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Welcome and introduction

Hello, and welcome to my food blog.  I am Ewa, a green haired Sicilian who lives and works in the U.K.   I love cooking, so I am rather surprised it has taken me this long to start a cooking blog, but better late than never I suppose. Here are a few things you may want to know about me: I am not vegan. I eat a mostly vegan diet and enjoy cooking vegan food. All the bentos here will be vegan, but I am not one. I may make mistakes! I can't eat gluten because of an illness I have (Hashimoto thyroiditis). But aside from that, I do not follow any specific diet. My bentos will mostly be gluten free, but on occasion there may be some gluten or trace gluten.  This lovely YouTube channel is what inspired me to buy my bento box and start experimenting with it. The bentos on this site are mine, though. I am not Japanese and do not have Japanese heritage, although I practise a Japanese school of Buddhism and have Japanese friends (you can find my Buddhist blog here ). I did resea
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Recent posts

The Rice of the Leftovers

This bento was made of a bunch of leftovers.  (please don't hate on the terrible pun in the title. I could not resist) What's in this box: Savoury box: - inari pockets with garlic and potato rice - carrot - tamari and wasabi Sweet box: - straweberry chia pudding - dates Method and Recipes I had leftover inari pockets from a sushi lunch I prepared with a friend. Inari is one of my favourite things in the world, although it's probably not the healthiest, seeing as it's seasoned fried beancurd. I use this brand (because it's the only one I can find) and I buy it in a Chinese supermarket for about £3.50. My trusted Thai shop in my area has betrayed me on this one. They didn't even know what inari was! The only issue with inari is that it is not gluten free because it is made with a small quantity of soy sauce and not tamari. I have done some research but I have not been able to find a gluten free one, unfortunately, but I did find a recipe to
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Something fishy this way comes

This is probably one of the most complicated boxes I have made. You know when you get home, you are really tired and down and just want to get something to eat and become one with your sofa, yet somehow manage to get a total culinary hissy fit and start cooking stuff that is WAY too complicated? Yeah, that. What's in this box: Savoury box: - vegan fish fingers - roast baby potatoes - vegan tartare sauce Sweet box: - vegan Nutella - peanut butter cookies - blueberries Method and Recipes Vegan Fish Fingers: half a block firm tofu one sheet nori seasoned gluten free flour gluten free breadcrumbs (I make my own) mixed with garlic granules, turmeric and mint liquid dredge: 1 tbsp tamari 1 tbsp cornstarch 1 tbsp lemon juice 1/2 cup water or soy milk Slice the tofu however you like (I did stakes), then use scissors to cut the nori sheet in the same shape. Make the nori adhere to one side of the tofu using some lemon juice. Mix all the ingredi
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Wild mayo and ferocious cheese

What's in this box: Savoury box: - cheese and avocado sandwich with hummus - avocado and cherry tomatoes sandwich with vegan mayo Sweet box: - banana and blueberry - strawberries - peanut butter caramel and raspberry chia jam Method and Recipes For the sandwiches , you will need: 4 slices of your favourite gluten free bread 1 slice vegan cheese (I used the Tesco coconut oil based cheddar) 4 cherry tomatoes half an avocado hummus or vegan mayo I just toasted the bread slightly, made the sandwiches with what I had at home, trimmed them slightly and cut each sandwich into three fingers.  Some notes: I am experimenting with vegan cheeses. I think it is a good idea for me to have a trusted brand of vegan cheese to refer to when I get the cravings. The Tesco one was disgusting. Horrid flavour, horrid smell. I will not buy again. I made a hummus one and a mayo one because I had some of each in my fridge, but you don't have to. The mayo, avocado and tomato sandw
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Need for Salad

This was a really successful bento, considering how little time it took me to make it. What's in this box: Savoury box: - mango and tofu salad - hummus dressing Sweet box: - banana and chocolate chips - peanut butter caramel - dates Method and Recipes: For the salad , I added a handful of mixed salad from a bag, about five sliced cherry tomatoes, a diced slice of mango and two slices of tofu that I had cooked using this method . I usually cook half a block of tofu this way (fits well in my skillet), then store what I don't use to eat during the week. The hummus dressing was just some hummus thinned with a bit of warm water and some lemon juice. This happened to be some not-too-nice hummus I had made myself following a recipe I am definitely not making again. As hummus it was rubbish but it was ok as a dressing. Any hummus you like will do. The peanut butter caramel is one of my biggest obsessions, and it is super easy to make. You will need: 1 part pea
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The Usual Satays

I absolutely love the savoury box for this one. It's quick, delicious and very filling. What's in this box: Savoury box: - brown rice noodles with cavolo nero and mangetout - vegan satay sauce Sweet box: - fruit salad - peanut butter caramel - Sweet Freedom Method and Recipes Soak the noodles in boiling water for a few minutes. In the meantime, throw the sliced mangetout and cavolo nero in a skillet (either with a little water or a some sesame oil) and sautee. Drain the noodles and carefully mix them (if anyone knows a good method for mixing noodles with the veg, please put it in the comments)  The satay sauce is one of my favourite in the universe. You will need: 1/4 cup peanut butter 1 tbsp tamari 1 tbsp maple syrup 1 tbsp lemon or lime juice warm water to taste I just mix the first four ingredients, taste it, adjust it, then add a little warm water at a time until I reach the desired consistency. Can be made in advance and stored. I prefer to put
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The Mango in the Sushi - My first bento

What's in this box: Savoury box: - vegan sushi - tamari and wasabi Sweet box: - banana - chocolate and peanut butter caramel muffins Method and Recipes For the sushi , you will need: 1 cup shortgrain rice 1 and 1/2 cups water 1 tbsp maple syrup 1 tbsp rice or apple cider vinegar salt 4 nori sheets one slice of mango half an avocado two slices pan roasted tofu  sriracha Rinse the rice thoroughly (I often just buy pudding rice - much cheaper, great taste), then put it in a pot with the water. Bring to the boil, then cover and let cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. I usually check after 8 minutes, then check again until I can see the rice has absorbed all the water. Add the maple syrup, vinegar and a good pinch of salt, and mix delicately with a spatula. Because I am the laziest cook EVAR, I then spread the rice in a thin layer on a baking tray and leave it to cool. Not only this makes the rice cool more quickly, but as I discovered, if I quarter it
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Final stats

I decided to include a little rating list at the end of each bento, which I called "final stats". Here is what I mean with each of them and how I rate them: Total Time: this will include the time it takes me to wash up and tidy the kitchen after cooking. Don't you hate those 15 minutes meals that conveniently fail to mention the two hours cleanup afterwards? How many meals: because I often make two or more portions, one for immediate consumption, one for the bento. Appearance: - = pretty ugly * = ugly ** = ok-ish.  *** = appetizing **** = really pretty ***** = booootiful Value for effort: - = not worth it * = also not worth it ** = sort of worth it  *** = worth it **** = really worth it ***** = where has this been all my life? Taste:  - = bad idea. Don't do this.  * = not great.  ** = ok-ish.  *** = good stuff.  **** = this is awesome.  ***** = Make this NAO Staple potential:  - = I am never making this again * =
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