Bento: Colored Rice Animals

A few blogs ago, I wrote about how in love I am with Bento style meals. The Bento boxes, accessories, I think they are all so adorable. In the search for recipes that I can use for my cute Bento boxes, I came across JustBento.com. They have so many recipes and cute ideas for lunch. I absolutely love this recipe for Colored Rice Animals. These colored rice animals are made with vegetables and have no food coloring in them.

Recipe: Pink or purple rice

For every cup of cooked white rice, use:

• 1 tsp to 1/2 Tbs. finely grated red cabbage
• a few drops of lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. vegetable or olive oil (optional)
• pinch salt

Grate the red cabbage as finely as possible - a microplane grater is the best tool for this. The more red cabbage you use, the more purple the rice will be. Add a few drops of lemon juice to the grated cabbage a little at a time. It will turn redder and redder.

Mix the cabbage with salt and oil, and spread on top of the rice. Cover with plastic film and microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Mix together very well.

It doesn’t taste cabbage-y at all, and the lemon juice adds a pleasant slight sour note, rather like sushi rice.

Recipe: Green rice

For every cup of cooked white rice, use:

• 1 Tbs. frozen green peas
• 1/2 tsp. vegetable or olive oil (optional)
• pinch salt

Put the peas in a small bowl and microwave on HIGH for 30-40 seconds to defrost them. Mash them up as finely as you can with a fork, or in a mortar and pestle(a tool use to crush, mix and grind substances).

Mix the peas, salt and oil with the rice and microwave on HIGH for one minute. Mix together very well.

Recipe: Simple orange rice

For a more flavorful orange colored carrot rice, see this page. This is a simple version which omits the onion.

For every cup of cooked white rice, use:

• 1 Tbs. finely grated carrot
• 1/2 tsp. vegetable or olive oil (optional)
• pinch salt

Grate the carrot as finely as possible. Place on top of the rice with the oil

and salt. Cover with plastic film and microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes. Mix together very well.

You can find the tools to make these cute colored rice animals, at JBox.com. They retail at $25.00 for the set.