Earth Burger on Wheat Pita Bento

This is another night class bento. I packed an earthburger using homemade wheat pita bread and monterey jack cheese. Off to the side I packed cherry tomatoes and half of an avocado rubbed with lemon and sprinkled with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.

In a previous entry I made these pitas using the white flour master recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking. This time I used the recipe from their new book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients . I prefer this recipe for pita over the other one. The dough was so much easier to work with when rolling out the pitas. Here is a great video the authors posted on You Tube explaining visually how to make the dough.

Greek Chicken Pita Bento

I love my new Tupperware Orange and White Lunch N Things Box Container I ordered through Amazon. It rocks! It allows me to pack snack and lunch in one easy to carry streamlined container. For this one I packed a special greek inspired bento lunch with homeade pita bread and ground chicken patties, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber yogurt sauce, fresh fruit, nuts and raisins, and a cheese stick. This is lunch and a snack.


Chicken Patties
1 pound ground chicken breast
1/4 cup grated carrots
1/4 cup grated zuchinni
1 t greek seasoning
1 egg

Mix all ingredients together. Spray large skillet with non-stick spray and preheat on medium for couple of minutes. Drop chicken mixture into pan using a large spoon (about 1/3 cup each patty) directly into the pan. Cook for about 6-8 minutes on each side adding water or msg-free chicken broth to keep it from drying out as it's cooking.


Pita Bread
This bread is fast and versatile so I like it.

I used the master recipe for boule from Artisan Bread in Five minutes a day. It is so easy to prepare this dough. You keep it in your fridge for up to two weeks and with it you can make bread, pizza, and, as you can see, pitas! The master recipe calls for a large container to store the dough. I bought mine at Ace restaraunt supply on St. Mary's in San Antonio. It costs me under $5 to get the bucket and lid.

From Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking (Thomas Dunne Books, 2007)

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated yeast (2 packets)
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt or other coarse salt
6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour, measured with the scoop-and-sweep method


1. Warm the water slightly: It should feel just a little warmer than body temperature, about 100 degrees F. Warm water will rise the dough to the right point for storage in about 2 hours. You can use cold tap water and get an identical final result; then the first rising will take 3 or even 4 hours. That won't be too great a difference, as you will only be doing this once per stored batch.

2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5-quart bowl or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded (not airtight) plastic food container or food-grade bucket. Don't worry about getting it all to dissolve.

3. Mix in the flour--kneading is unnecessary: Add all of the flour at once, measuring it in with dry-ingredient measuring cups, by gently scooping up flour, then sweeping the top level with a knife or spatula; don't press down into the flour as you scoop or you'll throw off the measurement by compressing. Mix with a wooden spoon, a high-capacity food processor (14 cups or larger) fitted with the dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the dough hook until the mixture is uniform. If you're hand-mixing and it becomes too difficult to incorporate all the flour with the spoon, you can reach into your mixing vessel with very wet hands and press the mixture together. Don't knead. It isn't necessary. You're finished when everything is uniformly moist, without dry patches. This step is done in a matter of minutes, and will yield a dough that is wet and loose enough to conform to the shape of its container.

4. Allow to rise: Cover with a lid (not airtight) that fits well to the container you're using. Do not use screw-topped bottles or Mason jars, which could explode from the trapped gases. Lidded plastic buckets designed for dough storage are readily available. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flattens on the top), approximately 2 hours, depending on the room's temperature and the initial water temperature. Longer rising times, up to about 5 hours, will not harm the result. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Fully refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and is easier to work with than dough at room temperature. So, the first time you try our method, it's best to refrigerate the dough overnight (or at least 3 hours), before shaping a loaf.


To make bread
On Baking Day
5. The gluten cloak: don't knead, just "cloak" and shape a loaf in 30 to 60 seconds. First, prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal (or whatever your recipe calls for) to prevent your loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven. Sprinkle the surface of your refrigerated dough with flour. Pull up and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) piece of dough, using a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won't stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it's not intended to be incorporated into the dough. The bottom of the loaf may appear to be a collection of bunched ends, but it will flatten out and adhere during resting and baking. The correctly shaped final product will be smooth and cohesive. The entire process should take no more than 30 to 60 seconds.
6. Rest the loaf and let it rise on a pizza peel: Place the shaped ball on the cornmeal-covered pizza peel. Allow the loaf to rest on the peel for about 40 minutes (it doesn't need to be covered during the rest period). Depending on the age of the dough, you may not see much rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking ("oven spring").
7. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450°F, with a baking stone placed on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on any other shelf that won't interfere with the rising bread.
8. Dust and slash: Unless otherwise indicated in a specific recipe, dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow the slashing knife to pass without sticking. Slash a 1/4-inch-deep cross, "scallop," or tic-tac-toe pattern into the top, using a serrated bread knife.
9. Baking with steam: After a 20-minute preheat, you're ready to bake, even though your oven thermometer won't yet be up to full temperature. With a quick forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the pizza peel and onto the preheated baking stone. Quickly but carefully pour about 1 cup of hot water from the tap into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned and firm to the touch. Because you've used wet dough, there is little risk of drying out the interior, despite the dark crust. When you remove the loaf from the oven, it will audibly crackle, or "sing," when initially exposed to roomtemperature air. Allow to cool completely, preferably on a wire cooling rack, for best flavor, texture, and slicing. The perfect crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.
10. Store the remaining dough in the refrigerator in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next 14 days: You'll find that even one day's storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread. This maturation continues over the 14-day storage period. Refrigerate unused dough in a lidded storage container (again, not airtight). If you mixed your dough in this container, you've avoided some cleanup. Cut off and shape more loaves as you need them. We often have several types of dough storing in the refrigerator at once. The dough can also be frozen in 1 pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.


