My Little Pony Cupcakes for the Sinister

My sinister's turning 23 next week and we're celebrating tomorrow (err...today)!! Some of our favorite toys to play with when we were kids were all our My Little Ponies (she plays with much bigger ponies these days)! So, I made her some prettiful cupcakes to remember the good ole days! They are the Vanilla Agave recipe from VCTOTW, but I added chocolate chips to them. I coated each one with chocolate ganache (except for two which I actually made completely chocolate-free for my Dada), and then layered vegan vanilla "butter"cream over that for the designs. The little stars are the only thing that's not vegan...I cheated and used Wilton melts (hey, I'm a busy woman!). I also crafted my sis a nifty little bag which I will post on my crafting blog in the next day or so. Now, to bed! (Up way too late working on everything AND had to deal with a broken needle on the sewing machine that seriously jammed things up for a bit!)

Almost Friday...Almost Friday...

Simple, but healthy bentos for tomorrow. Mini sandwiches with Tofurky hicory smoked deli slices and soy cheese, with lots of fresh fruits. Raw cashews with chocolate chips for dessert. Off to bed now...so tired!

Tomato Barf Bento

Tomato barf!! ...or just brown rice pasta and veggie "meat"balls...but it looks awful in the photograph! I was really craving this so I made it into a lunch, yum! I put in some soy strawberry yogurt topped with blueberries (and a few crayon sprinkles because they're so darn cute), some tomatoes (redundancy of ingredients, bad chef!!--but I was in a hurry and didn't feel like peeling and cutting carrots!), a few raw cashews and a little chocolate for sides. Maybe I'll eat after work tomorrow and make some garlic bread to eat, too......

Pasta & Potato Salad

Nothing too special tonight--just a quinoa pasta and Buttercream Potato salad with baby corn and green onions (made with veganaise). Rounded the meal out with some fresh fruit, some honey grahams for me and sandwich cookies for the hubby, and some crunchy carrots (with vegan ranch for the hubby and peanut sauce for me).

Squid Burger Bento

No squids were harmed in the making of tomorrow's bentos! :op I've been using tempeh a bit lately, and I decided to do my own version of the Scorpion Burger from Native Foods. The little animal pick that I used for the hubby's bento was a squid, and the burgers look a little like Krabby Patties from the Krusty Krab (where SQUIDward works)...so...they are henceforth SQUID BURGERS! I used some chipotle barbeque sauce on the tempeh (sooo super yummy), and put all the fixings in separately (lettuce, avocado, carrots, onions, and some chipotle mayo in the little cup). I also added a bit of fruit and a chocolate to top it all off. I am looking forward to lunch tomorrow!

I also made some cupcakes today; the Vanilla Agave recipe from VCTOTW. They turned out okay but I'm not sure if they're the ones I want to use for my sinister's birfday (we're celebrating this weekend). In any case, I'll be posting the finished product later this week.

New Totoro Bento

This is the hubby's new Totoro bento--I think it's totally cute!! :o) I made veggie spring rolls for tomorrow (with brown rice, tempeh, carrots, and cabbage in the filling), accompanied by peanut and sweet chile dipping sauces. I tucked carrot chips in wherever I could find a little space. The top tier holds strawberries, kiwis, blueberries, and tangerine; some cashews, and a small box of chocolates. Have a happy Monday, everyone!

Uber-Cute Bento Bundles

I got my latest order from Japan today! Included were items to complete my Kiki bento and the hubby's Totoro bento (the two wraps and the two chopstick sets). I of course had to use these to create the uber-cute bento bundles you see above. I also had a bit of time so I made quite a few little items for these bentos. Mine started off identical to the hubby's...but I knocked it off the cutting board and had to begin again (clumsy me!). So, below, is the hubby's bento. The bottom tier holds carrots with tarragon "butter", rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes, and some spiced purple yams. The top tier is strawberries and kiwis, some honey graham bunnies, some raw pepitas with dried currants, and some blueberries.

My bento is quite similar to the hubby's--carrots with tarragon "butter" and the spiced purple yams, but then I got a baked buttercream potato. In my top tier, I got cashews with goji berries, some of the honey grahams, and a yummy little fruit salad.

