PaleoBento

Time for the next incarnation! We have been doing gluten-free for quite a while. That's what got us into bento in the first place. It's a fun way to make a lunch so beautiful that you won't feel like anything is missing, because everything is perfect.

Lately, we have been reading more about the dangers of high-glycemic foods, and have decided to greatly reduce our intake of sugars and grains. Both my husband and I have more clarity, and we have both lost a bit of weight. Recently I wanted to make bentos for a few people I was picking up from the airport. They had been traveling for more than 15 hours and needed some real food. I wanted it to be low-carb, easily digestible, and highly nutritious, yet look and taste like something "normal" for the one traveler who pretty much eats a Standard American Diet. Here is what I came up with:

Asian Cauliflower Fried "Rice," Chicken with Soy Sauce and Apple Molasses, Steamed Zucchini;
Dove chocolates and a tangerine.

The dish that ties it all together is the Cauliflower Fried Rice, adapted from Sarah Fragoso's Everyday Paleo. Nom Nom Paleo has a yummy version here. Every one of the travelers asked me, "Wow! What is this grain?" and were all surprised to find that it was not a grain at all. (The raw corn I added for color is indeed a grain, but it's minimal.) Basically, you grate or food-process cauliflower until it is as small as rice (or in this case, quinoa), then eat it raw or briefly cooked, with or without other seasonings. One medium cauliflower, grated into rice, makes enough for six people, so the choice to buy organic is more economical. Another vegetable that stands in well for grain is grated parsnip, raw or steamed, and, of course, baked spaghetti squash. You're not just eliminating grains, you are actually eating more wonderful vegetables.

When I first went gluten-free, I began making tabouli with quinoa instead of bulghur wheat. If you wanted to lower the carb count, you could do as many raw-food chefs do and substitute grated cauliflower to make a completely raw, low-carb, gluten-free dish that is very tasty. You can also reduce the carb load and increase the nutrition of mashed potatoes by mashing in part (or all) of steamed cauliflower. By taking advantage of Cauliflower's bland, adaptable nature, you can create bentos that are Paleo-friendly and totally yummy!

What's for Breakfast?

I am not a breakfast person. There, I said it. I have no interest in eating breakfast, nor in making it for others, at least not on a daily basis. My ideal breakfast is hot tea. My family, however,  has other thoughts on the matter. This isn't strictly speaking a bento-type post, but in the bigger picture, it is. Because despite our best efforts, sometimes we have to make lunch AND breakfast in the morning, and sometimes the people we love don't want cold cereal.

How pleased I was, then, when I learned about making oatmeal in the slow cooker. Yes, I can start it at night when food still seems interesting and appealing. Plug it in before bed, and in the morning there is hot oatmeal all cooked, and I only have to think about assembling lunches. How delightful! Steel-cut oats hold up the best, or you can cook other grains instead like grits or polenta or cream of rice.

You can add the raisins and sweeteners and milk and such the night before, but of course, me being the contrary breakfast type, I prefer mine later in the morning with salt and olive oil. Or maybe cheese, like grits? To each his own. So we cook it with just a bit of butter and salt, then everyone adorns their own in the morning.

If you have a programmable rice cooker, that is even better: Since it can be set to cook a shorter time, you use less power and you can cook more fragile grains, such as regular rolled oats. Just set it up before bed, then eat it up in the morning. Yum!

This post begs the question, why don't you let just everyone make their own breakfast? If there's one thing I like less than making breakfast, it is banging around in the morning with three other people in the kitchen. There, I said that, too. This has been very therapeutic.

Nice Fat Bean Sprouts!

Last year I acquired 25 pounds of organic mung beans. (My husband would ask, "Is that a statement of fact, or a cry for help?") My idea was to sprout them. However, it turns out that when you do it at home using the usual methods, they come out very shrimpy. The "tail" is barely longer than the bean. They're okay, but not the crispy, juicy sprouts I envisioned. A little internet research revealed that mung beans sprout best in dark conditions, under pressure. It took very little effort to construct a mung-bean sprouter from common household items. Please enjoy!

First, find an empty yogurt container and a rigid plastic lid that will fit all the way inside; the lid you see in the second photo came off a Really Raw Honey jar. Make sure your container is opaque, not clear. Now all you need is a way to poke drainage holes in the bottom of the yogurt container. I used a metal skewer heated over a flame, thus the rectangular holes. Do poke from the inside to the outside so that any protruding edges will be on the outside. That will improve drainage.

Soak a couple tablespoons of mung beans overnight. Put them into the container, put the rigid lid directly on top of them, and put a quart jar of water on top of that. The jar of water provides weight. Set the sprouter on a saucer or something to collect water that drains through. There, you're done!

Day 3--See how they're all nicely packed together?

Rinse the sprouts every day. I keep mine next to the sink so I remember to do it. Rinse with care so you don't break up the mass of beans. (On about day 5, you can start soaking more beans for your next batch.) Rinse your saucer too every day so nothing can grow in the water that will collect.

Day 7: Be careful not to start with too many beans, otherwise it will be hard to balance the jar of water on top!

Look at those nice, fat juicy sprouts! When they start to leaf out, knock the mass of beans into a bowl to rinse them. Some roots will have grown through the drainage holes, so you might have to wiggle the beans out. I just bang the sprouter upside down in the bowl and most of the sprouts fall out. As you rinse, many of the green hulls will float to the top and can be removed. And here is the finished product:

Rinsed and ready to eat! Just as big and tasty as the store bought ones, and you did it yourself!

Now scrub your sprouter to remove the roots that are blocking the holes, and you are ready to start again. Have fun!