Temari Rabbit 2-Tier Bento #72

Bell pepper strips glazed with ketchup; spinach sauteed with mushrooms, garlic, and grape tomatoes; rice; and marinated tofu topped with scallions and sesame seeds.

I ran across the idea of glazing bell pepper strips with ketchup in Just Bento, but was skeptical until I found myself short on time and needing to use up some bell pepper. I do like ketchup, but as Makiko Itoh says, ketchup does seem a little...something these days. Americans are stereotyped as putting ketchup on everything, and ketchup, like Jello salad, is seen as woefully unsophisticated. But this was really delightful--an excellent flavor. So try adding some ketchup and a bit of red pepper flakes after you've stir fried bell pepper strips sometime, and see what happens. You might actually like it.

Incidentally (this didn't occur to me until I was halfway through lunch), this is vegan and gluten free.