
Sorry for the lack of posts, the holiday season and some other issues cropped up. In fact this week's bento was suppose to be for last week. (the theme made a little more sense since everyone was just returning to work) I figured everyone probably made the same new years resolution of eating healthier and losing a bit of weight, so I decided to help everyone off to a good start with New Years Resolution Bento. I was inspired by a slew of nice and healthy recipes a little bit of tinkering and I came up with this menu.

First up, a DIY Chicken Pita sandwich with Salsa Verde. I saw a neat recipe for grilled chicken breast and another for a pita sandwich. I liked the idea of fusing the two together as the flavor for the salsa sounded like a nice burst of flavor. I sous vide'ed the chicken breast for maximum moisture and finished them on an indoor grill to get a bit of char. Eating lean doesn't mean losing a great tasting meal, the trick is to substitute fat for flavor. Yeah it's not the same, but a tangy sauce over chicken breast does a lot more for staying with your resolution. I treated the chicken with just a bit of salt and pepper and opted for a spring greens mix to get some of the vegetables into the diet.

Creamy vegetable pasta. This was a really interesting dish, the recipe uses yogurt to fake a cream sauce. Although I was not completely fooled it was an interesting substitution that saved a ton of calories. Mashed garlic with salt turned the yogurt into a very savory sauce. The dish normally calls for shrimp, but since I relegated it to a side dish, I added more bell peppers (for color) and even more asparagus and peas (because you can't have enough veggies). This turned out to be a very tasty dish. A gentle re-heat and you'd swear it was a cream based pasta. Wheat pasta was called for to lower the GI count, I didn't realize how far 12 ounces would go (was cooking for nine today). I've certainly learned a new trick in my keep healthy arsenal.
Recipe Requested see it here.
Ok yes, I cheated, I slotted in a dip and used the last slot for carrots to dip with. The last dish is a Ginger Edamame dip, it's prepared like a hummus (the only common item is the Tahini and garlic). I used a bit of Sriracha to spice things up. The ginger lent a very tasty accent. I packed baby carrots to dip with and a few rice crackers (trying to save on the carbs). Very simple dish to get people to eat veggies and even more veggies. It definitely had a less rich and heavy feel to it than hummus, hopefully it proves filling.
I'm very glad to be back! There's a food blogger event happening Monday so I'll have a post up on that as well.
Box Contents:- Build your own pita, chicken breast with salsa verde
- Creamy vegetarian pasta
- Ginger Edamame Dip
Comments
Lisa
Creamy Vegetable Pasta adapted from Eating Well
Ingredients
6 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper sliced thin
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cups nonfat or low-fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (see Tip; optional)
Preparation
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook 2 minutes less than package directions. Add shrimp, asparagus, bell pepper and peas and cook until the pasta is tender and the shrimp are cooked, 2 to 4 minutes more. Drain well.
2. Mash garlic and salt in a large bowl until a paste forms. Whisk in yogurt, parsley, lemon juice, oil and pepper. Add the pasta mixture and toss to coat. Serve sprinkled with pine nuts (if using).