Sequestration Meal #340

 

I feel I'm somehow getting better at pulling meals out of whatever is in my fridge and pantry as I continue to try very hard to keep to my grocery shopping schedule and avoid buying too many things that are shelf-stable. I really don't want to spend unnecessary time out in the world with the possibility of all sorts of disease vectors wandering around, and I do still need to try to avoid the panic buying of last year (Which I can't believe I'm still working my way through! Get a grip, past self!). It's a reassuring skill, being able to feel secure enough in your abilities to be contented with the contents of much diminished fridge, freezer, and pantry stocks.

However, if you have a food blog, that does mean sometimes showing off some slightly odd meals; I don't care this time because it was delicious. So I made one of my at-home bentos in a small casserole dish:

Steamed rice; crispy seaweed; hot dog stir fry; JUST Egg scrambled with mushrooms, spinach, and the very end of a can of off-brand Rotel tomatoes; and quick-pickled cucumber topped with sesame seeds.

What is hot dog stir fry, you ask? I based it on this recipe, which is easy to veganize if you just use vegan hot dogs. Essentially, I cut up some onion, bell pepper, broccoli, carrots, and Lightlife hot dogs and stir fried them, then added what felt like nearly every saucy thing in the fridge (soy sauce, ketchup, sweet chili sauce, barbecue sauce) and some other seasonings (brown sugar, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder). I would do this again for sure--it was utterly delicious.

There are times I just don't want raid-the-fridge soup, but raid-the-fridge bento is just as great. This looks a bit strange, but it tasted good, and it seems reasonably nutritious (I am not a medical doctor, of course; seek nutritional advice from professionals). It had protein and fat and carbohydrates, and plenty of veggies for the fiber and micronutrients. It used things I already had around. I'm calling this an unambiguous win.