Spring Rolls and Delicious Fruit

I was feeling like a really "fresh" bento so I made the fruit a bigger part of the bento for tomorrow. I added some cashews with chocolate chips, and some cucumbers with a side dish of vegan ranch for the hubby. The "main course" is the strawberry-chile springs rolls I'm so fond of. I ate poorly today so this lunch should help me get back on track! :o)

Justice League Bento

Tonight I spent too much time searching for a book on the supreme court at Borders so I had to throw together quick bentos when we got home. I made a quick tomato sauce with shitakes (my poor basil plant has slim pickings at the moment, as you can see) and cooked up some spaghetti. Applesauce and some veggies on the side (I got cashews and chocolate chips instead of the veggies...but the hubby's watching his sugar intake so none for him). I'm feeling a bit like spring rolls tomorrow...I guess we'll see how much time I have :o)

Veggie Sushi and Blueberry Muffins

Well, I didn't make cupcakes...but I did make lemon-glazed blueberry muffins (of the oat/hemp seed variety). They're just too cute! I also made some brown rice veggie sushi (not as cute) with carrots flash-sauteed with a bit of sesame oil, shitakes cooked in soy sauce, tons of yummy avocado, and a bit of chili-garlic sauce (and sprinkled with black sesame seeds). I stuck a little packet of soy sauce and a miso soup packet in with the sushi. In the top tier I have a tangerine, a little blueberry muffin, some wheat soup crackers for the miso, and some raw cashews. Now, to bed...early day tomorrow!

P.S. Sorry for such a bad photo...very bad lighting, I will do better! :op

TGIM?

Monday's bentos, yum! Pineapple/coconut soy yogurt, a shitake salad, a twice-baked potato with rosemary and garlic, strawberries and kiwis, banana chips with cashews, and pickles for the hubby with a mango pudding for me. I stuck a mint in each as well. The potatoes are a sweet variety called Buttercream Potatoes, how kewl is that? I plan on making sushi tomorrow for Tuesday (and maybe some muffins or cupcakes, too?)...stay tuned! :o)

Not a bento...or a cupcake

Completely unrelated to my blog...but I made a Tenorikuma purse this weekend! I love Tenorikuma, but there just isn't much stuff I have found with him...so I decided to make my own merchandise! :op It's made entirely of felt (except for the straps) by ME!! Yay!!! Uber-cute AND glittery!!!

Sweet, Sour, Salty, Spicy = Balance = YUMMY!

The hubby and I bought some superhero sandwich boxes at the Marukai 98 last night--and to my delight my square cupcake liners were a perfect fit inside! I spent a bit of time on these bentos; I wanted to balance my flavors well and create something really yummy. So I have roasted taro root (my new favorite starch--so yummy!) with a lemon basil infused mirin/tamari reduction (in the flower); a kiwi and strawberry fruit salad; a sesame tofu salad with fresh chiles; and an arugula salad with a lemon vinaigrette. I also stuck a packet of almond Pocky in with the bento (not pictured). The combination of flavors is this bento should make it delicious :o) The roasted taro root with the sweet reduction; the sweet and tangy fruit salad, the spicy and smoky tofu salad, and the sour vinaigrette with the bitter arugula. Yum! I want to eat it for dinner! :o)

PB&J Bentos

Well gee...I spend all my time shopping for bentos and not actually making them! We went down to a Marukai 98 in Cypress tonight, so bentos had to be a fairly fast process when we returned. I did PB&J sandwiches accompanied by banana chips, cashews, kiwi, strawberries, tomatoes, some Coffeebeat, and a mint. Now time to get ready for bed--still a bit tired from being sick, bleh!

Getting better bento

I'm feeling better today, but still not great. I was craving pita and hummus so I decided to make tomorrow's bentos include these. Hummus (dressed with black sesame seeds, a dash of paprika and some olive oil) with rice crackers for the hubby, and with sprouted tortilla rounds for me. We both got tomatoes, banana chips, cashews, strawberries, and a little mango pudding. The hubby got a small pineapple cake (from Kiki's bakery--how cool is that??), and I got a few Coffeebeat candies. I really enjoy the created compartmentalization of one-tier bentos...I will be looking into purchasing different single tier boxes soon! :o)