bento recipe

Presentation and instructions for a complete bento

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Whenever I post a complete bento how-to I try to pick ones that have something unique or noteworthy about them. Of course I actually make a lot more bentos than I post about. Here are few that didn't make the cut - the 'also-ran' bentos, with an explanation of why they didn't make it to star status.

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Bento contents:

Total calories (approx): 480 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 10-15 minutes

Type: Japanese, meatless (tuna)

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Bento contents:

Total calories (approx): 515 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 15-20 minutes in the morning if you make everything in the morning

Type: Not Japanese, vegetarian (lacto-ovo)

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Bento contents:

Total calories (approx): 525 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 5 minutes in the morning for assembly

Type: Japanese, meat-free, gluten-free (see notes

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Bento contents:

  • 1 cup vegan potato salad with extra tofu 'mayonnaise', 220 cal
  • Mixed green salad with cherry tomatoes, 30 cal
  • 1 medium apple, 60 cal

Total calories (approx): 310 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 5 minutes in the morning

Type: Salad, vegan, gluten-free

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Bento contents:

Total calories (approx): 380 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 15 minutes in the morning, less if you make the kidney beans ahead

Type: Fushion, vegan, gluten-free

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(This is the web elf. This is one of the articles Maki instructed to post while she's on the disabled list.)

Bento contents:

  • 1 cup zakkokumai (mixed-grain rice, see this article), 160 cal
  • 1/3 cup white beans with honey, 50 cal
  • 2 mini tofu-meat burgers with red wine, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce (recipe), 160 cal
  • Blanched spinach with sesame sauce (recipe), 40 cal

Total calories (approx): 410 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 15 minutes in the morning

Type: Japanese, omnivore (protein comes from beef, tofu and beans)

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Bento contents:

  • 1 1/4 cups zakkukumai (mixed-grain rice, see this article), 200 cal
  • 'Vegan scallops' made with komachibu and shiitake mushrooms (recipe), using 10 g of komachibu, 50 cal
  • Carrot kinpira (recipe), about 1/3 cup, 50 cal
  • Blanched spinach with soy sauce (recipe), 10 cal

Total calories (approx): 310 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 20 minutes in the morning if you make everything in the morning

Type: Japanese, vegan (shoujin ryouri style)

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