Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts

Monday, July 29, 2013

The Bento Boxes Continue

Thought I would have given up making up Bento lunches by now?  Not so!  I am still going full force ahead - spending between thirty minutes to an hour per evening putting together an array of tasty treats for my next day's lunch.  Here is a look at the last few weeks of Bento Boxes:


Cucumbers, carrots, and Goddess salad dressing.  Red pepper hearts, seaweed rice crackers, walnuts, and crasins.  Home-made vegetable soup.


Steamed broccoli, tomatoes, and red peppers.  Carrot sticks, more red peppers and tomatoes, and salad dressing for dipping.


Red peppers, steamed broccoli, cucumber slices and tomatoes.  Carrots, seaweed rice crackers, tomatoes, and dressing for dipping.  Dragon fruit for dessert.


Red peppers, carrots, dressing, cucumbers, and broccoli.


Black beans, chocolate tomato and yellow pepper shish kebab, mashed sweet potatoes, and curried carrots.  Walnuts and strawberries for dessert.


Israeli cous-cous with yellow peppers, carrot sticks, radishes, and chocolate tomatoes.  Crasins, date balls, and kiwi for dessert.


Chickpea salad with mint and currents, salad with dressing, cucumbers, carrots, and a free-range hard boiled egg.  Cinnamon-raisin peanut better, crasins, and walnuts.


Salad with dressing, edamame, a hard boiled egg, carrots, and cucumber.  Chickpea salad with currents and mint, Japanese rice crackers , tomatoes, and walnuts.


An apple, walnuts, craisins, Japanese rice crackers, Onigiri filled with tuna, and edamame.


A proud and self-respecting apple.  Radishes, yellow pepper, chocolate tomatoes, and Israeli cous-cous salad.  Craisins, date balls, and peanut butter.


Walnuts, chickpea salad with currents and mint, and dark chocolate squares.  A hard boiled egg, carrots, and salad dressing.  A jar of lettuce on the side.


Salad, dressing, carrots, red peppers, and a free-range egg.  Brown rice coconut crackers, dark chocolate squares, cinnamon-raisin peanut butter, almonds, and crasins.  An apple on the side.


Date balls, kiwi, almonds, and craisins.  Chocolate tomatoes, carrot sticks, and basil hummus.

Friday, July 5, 2013

My Latest Obsession: Bento

Ok, it's official.  I'm obsessed with Bento.  It started with a mission to find a cute lunch box to take to my new school and has turned into something else entirely.  In the past week, I have amassed an absurdly large collection of bento accessories: boxes, decorations, cutters, etc.

This addiction is currently not very time-efficient, but I'm sure the process will become more streamlined as I get used to preparing my meals for work.  I put these together the night before and store them in the fridge over night.  The boxes patiently sit in my air-conditioned office during the morning and are room temp and tasty by the time I dig in.  So far everything has held up well and tasted delicious! 

Here is a look at what I have been nibbling on for lunch this week with a Box-by-Box Analysis:


Monday

Salad with lettuce, cucumber and radish (edamame and  dressing on the side).  
Chickpeas tossed with lemon juice, currants, and mint  (craisins and walnuts on the side).
  Dessert Quinoa (quinoa + chopped almonds topped with coconut and sweetened with agave nectar) and kiwi.

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Tuesday

Heart-shaped curried carrots, salted radishes, and leftover chickpea salad.
  Lettuce topped with cucumber, seaweed, and red peppers (dressing on the side).  
Dessert Onigiri (brown rice, currants, and coconut sweetened with agave nectar and pressed into a traditional onigiri shape) along with craisins and walnuts.

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Wednesday

Kiwi and dragon fruit.  
Sweet potato mash, black beans and squash, cucumber and radish salad topped with bunny-shaped red pepper.  
Two dessert brown-rice balls wrapped in chick and bunny foil, craisins, walnuts and a white rabbit candy.