To make the pitas I preheated a pan with a lid to about medium high. Then I just tore off a piece of dough about the size of a golfball and rolled it out on a floured surface till it was about 5 inches in diameter. I made the pitas two different ways. First I put the rolled dough into the preheated pan, sprayed it with water and put the lid on. It takes about 2-3 minutes on each side. Second I tried it on a preheated baking stone at about 450. I like both methods but if you have neither the time nor the desire to crank up the oven the pan works just fine.

Quick Teriyaki Chicken Bento

I packed this bento for my night class. It consists of a quick fix Teriyaki chicken breast with sesame seeds, broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes, and a roasted rice ball or onigiri brushed with soy sauce. I also packed some fresh berries and grapes and cranberry apple crunch cobbler sweetened with local honey. I wish I could give you the recipes for this stuff, but honestly I just pull it out of my head as I'm cooking. I will try to be better about measuring so that I can share the recipe and blog about it.

Earth Burger Bento

This is a bento I packed for myself. This bento has an earth burger (recipe below)with avocado, monterrey jack cheese, sprouts, dijon, and lettuce. I also packed cherry tomatoes, a boiled egg, fruit, and cranberry apple crunch sweetened with honey.

This recipe is adopted from Gini Crowley who used to own Gini's Restaurant and Bakery in San Antonio. I worked there for three years and her mother earthburgers were one of my favorite things on the menu. Gini's no longer exists so I was so happy to find her recipe for the whole grain patties in the San Antonio Express News (archived-Wednesday, February 26, 2003. Record Number: 656150).

I have provided the recipe below. For conveniance I substituted frozen diced bell peppers and onions. I don't have a food processor and will take shortcuts in the kitchen as long as they don't cost too much and will not compromise the integrity of the final product. The rest of the ingredients can easily be found at Sun Harvest if you're in San Antonio.

Gini's Earthburgers

10 cups water

1 bay leaf

2.5 pounds peeled and quartered potatoes

1/2 pound barley

1/2 pound brown rice (short or long grain)

1/2 pound whole wheat berries

2 cups old-fashioned oats (not cooked)

2 pounds thinly sliced or shredded onions

1/2 pound grated carrots

1/2 pound bell peppers, diced small by hand or in food processor

1.5 teaspoons dried basil

11/2 teaspoons granulated garlic

1.5 teaspoons dried sage

1.5 teaspoons dried thyme

1.5 teaspoons dried tarragon

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons vegetable salt

1 pound fat-free whole wheat bread crumbs

Bring water to a boil with bay leaf and potatoes. Add whole grains (barley, rice and wheat berries). Lower heat and cover. Cook 45 minutes, or until grains are tender and water is absorbed. Remove from heat, add the oatmeal, and stir.

While the grains are cooking, spray a heavy nonstick skillet with Pam, heat the pan and add the onions. Saute over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are browned and caramelized. Add carrots and green peppers and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove from heat.

Remove bay leaf from pot and place grains in heavy mixing bowl. (A heavy duty Kitchen Aid mixer can handle the load. If not available, mix by hand. Potatoes should be broken up before they cool). Mix until potatoes are thoroughly mashed. Add all seasonings and the cooked vegetables and mix until well blended. Add bread crumbs and mix again. Cool mixture for several hours or overnight in refrigerator. Divide into 24 (7-ounce, by weight) or 3/4 cup portions and form into patties about 1/2-inch thick. (Wetting your hands helps to form the patties.) Place on a heavy-duty cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake on lower shelf of 450-degree oven until bottoms have browned, about 10-15 minutes.

Remove from oven and flip over; continue baking until other side has browned. Stack on a plate or cutting board and continue baking batches until all of the mixture is used. When cool, individually wrap patties in plastic wrap and freeze. (Patties may be eaten right away, but the freezing process improves the texture.) (Recipe can be halved.)

To serve: Thaw patty. Heat in microwave for 2-3 minutes or heat slowly in a nonstick pan. Serve on a toasted whole-wheat bun with or without cheese, avocado, sunflower or sesame seeds, lettuce, tomato and alfalfa sprouts and dijon mustard-Yum.

