chicken salad with spicy greens bento

 

A speedy bento lunch today made with roast chicken, a great item to have on hand for creating quick and nourishing salads. I tore some white meat into bite-sized shreds, combined with diced ginger and a bit of my favorite Japanese "roasted sesame dressing" and some scallions--fast and delicious.

 

The arugula in our garden is getting more peppery-hot by the week and that's in here too, along with a just-pulled French breakfast radish, yellow tomatoes, brocollini flowers and sweet dark blue blueberries.

 

 

Tied with a Japanese ribbon....

 

 

These darling coral-pink flowers just opened this week on a large shrub that had been until now nondescript...I love the surprises that emerge so colorfully month by month outside.

 

 

 

 

We transplanted "Goldie" the Meyer lemon today into her new terracotta home:

 

 

 

Some images from a recent stroll, with favorite things: cats and camellias. I'm eager to find a pink and white striped/variegated camellia of my own!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

san francisco bay visit and stir fried quinoa bento

 

 Did you know that quinoa can be stir fried with veggies and seasonings to create a healthy variation on fried rice, a go-to bento favorite? Today I made "fried quinoa" by sauteing ginger, kale and yellow pepper in a hot frying pan and adding cooked red quinoa, Japanese pickled eggplant, and tamari. I scrambled in an egg for protein and it was a satisfying lunch, especially finished with solar-sweet orange pieces.

 

We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary with a very fun trip to San Francisco, staying roughly across from the Ferry Building at a hotel overlooking the Bay Bridge...some images from our visit:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ferry Building, filled with epicurean foods and site of a wonderful farmer's market...

 

 

Local dungeness crabs and pretty mosaics

 

 

 

 

 

 

A lyrical ode to sea creatures outside Alioto's

 

 

I love the Dolce Vita meets early 60's Americana feel of the old Italian restaurants...

 

 

At the Musee Mechanique, an interactive landscape of dreams and symbols from its collection of arcade games and amusements, 19th century onwards. Fortunes told, circa 1930:

 

 

 

 

 

 

So much more to see and unwrap in and about this beautiful city...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



cali roll bento with mirin-roasted carrots

 

Hi guys! A quick and easy bento for a crazy busy day: store-bought California rolls, accented with arugula blossoms and a wasabi "leaf" and some yummy roasted baby carrots with exotic seasonings.

 

 

 

Roasted Carrots with Mirin, Aleppo Pepper and Shichimi Togarashi

 

In a foil-lined casserole, toss baby carrots with salt, Aleppo pepper, togarashi and mirin to taste.

Roast in a 400 degree oven until tender and sizzling. Enjoy--and just try to not devour them in one fell swoop!

 

 

 

 

Looking forward to the almost-arrived weekend--you too?