Vegan Mofo Day 20: Lunchbox School Part 3

Everyone settled in? Good. It's lesson 3 of lunchbox school. I apologise for my unauthorised absence yesterday I was feeling a ill and I didn't want to sit up for any length of time. Today we're going to talk about keeping your lunches fresh and tasty. The opposite of me right now.

Lesson 3: Good 'til Lunch

Keeping your food happy and fresh until lunchtime can be a bit of a challenge. Especially in summer. We've all had days of wilted salad and soggy bread. How can bento help you avoid it? Well coincidentally all those little ideas for packing a cute lunch really do have a practical application...

Ice and Water

By far the easiest way to keep everything fab and fresh to pack it at the right time. Putting cooked food in a lunchbox while it's still warm can lead to condensation. So where possible I like to put everything in cool or at least wait until it's as cool as it can be before putting the lid on. I like to prep my lunch first thing in the morning but only cover it as I'm heading out the door.

Another super simple freshness tip is to grab yourself an icepack. In summer especially they are necessary to keep everything cool in hour bang. I tend to carry one strapped to my boxes but you can get mini ones to go inside.

Separate Your Flavours

I'm not suggesting you stop all of your food from touching. If that's your thing then go for it but I like a snuggly box. There are some things that get along better when they don't mingle though. Check out the box above. I have lettuce and grapes touching but the broccoli is sectioned off. Why? Well the broccoli is roasted, it's coated in oil and salt. Exactly the flavours I don#'t want to seep out onto the fruit. Or the bread. That would be one soggy sandwich.

You may also notice that this time I left the grapes whole. Halved grapes may be a space saver but they do add moisture to the equation. The skin of fruit is it's own protective packaging after all.

Play With Your Food

If you pack a sandwich exactly as you want to eat it, with all the sauce and all the lettuce the bread will be moist and sad. Putt he dressing on the salad before you leave home and lettuce wilts. Drape the sauce onto the pizza bowl and everything turns into a soggy mess before you can get to it. Packing things in separate containers and assembling at lunch avoids the issue. And it's fun. It won't take all of your lunch time to assemble things if you prep them at home but it will make a big difference in texture and flavour.

Next week is the last lesson of lunchbox school (or is it? I haven't decided yet, do you know?) and we'll be talking about efficient prep for a speedy packed lunch.

Vegan Mofo Day 12: Lunchbox School Part 2

Welcome to our second session of Lunchbox School. In our metaphorical school day we've just had morning break and we're waiting eagerly for lunch. Of course when we get to lunch our choice is between packed lunch and school dinners.

The benefits of the packed lunch are huge. It saves us money (most of the time), we can make sure we get a full balanced meal that fits with our dietary requirements. Oh yeah. No more cobbled together meals in the staff canteen of 2 poppadoms, a spoonful of rice and mango chutney.

Admittedly though lunch made by someone else can be exciting, tasty, hot, and - my favorite - cooked by someone else. Which is why I like to pack pretty boxes. Because I have been know to pack lunch, leave it in my back and eat something other than my sad leftovers in a boring box.

Lesson 2: Looking Good

Bento boxes are our friends here. We can pack them up so that we're excited to eat them rather than disappointed that we have to. So how do we make a lunch that looks so good that we're excited to open the box? And how do we keep it looking good until lunch?

Pack It Full

Was that one for the main tips in the least lesson? Yes. Totally. It's an important one. This week we're packing our lunch boxes full because it makes them look vibrant and awsome and fit to burst. A box full of food makes you want to eat it. A box full of air makes you feel deprived.

Packing full, both to the sides of the box and the top, also helps you to keep everything in place and looking perfect come lunchtime. Lean from my mistakes. See how the lunch box above wasn't packed right to the top? Well by lunch I had broccoli bits on my grapes. I picked them out but I got a bit grumpy doing it.

Use All Your Colours

In posh Japanese cooking there's the idea of putting all of the five colours - red, black, green, yellow and white - on a plate. I'm not doing Japanese haute cuisine here but I like to keep that principle. It doesn't happen in every box. I construct them a little after six after all If you look above I have white in the rice, green in the avocado, veg and grapes, black in the grapes and nori, and red carrots and sweet potato. It makes things look considered and delicious.

Extra Touches

I'm not into constructing elaborate scenes or putting cute faces on things. Well I am but again 6am. I'm not really away until 10:30, I just have my eyes open. I do like to make things look good though. Edible embellishments like these flower are fabulous. If you don't grow edible flowers think about herbs, a final grind of pepper, some sesame seeds.