Approximate nutritional values per serving: 194 calories, 1 gram fat.

Crockpot Oatmeal Experiment

This was my first attempt at making oatmeal in the crock pot. I typically use the crock pot two to three times per week. I use one of those small ones that you always see at the grocery store for under ten bucks. It's worth every penny. It's perfect for beans, carne guisada, chicken soup, whatever cooks slow and long, really. So I figured why not oatmeal, right? The night before I placed one cup of old fashioned oatmeal, three cups of water, one cup of milk (you can use half and half, cream, I wonder if you can use soy milk or almond milk? Let me know if you try it with soy or any other non-dairy product). I also added some brown sugar (I was out of maple syrup. I'm sure you could use honey too. Yum), a pinch of salt, a dash of cinnamon, and one chopped apple. I set it on low for the next 8 hours. The result is very different than the oatmeal your probably used to. If you don't like the chewiness of traditionally made oatmeal this may make for a nice alternative.

I checked it as soon as I woke up (about 6:30am) and it was really soupy. Oh but it smelled wonderful. I expected the apple to disintegrate but I could still see good sized pieces in there. I turned it off and left it open as I continued to get ready for going out in public. Brushed my teeth, hair, put on pants...that sort of stuff. Then I saw to it that my seven year old brushed her teeth and hair, got dressed etc. By the time I was ready for my breakfast the temperature and texture was perfect. It thickened up nicely and was so creamy. As you can see I topped it with some fresh blueberries and chopped almonds. I also added a dash of milk because that's just how I roll. All in all I would say that this experiment was a success. It's hassle free, affordable, and fills you up in a good way.

Chicken Nuggets Bento

I like to buy my gyoza from this little Japanese grocery on Callahan called "Minnano." It seriously is the best gyoza you can buy frozen. The owner, who is aware of my love for bento told me she saw these mickey mouse shaped chicken nuggets at Target that would be perfect for bento. I don't usually "buy" disney, but I figured I'd check them out next time I found myself in the frozen food section at Target.

Well I found them. They are made by a company called "Pilgrims Pride." I know it just gets better and better-Disney and now Pilgrims. Surprisingly they sounded pretty good (for frozen chicken nuggets.) They are made with white meat and have lower fat and sugar, 15g of protein per serving (which is five peices). Anyway I figured I would give them a try. We had a test run the other day for lunch and my seven year old seemed to enjoy them. A couple of severed Mickey heads, that must have fused together during the production process to form one large odd-shaped Frankenmickey, added an element of amusement to the initial experience.

So I packed them for lunch today with a little tub of ketchup (upon request), cheese and cherry tomato kabobs on a bed of romaine lettuce, strawberries and grapes, homemade tortilla chips cut into cute shapes with cookie cutters, and a couple of Hello Kitty wheat crackers. The yellow container holds cotton candy as a special treat. That's right. Straight up sugar. I don't often do this, so I don't feel bad about it at all. Not to mention, it's a miniscule amount.

Chickadee bento

This bento consists of turkey sandwich, homeade corn tortilla chips cut into cute shapes with a cookie cutter. Babybel cheese, celery sticks with yogurt dip (in the blue thingy), grapes, cherry tomatoes, small boiled egg cut to look like a chick with sesame seed eyes and a carrot beak, pancake sandwiches with dark chocolate filling cut into flower shapes, and a little chocolate bar. This is lunch and snack.

Lunch size and snack bento. I like to pack my daughter's lunch and snack bento together. She's really good about deciding what to eat for lunch and snack during her day at school.





Top layer consists of grapes and strawberry, half of a boiled egg, pancake rolls with dark chocolate filling, and a mini babybel cheese wheel. Bottom layer consists of a turkey sandwich made with one white bread and one wheatberry bread cut into squares and alternated to made chckerboard pattern and a couple of cherry tomatoes.





Top layer consists of homeade mini corn tortilla chips cut into cute shapes with cookie cutters. Celery sticks with ranch dressing made with yogurt, jasmine rice and mini turkey sausages. Bottom layer consists of small tomatoes, grapes and strawberries, cheese stick, and half of a boiled egg with face made out of sesame seeds and carrot shreds.





This bento consists of mini citrus ginger chicken kabobs, pinapple kabobs, homemade mini tortilla chips (shapes cut out with cookie cutters: stars and flowers), melon balls, half of an egg shaped like a flower using an egg mold, and pancake "sushi rolls" filled with peanut butter, honey, and banana.

Snack Bento

Ugh. Sorry this picture is blurry. I need to get a new camera plus I was pressed for time to get out the door. This is a smaller Bento for a seven year old's school snack. This bento consists of half of a boiled egg shaped like a heart using egg molds. Made the face using black sesame seeds and carrot shreds. Melon balls with little blue man pick for little hands. Jicama and cranberries. And homeade tortilla chips (used cookie cutters to make little shapes: hearts, stars, and flowers).