Innie or Outie

This is another of the “oba-style” bentos and is similar to #32. This one had fried chicken, a stir-fried karashina-tuna-fu mix, pork luncheon meat (spam), hot dog, chunky potato veggie mix, umeboshi, deep-fried hard-boiled egg, and rice.

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These mini packages of snacks with deep-fried beans, assorted nuts, and raisins are perfect munchies for our road trips.

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This is another of hubby’s pasta meals, Papa’s Shrimp & Mushroom Pasta Dinner:

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This time hubby used shrimp and fresh sliced mushrooms sautéed in olive oil and butter, with red chili pepper flakes, white pepper, and fresh basil. As a side dish a small salad of iceberg lettuce, red onion, cherry tomatoes, herbed croutons, and bacon bits topped with a creamy sesame dressing.

This is another version from the same convenience store as #37, except this one had chicken, piman (bell pepper), sanma (river fish), konyaku, goya chanpuru, rice, umeboshi, and tofu.

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The island’s weather is getting a little nippy at times. When I began seeing various versions of this type of soup on TV and over the net, I thought I’d give it a try. So here’s my version, Eggless-Meatball Soup Dinner:

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This meal consisted of 1 carrot, 1 medium bell pepper, 1 medium potato, 1/4 red onion, 3.5 cups water, one 15 ounce can chili beans with sauce, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon chicken broth granules, 1 teaspoon 1/2 sodium red miso paste, 1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes, 1.5 pounds hamburger meat, 1/2 cup dried bread crumbs, 1/4 cup milk, 2 tablespoons fresh basil, 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, 1 teaspoon minced garlic paste, and whole wheat dinner rolls. View a video with further details here.

Another original dish by hubby making use of homegrown arugula and rosemary, Papa’s Sautéed Pork & Mushroom Dinner:

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For this meal, hubby sautéed pork, onion, and minced ginger in olive oil; placed the mixture on a bed of cabbage sautéed in olive oil and butter; topped the pork with arugula and sliced cherry tomatoes; smothered the entrée with the leftover pork fat, onion, and ginger mixed with white pepper, soy sauce, and white wine; and garnished with chopped fresh rosemary. As side dishes, sliced erigi mushroom and minced garlic sautéed in sesame oil; and reheated leftover precooked rice.

Here’s another new chicken meal chocked full of herbs, Minty Ginger-Basil Chicken Dinner:

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This meal consisted of chicken in a mint, ginger, basil, walnut, soy sauce, white pepper, clove, and olive oil marinade on a bed of mushroom, leek, and garlic rice – garnished with a fresh basil sprig; accompanied with a small iceberg lettuce, cherry tomato, and black olive salad – drizzled with creamy cheese dressing and dried oregano flakes; and garnished with chopped fresh basil. Here’s a brief video with further details.

This is a simple and flavorful dish hubby created, Papa’s Chunky Asian-Flavor “Hamburger Helper”:

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For this dish, hubby used olive oil, hamburger, minced garlic paste, chunky carrot, onion, and bell pepper, fresh mushrooms, toubanjyan sauce, oyster sauce, corn starch, rice, and cracked black sesame seeds.

This is another of a local convenience store’s versions of bento with creamy chunky potato and sausage, omelette, pork luncheon meat, bean sprout and spam mix, deep-fried pork cutlet, rice, and pickled plum.

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Here’s another simple pasta meal that can be made in minutes, Basil-Tomato Sauce Pasta Dinner:

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The meal consisted of chopped red onion and spicy sausage sautéed in olive oil with canned diced tomatoes and sauce, minced garlic paste, soy sauce, white pepper, chopped fresh mushrooms, and fresh basil leaves added; then tossed with freshly cooked pasta. As an accompaniment, bleu cheese and black olive slices on whole wheat dinner roll slices. View a video with further details here.