them on our lunch trays? Yours had a watermelon design, right? Mine was a tie-dyed design. Good times.
Carla - good point. No, I didn't only eat the carrots for lunch. It was just part of my lunch (a weird assortment of celery sticks, peanut butter, and crackers). And you definitely know that I had dessert with it! Jello yesterday and cinnamon applesauce today. I guess I'm still a kid!
Holly - tell David we're not weird. We're efficient. ;)
Did you eat more than carrots? Because they look tasty, but would not fill me up... unless I had a pound of them.
I can offer no recipe assistance in the cold lunch department, but am seriously craving some Cool Ranch Doritos right now...
Lauren,
Another way to appreciate bento is to view it as art. Try one of these,
and your coworkers will never make fun of your lunch again.
Oh, I love that website! Yay for neat things! Lauren, it seems like all anyone has to do to get boocoos of comments is mention food! Maybe I should try that. ;)
Post a Comment