little LADIES WHO LUNCH

Nitrate and antibiotic-free humanely raised shredded ham slices; grilled asparagus; Gruyere cheese; organic Granny Smith apples; Persian cucumbers and organic mini sweet tomatoes; mini farmhouse cheddar roll from a local bakery as a special treat; organic strawberries

With just one month left of school, it’s no wonder I feel like I’ve hit a wall when it comes to making creative bento boxes.  It happens from time to time, and luckily the feeling is always short-lived. 

Usually the solution is simple, and proved to be a success in this case as well:  take a standard lunch item (in the case a ham and cheese sandwich) and change it up a bit by either deconstructing it or adding additional ingredients just to disguise the “same old, same old” as a fresh idea.  

The kids gave an excited stamp of approval when they saw it, though they did warn me ahead of the time that the asparagus will likely be coming home untouched.

That’s OK.  It’s only a matter of time before they like asparagus, too.  I’ve been at this long enough now to know the drill.  *evil laughter*

Chunks of leftover fresh wild-caught local flounder (breaded and baked), shredded organic raw baby spinach and diced organic tomatoes with a squeeze of lime in a whole wheat tortilla; red seedless grapes, farro salad (recipe forthcoming) and anjou pear balls. 

Today is the day for all leftovers to move out of the fridge to make room for a Fresh Direct delivery.  The kids and husband seemed pleased with their bentos, so… win!

Roasted humanely-raised chicken drumsticks with herbs over a bed of raw spinach; organic strawberries; Asian pear “fries”; Minneola tangelo slices; cornbread as a special treat

It’s a rainy, cool day today in Brooklyn.  I wanted to send the kids to school with a little warmth and sunshine from home. 

Traditional preparations of mapo tofu have a bright red oil floating over the surface of the dish that is intensely hot, followed by a cooling, numbing sensation - this is the “mala” feeling that you get from frying Szechuan peppercorns and then using the resulting oil in the dish (along with using a spicy bean paste).  This version of the recipe eliminates that to make it more palatable for children, and reduces the oil and frying dramatically in order to make it less greasy and fatty.  It’s still delicious, and much more approachable.

I grew up eating mapo tofu from a young age (my father is originally from Hong Kong, and my mother is from Brooklyn and is of western European descent).  It’s a great dish - moderately healthy, tasty, and an easy introduction to tofu.  Note:  in China tofu is not intended as a meat replacement, but as an ingredient in its own right.  Extra firm tofu, like I used, holds up well and absorbs and melds with the foods in the sauces it’s used in.  Tofu in this dish is nothing like the mystery tofu you get in “Asian salads” in most delis.

This recipe is a blend of my father’s, itself inspired by his mother and Pei Mei’s Chinese Cookbook (published in the 70’s) and the recipe by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, one of my favorite food writers and experimenters, here.  If you have the tolerance for a spicier dish, I encourage you to try making it with the Szechuan peppercorns as he does, for a more traditional taste and impact.

Either way, I think you’ll enjoy it, and hopefully see a side of tofu that you may never have been exposed to.

Thanks for reading,

Nicholas, (proud husband & dad to 4 kids, 2 of whom are the Little Ladies Who Lunch)

Ingredients

1/4 organic expeller pressed canola oil
1 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. cold water
2 packs firm or extra-firm organic/non-GMO tofu (14 oz. each), cut into 1 to 1/2” cubes
1/2 pound ground humanely raised pork
1/2 pound ground humanely raised turkey
5 cloves of garlic, grated or finely chopped
2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated

Sauce:
3 tbsp. of fermented bean paste
3 tbsp. of xiaoxing wine (I used cooking sherry)
2 tbsp. of low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup of low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. of sriracha hot sauce

To Finish:
1/4 cup of finely sliced scallion greens
1 tbsp. of sesame oil

Note: measure and prepare all ingredients in advance - this goes quickly once you start cooking! 

1. Mix the corn starch and water in a small bowl.  Set aside.
2. Mix the bean paste, wine, soy sauce, chicken broth, and sriracha in a bowl, and set aside.
3. Boil the tofu in a medium saucepan for 1-2 minutes, and then strain it in a colander.
4. Add oil to wok on high heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the ground meat - stir constantly and break up the chunks.  The meat should be cooked in 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the ginger and the garlic and stir quickly for around 30 seconds to a minute.
6. Add the pre-mixed sauce, and bring to a boil.  Pour in the corn starch and stir it in thoroughly for around 1 minute.
7. Add in half of the scallions, and stir for another minute, mixing everything together.
8. Remove from heat and put into serving dish.  Top with remaining scallions and drizzle with sesame oil.  Serve over (brown) rice.

Grilled humanely raised, nitrate/antibiotic free sausage with organic red and yellow peppers and sweet Vidalia onions; organic baby spinach with organic strawberry slices; Ojai Pixie seedless tangerine, whole grain baguette slices and pistachios.

The kids went nuts for this dish:  a multigrain tostada bowl stuffed with shredded free-range chicken (leftover from our meal of roasted chicken the night before), avocados, organic corn, orange peppers, organic black beans, red onion, local organic butter lettuce, locally made cave-aged cheddar from raw milk with a dollop of organic sour cream and locally made salsa. 

We purchased the bowls at Whole Foods, but if you have tortillas you can easily make them at home using whole wheat, corn, etc.  You can find out how by clicking here.   

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This is my stepson’s version of a Happy Meal. :0)  Said stepson wanted me to make it very clear that he is not a Little Lady, by the way. 

Today’s bento features grass-fed beef, sauteed green beans with garlic, kiwi and organic strawberry slices, dragon fruit (sort of tastes like a cross between a kiwi and a pear) and a wee bit of low-sugar, organic ketchup.

Today’s bento today features an organic red leaf lettuce wrap stuffed with humanely-raised meats (chicken and nitrate-free bacon), organic grape tomatoes and avocado.  The sides are pomegranate seeds, Sumo orange slices (read about them here at The Jolly Tomato), organic raw red pepper and a fruit kebab of organic strawberries and fresh pineapple.

In addition to one meatless day per week, the Little Ladies and other members of our household have agreed to a formal grain-free day.  I can just see my grain-free friend Crystal rolling her eyes right now.  But Crystal — we have to start somewhere!  Once we establish that grain-free eating can be delicious and fun and relatively hassle-free, we will have the option to expand.

Here goes!  I’m looking forward to it.

Nitrate-free, organic turkey breast slices with cheddar cheese sunbursts; oven baked sweet onion rings; dinosaur egg fruit (official name “pluat,” a cross between a plum and an apricot), organic tri-color raw pepper salad, low-sugar organic ketchup in condiment holder

The close-up glamour shot:

Even if you’re not a big fan of onion rings to begin with, you really have to try the Oven Baked Sweet Onion Rings recipe by Isla over on Post Punk Kitchen.  They are definitely the star of today’s box — perfect for a lunch or dinner side dish or on a party tray at your next gathering.

They look good, no?

Note:  this is a repeat of last year’s post.