You can, of course, always but things. Bento picks, little sauce bottles, mini cases. If you can't find things sold specifically for bento then look at cupcake accessories. Silicone cups and pics are common in the cucupcakes world too.  And the little fish bottle that comes with sushi? Pocket it when you are done. Of course don't forget to check out things like tupperware and lunch boxes. The above salad box, with it's sauce bottle, was bought in Torquay. Not all the pretty things are imported from Japan. 

So we've gone over picking our box and ways to stuff it full of food to keep us full and happy. Now we've learned a little about making that food look good. Next Friday we're going to talk about keeping it all fresh. Until then MoFo continues as usual. If you're interested in the food in this week's boxes I'll be reviewing the recipe books I nabbed them from. 

Vegan Mofo Day 5: Lunchbox School

I'm oddly addicted to making my lunches colourful, cheerfully and cute. I pack bento style lunches every chance I get and post them over on the lunch box only blog but I thought I'd post them over here for Mofo along with some lunch packing tips.

Lesson One: Big Lunch, Small box

Compared to my childhood lunch boxes my bento boxes are pretty small and I get asked if there is enough food in them to keep me going. There is and here are a few tricks I have up my sleeve to keep me full.

Pick Your Box

The size of your box (and therefore size of your meal) depends on how much you want to eat. There are different boxes available and it's a good idea to think about what you'll need to eat to get you through the day. If you're really active you'll want to eat more. It's also a good idea to think about calorie density. Think about a simple green salad compared to fried rice. To feel full you'll want a greater volume of salad than rice. I have a larger box for days when I want nothing but greens.

Pack It Full

Thinking back to my childhood lunch boxes I remember them being huge (of course I was smaller then) but they only had a sandwich, pack of crisps and a yogurt or something in. Each one was in it's own little container and around it was air. A lot of air. Making a bento you get away with a small box by filling it full of food. Delicious and easy to carry.

Cut It Small

There is a really easy way of fitting more food into less space and that is by making it smaller. Put the shrink ray away. All you really need to to do is chop things into smaller bits. Take these grapes. They are ready to burst out of their container in the picture above. Below you can see them snuggled all the way down and fitting fine.

This has the added benefit of looking adorable, making your box tidy, cute and delicious at lunchtime. Sometimes you don't even have to employ a knife. I have a special bag of small macaroni I use for pasta salads in my lunches.

Next week in lunchbox school I'll be talking about how to make sure your lunchbox looks great and stays looking great all the way till lunchtime. That will be on friday but the'll be plenty of Mofo fun until then.

Announcing...

I'm starting to post in the lunch box only blog on a Friday. I'm lucky enough to be spending my friday doing some really cool volunteer work so I'll be out of the house and packing lunch.

Check it out

The Great Side Project Round Up

So as I'e started one massive side project - namely having a full time job - I thought I'd introduce you to a few others. I've started blogging my lunch boxes on an almost daily basis. I've been working out the kinks for the last week or so but it's ready for people to see now. Or as ready as it will ever be. I'm only posting quick pictures and a line or two of description over there and only of lunch boxes so blogging here will continue as normal.

We also filmed the early March edition of the vlog. However blogger was refusing to communicate with YouTube when I first uploaded it so I forgot to tell you guys. Sorry.

New Toys In The Lunch Box

Last weekend I went to London. I assure you that sounds more exciting than it was. Way more exciting. Let's try again. Last weekend I went for a meeting in London. I saw the inside of a meeting room and, trains and a replacement bus service. It was a great meeting, but it was a meeting. 

I had just about time for a mooch around a few shops. Muji (why did they close the one in Manchester's corn exchange? I love Muji stationary, now I can only pick up their awesome pencil crayons when I visit London) Liberty and possibly Japan Centre. After consulting a map I decided to start with Japan Centre. It took me an hour to find it. It was pathetic. I was walking up and down Regent Street for what felt like forever... before I realised I'd misread the directions. What can I say, I'm dyslexic and I'd been up since four in the morning. I just had time to find Japan Centre, pick up a few things on my hit list and just make it to Paddington before the train left. 

Bunnies and Butterflies, there is some food in there somewhere too

One thing on my hit list? Bento picks. And cutters. I got a spring themed cutter set and 'diamond' picks. Both I used to decorate the vegetable mix-ins that go with the curried noodles. So that is curried noodles with red pepper, edamame and broccoli, with a cup of apple and grapes.

Leafy green lunch, I hope that isn't a cabbage white

The picks came out to play again for this box. Rolled up tortilla with cream cheese and spinach, kale crisps and a few apple bunnies.

I can't look at this picture long enough to write a caption, makes my mouth water.

But this box? This is my favourite. Since I heard of it's existence I knew I had to try Inarizushi. Rice in a deep fried sushi pocket? Sign me up! But I had no idea just how delicious they would be. I'm totally in love. They are topped with sesame salt (for no reason other than it taking up space in the fridge) and packed along with orange carrots (from Just Bento Cookbook) and grapes. If you want to try some Inarizushi in the UK you can buy the seasoned pockets from Japan Centre. They do a couple of kinds but this one is veggie. And fabulously delicious.