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Thursday

Apple and Chocolate Almond Butter.  
Baigan Bharta (mashed eggplant), cucumber slices, red pepper slices, along with black beans and squash.  Strawberries, craisins, one walnut.

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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Where to Eat in Kuala Lumpur?


KL is first and foremost an epicurean paradise.  The delectable flurry of South Indian, Malaysian, and Chinese culinary influences sprouting up on every block will demolish one's self-control.  We often found ourselves eating when our stomachs were already brimming with the last meal.   

If you only have a few days in this steamy metropolis, here are our choices for Kuala Lumpur's Iconic Food Landmarks.

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The countless buffet-style Curry Houses that line the city. Simultaneously offering up Malaysian delights like Nasi Lemak, alongside classic Indian favorites, such as Chicken Tikka Masala and Lamb Curry.  Also, they are a haven for vegetarians with a vast offering of vegetable curries accompanied by chutneys and sambals.  Convenience and taste!




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Precious, a comfortable and ornately designed restaurant tucked into a crepuscular corner of the Pasar Seni (Central Market), proved to be a delicious and air-conditioned midday respite after a trudge to the botanical gardens. 





Serving Nyonya cuisine, an eclectic intermarriage of Malay and Chinese food that sprouted from the multicultural port cities of Malacca and Penang in the 18th century, Precious is affordable, aesthetically pleasing, and tasty.


We ordered the "Precious" Nasi Lemak with crispy ikan bilis (anchovies) and fiery sambal...


and the Okra Kerabu with Coconut Rice.


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Plopped in a rare open space below the towering spires of KLCC @ 10 Jalan Hang Kasturi, Hakka Restoran is a vast eating space that pops with energy and crackles with spice.  


We arrived on a stormy evening and had our fill of specialty Hakka cuisine, a sub-genre of Chinese emerging from the migratory Hakka people, who originate from Guangdong and Fujian provinces in the south-east and boast a worldwide diaspora of over 80 million strong.


Hearty greens.


Delectable braised tofu with snow peas.


Fire-breathing Szechwan Chicken in a light chili and black soya sauce.


House specialty "Longevity Birthday Noodle" with mushrooms and Chinese cabbage.  If one indulges in this dish thrice weekly, they can exist as long as the restaurant has (nearly sixty years).


Dessert.


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Jalan Alor Street in the upmarket Bukit Bintang (Golden Triangle) area has a plethora of streetside eateries that focus on seafood and beer-soaked jollification. We were directed to Restoran Ming Kee by a local pal and were so impressed that we returned on a subsequent visit to the city.



The crown jewel of Malaysian street food - Char Kueh Teow noodles.  Heaping piles of rice noodles that melt into the palate with a brazen impetuosity.


Kacang Botol with Chili.


Grilled stingray. Forgive us friends of the sea, but the flesh of the ray (stringy in texture, but incredibly rich and decadent) is a new favorite.


Another must-not-miss: Grilled tofu stuffed with carrot and strips of green mango.


Baby clams sauteed in chili.


Boiled and sauteed "kale". Unlike any veggie we've come across - a hybrid of cabbage, kale, and brussel sprouts.


Grilled whole fish.


May your trip in KL be spent plopped into the firmest of seats, indulging in the best of meals!

Friday, April 5, 2013

Domestic Ordeals: Sweltering Heat Leads to Appetites Unleashed!



Home-made whole wheat flatbread topped with basil hummus, cherry tomatoes, Dalat avocadoes, and spinach.


No-Bake Cashew Cream Pie with a date, walnut, and cacao crust, topped with fresh dragon fruit.  Rich and decadent.  Next time will add raspberries and strawberries for a dollop of tartness.


Red Rice Bowl topped with black beans (sauteed in garlic), corn, and broccoli.


Mashed Pumpkin, Guacamole, and a Fried Egg over a bed of Spinach

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Can't overlook one of our best meals of the week (eaten outside of our home).  A late afternoon lunch in the courtyard of Cuc Gach!  One of our favorite spots in town.  As always, our meal was fresh and delicious!