The first thing I'll review is a recipe from the new Looneyspoons Collection book called Rice Capades. It's a mixture of rice (I used quinoa -- a suggested substitution), red pepper (I used orange), cucumber, cantaloupe, onion, cilantro, orange and lime juice, cumin, honey, dijon mustard and hot sauce. It was a lovely to look at and while the kids didn't like it -- boo kids -- G and I ate it. There was however something bitter about it that threw me. Not sure if it was from the orange juice or what, but I definitely would have preferred it without that bitter undertone. G noticed it as well. Wasn't enough to ruin the dish, but it was enough to make it go from YUM to "well I don't need to make that one again." If you can figure out where the bitter came from please let me know because I'd actually like to make it again someday I think.
The second review is a follow up to my Planet Box reviews. The girls are loving using them and I love that they fit into their bags so much better than the EasyLunchbox systems. Again though, we're having problems with proper sealing. The PB come with big and little dippers that include a silicone ring which is supposed to seal the dipper when it's inside the PB. I tried to send fruit cocktail in a big dipper and I confess, I only used rubber bands on the outside to hold it closed hoping the silicone would do the rest but sadly it did not. For one the rings don't tend to stay in place and the big dippers are actually pretty hard to open. Disappointing.
I'm also less than thrilled at the sharp side edges and have gotten my thumb pinched more than once when setting the tray into the dishwasher. Overall would I still recommend the Planet Box? Yes and no. It's a nice system and fancy enough looking but it's not, at least not if you're getting it shipped to Canada, worth the expense in my view. Sorry Planet Box.
And finally a quick pic to show that even after a year the EasyLunchbox system is still holding up pretty good. We've cracked a few lids and a few trays too, but most of the system is still intact and while it also doesn't seal, it's fine for lunches like this one:
Did you cook the cuke or was it raw? Cooking cukes could be a source of bitterness. Other than that, I don't know. Nothing is jumping out at me in that recipe that would be bitter.
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