Just Bento

How to make really low-carb, gluten-free sandwich ‘bread’ with fried freeze dried tofu. continue reading...

Here’s another low-carb, gluten-free muffin recipe — a remake of an old favorite. continue reading...

This week’s Great Bento Ideas are by Cocyte, who makes beautiful bentos in Bordeaux, France - a country that could be considered the mecca of bento-ing in Europe. continue reading...

Bento contents:

• Fried tofu (atsuage) with negimiso, 150 calories
• Konnyaku sautéed with ginger, garlic and chili peppers (variation of Konnyaku aglio olio e peperoncino), 50 calories
• Sweet pepper and carrot confetti, 30 calories
• Steamed baby pak choi with sesame oil, 20 calories

Total calories (approx): 250 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 30 minutes (if all components are made in the morning, much less time if you make things in advance)

Type: Japanese, low carb, low calorie, vegan, “zen”! continue reading...

A quick and easy trick for keeping the ‘bun’ part of a rice burger from falling apart. continue reading...

Bento contents:

• Quinoa with green peas and dried sausage, 1/3rd of the recipe (about 1 1/3 cups), 340 calories
• Raw asparagus, radish and Parmesan salad, 1/2 of the recipe (about 1 1/4 cups), 100 calories
• Fresh strawberries, about 1 cup, 50 calories Total calories (approx): 490 (how calories are calculated)

(1 cup = 240ml (US measurements))

Time needed: 25-30 minutes the night before; 10-15 minutes in the morning

Type: Not Japanese, alternative grains, gluten-free (note: please make sure the sausage you use is wheat-free if you are gluten intolerent.) continue reading...

Bento contents:

• One pan braised kale with bacon and new potatoes, 1/4th the recipe, 430 cal
• Angel shaped cheese cutout (Gruyere), 30 cal

Total calories (approx): 460 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 5-10 minutes in the morning (from leftovers of dinner the night before: see recipe for timing of kale dish) continue reading...

I have been trying to incorporate more dark leafy green vegetables into our meals lately, not only for health reasons, but for the taste too. Spinach and Swiss chard are standards for me, but lately I’ve been playing around a lot with the kale family and cavolo nero, a type of dark leafed, loose cabbage. Kale is a bit tough, so I like to blanch it before stir frying it, adding to soups, and so on. continue reading...