If you are one of the millions of people who commute to work or school every weekday, then you have probably asked yourself the ultimate question on a fairly regular basis: What’s for lunch? I have certainly struggled with this conundrum, and the answer will never become definite. What I enjoy eating this week is unlikely to be as appealing next week, and in many ways my handy-dandy bento jar has complicated matters. Now I not only have to ask myself what’s for lunch, but I have to further wonder: “What should I put in each of my bento’s four compartments?”

As you can imagine, the solution to this latter question requires a generous amount of planning; from deciding what goes into which compartment, to making the food, to packing it the night before. Yet in the end (and with practice) I’ve discovered that using a bento seriously simplifies my weekly routine. By making my food on Sunday evenings and adding leftovers to the mix, my lunches have not only become more varied - spinach salad, baby carrots, minestrone and tuna pasta is one favorite meal combination - but my waistline is reaping the rewards of controlled portion sizes. I lost five pounds within two months of adopting the ‘way of bento’ lunching, using the largest container for salads or veggies and the smaller ones for slightly more decadent fare: curried potatoes with jasmine rice, vichyssoise, and the like. Not bad, if you ask me, and no dieting required! (In fact, I am morally opposed to diets.)

This week vegetarian pad thai is my entree of choice, and I’ve been so satisfied with it that I had to share the recipe with you. Packed with nutritious ingredients like cremini mushrooms, spinach, tofu and carrots, it gives me the energy boost I need when 1 o’clock in the afternoon rolls around. Pad thai connoisseurs like Pim wouldn’t call it “authentic” with things like Tabasco and pure maple syrup in the sauce, but I can nevertheless say one thing with absolute confidence: it’s delicious. And vegetarian too - no small feat when you consider how key an ingredient fish sauce (nam pla) is in traditional versions. (I eat fish but my husband, who’s also a vegetarian, despises it.) I thought my pad thai days were over until I came across Peter Berley’s recipe in “Fresh Food Fast,” which I’ve modified slightly - using two kinds of mushrooms, red wine, and replacing lettuce with spinach, for instance. Whether you use a bento or Tupperware, the finished product is sure to satisfy come lunchtime. I would recommend making it for a Sunday dinner (the dish takes 30-40 minutes from start to finish) then taking the leftovers for lunch the next day. Two meals in one, and for half the effort!

(As an aside, check out this Flickr group, for more ideas about bento lunch options. Wiki also has an interesting page about bentos.)

—————————-

Before the recipe I want to take a moment to introduce you to the site of my friend Rebecca, who has just taken the plunge and started her own baking blog! If you have a spare moment, please stop by her site and give her a warm welcome to the food blogosphere - I know she’ll be tickled to hear from you.

—————————-

Vegetarian Pad Thai
Adapted from Fresh Food Fast, by Peter Berley

Ingredients: Serves 4

• 1/2 lb rice noodles

For the sauce

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce
• 1 tablespoon red wine
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

For the vegetables and tofu

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 cup thinly sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 1 cup thinly sliced fresh cremini (baby bella) mushrooms
• 1 cup coarsely grated carrot
• 1 bunch scallions, whites thinly sliced, greens cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 - 1 lb firm tofu, drained and sliced into bite-sized cubes (cut cubes while the water is boiling and set aside in a large bowl lined with a few layers of paper towel)
• 1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped roasted peanuts
• Cilantro & lime wedges for garnish (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rice noodles and cook until barely tender, about 4 minutes. Drain, chill under cold running water, and drain again. Set aside.

To prepare the sauce, in a small bowl whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, Tabasco sauce, red wine and maple syrup.

In a wok or large saute pan, heat the oil until it begins to smoke. Add the mushrooms, carrot, white part of the scallions, and garlic and stir-fry until the vegetables soften, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sauce and the tofu, and cook, stirring, until almost dry, about 4 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and cook until the sauce reduces and begins to thicken, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Rinse the noodles briefly if they have begun to stick together. Drain and add to the vegetables. Add the spinach and peanuts and cook, stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes.

Serve immediately garnished with scallion greens, extra peanuts if desired, and cilantro or lime wedges.