Today’s lunch bento was a bit high on proteins, but I usually tip over to the vitamin side so I guess it’s okay (for once). There are also not enough carbs in the box, but I brought a hummus sandwich on the side. Can’t have you thinking I’m being irresponsible! ;)

Sunny Bento #109, 22-07-2010
Clockwise, starting in the upper right corner: lying on a bed of lettuce is the classic combination of pear and blue cheese, in this case Blacksticks Blue; a smooth and tasty handmade cheese from Lancashire. Don’t let the colour fool you! It isn’t cheddar but a soft cheese getting its orange hue (like cheddar) from adding annatto, a pigment derived from pulp of achiote fruit.

Lower right: yoghurt with apricot sauce and a pinch of cinnamon.

Lower left tier: veggie ‘Bratwürst’ (bought on Schiermonnikoog), cashew nuts with rosemary & garlic, Italian scrocchi crackers, blanched snow peas and (woven! ;) zucchini, gooseberries and a cherry tomato from our windowsill plant (again on a bed of lettuce).

Upper left: the rest of the pear wedges in lemon juice.

Middle: ketchup for my vegetarian sausage.

Easy apricot sauce

This apricot sauce is one of my all-time favourite recipes. I mostly eat it for breakfast with yoghurt and cereals, but I actually took it from a semolina dessert recipe. I think it can be used with many other dishes as well! Be adventurous and experiment :)

Ingredients

  • 50 grams dried apricots (= about 5 big ones or 6 small)
  • 1 tbs lemon juice
  • 100 ml water
  • (optional) packet of vanilla-sugar

Preparation

  1. Put apricots, water, lemon juice (and sugar, if desired) in a bowl and cover.
  2. Microwave for about 3-4 minutes on 700 Watt. Keep an eye on the fruit so it won’t burn!
  3. Let it cool down for a while.
  4. Use food processor to make a smooth sauce.

I never use any sugar because the sweetness of the dried fruit is quite enough for my taste! And of course you can add more water for a silkier sauce.

And here’s a confession… I’ve got two types of dried apricots in my kitchen cupboard: organic ones that haven’t been sulphuretted, and plain apricots from the ordinary supermarket. For this sauce I use the latter because I like the bright orange colour (instead of an unappetizing brown). So much for principles, eh?

Organic & local: zucchini, snow peas, gooseberries, lettuce.
Organic: veggie sausage, yoghurt, pears.

WW propoints: 10 (13 including hummus sandwich)

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