The Power Of A Freezer Stash

This week my Lunch Box adventures have taught me two things. One is the importance of freezer stash. The other is the importance of broccoli. Let's rewind to Monday. I started going to yoga classes to give me a bit more strength and flexibility when I'm working. It was great, I'm listening to my body more and stretching out all the kinks that pushing a wheelbarrow around puts into it. However by Wednesday yoga + wheelbarrow = no desire to move. And I had a meeting on Wednesday evening so lunch prep time had gone out of the window. Luckily I'd been adding to my freezer stash. But, again, let's rewind to Tuesday so I can take you through the lunches.

Lovely hearty veggie packed lunch... served cold

On Tuesday I filled my Aladdin insulated lunch box  with Smoky Tempeh and Greens Stew from Appetite For Reduction and a 'lid' of brown rice. It was lovely and tasty but, by lunch, not terribly warm. After about half an hour of food sitting in the box you can warm your hands on it. That doesn't exactly say much for it's insulating properties. Neither does the fact that it is on the cold side of lukewarm by lunchtime. Even after following the packing directions exactly.

Needs more trees

By Wednesday I was back on cold food. Polenta chips with sweet chilli dipping sauce, pasta and tomato sauce and not enough broccoli. Don't know why I was so broccoli shy this week but my lunches could have done with way more broccoli. The pasta was cooked and frozen without sauce following the instructions from Lunch In A Box. In the morning I put it in the box straight from the freezer, topped it with a tablespoon or so of tomato sauce, a grind of pepper and some fresh parsley. By lunch it had defrosted without any loss of texture. Score.

Luxurious Leftovers 

With more cups of pasta still in my freezer I had an idea for Thursday morning. One thing at least to put in my box. But I'd also been saving other leftovers. When I roast the broccoli for Wednesday's box I roast the whole head and chucked the leftovers in the freezer. A bit of defrosting the next morning did me well. Also hiding there are some leftover pizzas from back in January. Not what I'd planned but still delicious.

I Bought A Book: The Just Bento Cookbook

 My need for appetising lunches at work is really the only thing on my mind right now so it's about time it was reflected in my book shelf. I bought a copy of The Just Bento Cookbook because I adore the blog. I was a little hesitant. I don't do much buying of non-vegetarian cook books at the moment, I can't really afford to buy something I'm not going to use the hell out of, but I took the chance. Based on the blog and the cover I assumed that the meat dishes where going to be a small portion of the book rather than the main event. There are lots of vegetarian and vegan recipes in here, I'm very happy to be right.

The book is laid out in lunch boxes. Hold on, let me explain that. The recipes are grouped together into what looks good in a box together. Like books arranged in meals I don't really get much use out of the format. I'm more likely to pick a few from each section and smush them together. Here it makes sense, allowing the packing   of the lunchbox and the food combinations to be explained.

It also helps you find things. Right now I'm looking at the Chicken Kara-age Bento. It features a lively sounding Blanched Spinach with Sesame Seeds. Underneath that are the variations, five 'Quick Green Vegetable Sides'. There is also a variation section of Red, Yellow and White Vegetable sides. Perfect for quickly finding recipes when you are having a 'my lunch needs more red' moment.

Mini-hamburger Bento

I thought I that I'd better test a full box for the sake of reviewing. I went for the Mini-hamburger Bento. So I did vary it a little. I used the Vegan Black Bean Mini Burgers (a variation recipe for that box) in place of the mini hamburgers and kale crisps rather than snow peas. I also left off the cut out cheese because I still haven't got any of those little cutters and the carrots where trying my patience enough as it is.

Apart from that I was totally faithful to the recipe. Everything in it tasted fabulous but I'm especially in love with the Red Onion and Parsley Salad, which is quite like a quick pickle and the Sesame Salt rocked my socks.

Bento of things on sale in the supermarket

I've tried a couple of other recipes from the book as part of other boxes. Last week it was the tomatoes. My second box this week had Spinach Falafel, peri-peri hummus (both store bought), some pitta for dipping and a sliced apple and beetroot. This was one of the nicest lunches I've ever packed and that beetroot was a big part of it. It's the Beet Salad With Grainy Mustard Dressing, it's fabulous and packs one hell of a punch.

I promised a third box this week but it never happened. Don't worry I didn't succumb to a bought lunch. It was so cold at work that we decided to build a fire for the volunteers and cooked potatoes in the embers. A memorable lunch.

