Innie or Outie

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Here is another supermarket version of bento that was a sampler-style and had almost everything two types of rice, chicken, scrambled egg, two types of shrimp, mushroom, kamaboko, carrot, seaweed, sushi, green beans, tofu, pickled ginger, pickled plum, konyaku, and mackerel. (But no noodles or kitchen sink….)

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This is a simple and light meal for those hot summer days, Chicken Nugget Salad:

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Sauté chicken nuggets in olive oil and flavor with Italian seasonings. Cut into bite size chunks and toss in a salad of choice. I used iceberg lettuce, arugula, julienned yellow bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, chives, and chopped fresh basil, parsley, and rosemary leaves. Then drizzled the salad with a whole grain mustard/white wine vinaigrette.

To accompany the salad, I used Bleu Cheese Toast Strips:

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Simply toasted bread with bleu cheese melted on top and then sliced into strips.

This is another of a local supermarket’s take-out riceballs (onigiri) that had julienned konbu (seaweed) and deep-fried shrimp with rice wrapped in a sheet of nori (another seaweed product).

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This is a tasty outdoor meal hubby prepared, Papa’s Grilled Baby-Back Pork Ribs Dinner:

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For the ribs, hubby used honey, minced red chili peppers, rosemary, white wine vinegar, white pepper, soy sauce, and Mirin allowing for several hours to marinade prior to placin on the grill.

Accompaning the entrée was Papa’s Basic Grilled Sweet Corn on the Cob:

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Hubby simply sliced the cob in half and grilled as is and added a serving of Papa’s Grilled Foil-Wrapped Mushrooms and Bell Peppers as the finishing side dish of the meal.

Since various produce in our yard are starting to ripen, I came up with new dishes to make good use of some of the crop, Spicy Tuna-Basil Pasta:

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For the dish, I used diced onion and minced red chili peppers (from the yard) sautéed in olive oil, minced garlic paste, canned tuna flakes, soy sauce, white pepper, chopped fresh basil (from our herb garden), dried oregano flakes, tossed with hot cooked pasta then sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese.

To balance the spiciness of the pasta, I used the the citrus (shikwasa) from our yard in creating a side dish, Tangy Miso-Carrot Lettuce Wrap:

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For the wraps, sauté thickly julienned carrot and onion slices with fresh rosemary leaves (from our herb garden) in sesame oil. Remove pan from heat and add red miso paste and citrus juice. Let the mixture cool, then wrap in iceberg lettuce leaves.

Hubby decided to take a try at Southern-style chicken-fried cooking, Papa’s Chicken-Fried Ham Dinner:

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For the meal hubby used ham slices stuffed with cheese and arugula (coated and cooked Southern chicken-fried style) and rice smothered in mushroom gravy, accompanied by an Oregon bean medley with minced chili peppers and a small side salad of iceberg lettuce, arugula, yellow bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and bacon bits with a creamy cheese dressing.

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This local take-out chain store version of bento included fried soybean spouts with spam, yakisoba, potato croquette, chicken, and shrimp tenpura with rice and pickled radish.

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This supermarket version of onigiri (riceball) had pork luncheon meat, scrambled egg, and rice wrapped in nori (seaweed).

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When hubby and I threw this meal together we didn’t consult as to what ingredients were being used in each other’s recipes. It seems we were both in the mood for some garlic and bell peppers to differing degrees. The result was a very flavorful outdoor meal, Grilled Steak and Mushrooms with Bell Peppers Dinner:

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Early in the day, at least three hours prior to serving, prepare the Summertime Penne Salad:

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The salad consisted of 2 tablespoons regular classic mustard, 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard, 1/4 cup dill pickle juice, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 finely diced hard-boiled eggs, 1 diced red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons chopped chives, 1 tablespoon white pepper, 1 teaspoon minced garlic paste, 2 tablespoons dried parsley flakes, and cooked penne thoroughly mixed then refrigerated.

Accompanying the pasta for the outdoor meal was Papa’s Grilled Foil-Wrapped Mushrooms and Bell Peppers:

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For the veggie packet, hubby used butter, fresh mushrooms, sliced bell peppers, minced garlic paste, minced ginger paste, soy sauce, chopped chives, white pepper, and sesame oil grilled on medium heat for 20 – 25 minutes.

Completing the meal was the meat entrée, Papa’s Basic Grilled Steak:

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This was a real “no frills” recipe with nothing added to the steak. Simply grill as is. When ready, mix a little soy sauce with the juices from the grilled mushrooms and bell peppers (above) and use as a dipping sauce.