Buy The Just Bento Cookbook: Everyday Lunches to Go

Beginner Bento: Orange Heart Edition

Continuing with my attempts to learn to make pretty lunches for myself that I want to eat and keep me full. This was my lunch for the last Thursday volunteer day. There is a root vegetable frittata with onions, carrots and beetroots, all organic out of our Riverford box. Next to that in the garishly purple silicone cup are some baked cherry tomatoes. The recipe is a variation of the Baked Cherry Tomatoes With Pesto which itself is a variation recipe in the wonderful The Just Bento Cookbook. There is a fried rice (because I've been craving it sooo much) in the top tier with leeks and mushrooms from the box and peas from the freezer (still organic though). My fruit was a satsuma.

Love Lunch

I'm still trying to come up with ideas for my boxes. I've got a board on pintrest specially for lunch ideas. Cutting a heart out of the satsuma is on that board. Actually I wanted to do flowers but hearts are easier to cut freehand so... hearts it is. I saw it here first. I'm grateful for all the inspiration I've found and ideas I've been given. Next week I switch to part time so I'll be doing more boxes and really needing all the inspiration and ideas that can be thrown at me.

The beginning of a lunch box journey...

In the next couple of weeks I'll be starting work. Officially starting work. I've been putting off mentioning it here because mentioning it means that it might fall through but I've been given the trainee position at Occombe Farm.   At the moment I'm helping out at the volunteer days but soon I'm going to start doing a few days a week and then going into full time as spring picks up. I get a qualification out of it and a nice training budget but I get paid living expenses rather than a wage.

The Three Food Groups: Green, Fruit and Pizza

Unfortunately living is expensive so I'm going to have to say good bye to indulgent lunches bought at the farm shop and say hello to lunch boxes. Fortunately I love lunch boxes. At the moment my challenge is to pack tasty, filling, nutrient packed, filling and really filling food to fill me up for a hard day of digging and playing in the garden.

So this is my starting point. The roasted broccoli, apples and mini pizzas (from Hearty Vegan) was my perfectly planned box from the last volunteer day. I wasn't overly proud of it but I wasn't disappointed either. It was a fine looking box and I looked forwards to opening it up. But I need ideas so if you have any suggestions  of blogs, or favorite packable dishes to help me on my lunchboxy journey feel free to leave them in the comments.

Cheers!

A Lunchbox For London

I'm not sure if I've told everyone yet so I'll write about it here. I spent Thinking Day attending a Parliamentary Reception an honour that I'm still not sure I deserved but which I really, really enjoyed. Of course I live in Devon and nobody thought to build the Houses of Parliament out here so this meant getting up at an early hour, putting something uncomfortably formal on and getting on a train. I also needed a packed lunch.

So I packed leftover Tenderstem Broccoli and Sweet Potato Filo Rolls, pasta tossed with bread crumbs (the ultimate leftover) and tender stem leftover from the making of the leftover rolls, grapes and some leftover pita bread made into pita crisps. It filled a gap, even if it didn't stop me from being incredibly nervous.

Tempeh on Trial

I put Tempeh in my lunch box this week which comes as a bit of a surprise. After reading all the fun and funky recipes in my vegan cook books I had to buy some when I saw it in Totnes.

Then I made something with it. And it was dire. I raced to the bin. Yucky yuk. To be fair I was against it even before I tasted it. It looks like the least appetising thing imaginable. Stephen took to calling it brains.


So I guess I've sold you on tempeh? No probably not. But I didn't write it off completely. I actually bought a second packet. I made a half recipe of the Tempeh Sausage Pastry Puffs from Vegan Brunch. They are so delicious I'm left wondering 'what was that crap I ate before?'

Perhaps, then, it's a very acquired taste. I had the leftovers for lunch with some roasted potato and carrots. Both not at their best cold but still a memorable lunch.

Boxed Up

Once a week I go directly from one volunteer gig to another. Finishing up at Oxfam I have half hour gap before Brownies. And most of that is spent walking and setting up for the first activity. So a while before I leave Oxfam I tuck into my tea. Brought in a box from home. Sure I could just wait until I got home but honestly... you don't want to meet me when I'm hungry.

The boxes of the last two weeks were inspired by buying the large bag of couscous instead of the small.

First up an improvised couscous with caramelized onions, carrot and beetroot salad (with maple syrup for the honey), and mini bread sticks. We had a go at growing some of the ingredients for common prepared food with the Brownies that week so I had the leftover (or leftbefore) hummous to dip the bread sticks in.


The next lunch was a little simpler with couscous and parsley salad, some falafel, and some Devonish garlic chutney that I got as a Christmas present. We bought the falafel, dramatically reduced, from Waitrose and it sucked. It was way too dense and had the strangest texture, like under cooked bread. Next time I'll stick to making it.