Just Bento

Bento contents:

• 2 slices of bread, 85 cal each - 170 cal
• Pan-fried salty chicken, 2 small chicken thighs totalling 70g (2.5oz) with skin, 150 cal
• About 1/3-1/2 cup carrot kinpira, 50 cal
• Lettuce and cherry tomatoes, 5 cal
• 1/3 cucumber with dill, 10 cal
• 1/2 Tbs. mayonnaise (in apple shaped container), 50 cal

Total calories (approx): 435 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 5-10 minutes in the morning continue reading...

Bento contents:

• A bit more than 1 cup of carrot rice (microwave method) made with white rice, 220 cal
• Panfried chicken mini-burgers using about 80g of dark skinless chicken meat, 150 cal
• 2 Tbs. Cooked to death hot and sweet peppers, 40 cal
• 2 green shiso leaves for garnish (more about shiso)

Total calories (approx): 400 (how calories are calculated) continue reading...

Bento contents:

• Approx. 1 cup of white rice, 200 cal, with a little furikake on top
• Stewed chicken dumplings and carrot using about 90g of dark skinless chicken meat, 120 cal
• Blanched green beans, 30 cal
• 2 cherry tomatoes, 5 cal (if that)

Total calories (approx): 355 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 5-10 minutes in the morning, just to pack everything in the bento box

Type: Japanese, chicken! continue reading...

Although I use chicken quite a lot in my bentos, I realized that I have very few bento-appropriate chicken recipes up here on Just Bento, or even over on Just Hungry. I am going to rectify this situation over the next few days, so if you are a chicken fan, stay tuned!

The first chicken recipe is one I have made for years and years - tender, lemony white meat nuggets that are infused with lemon. They very quick to make, good hot or cold, and versatile. They are pan fried, not deep-fried, so they are not crispy on the outside, but are delicious nevertheless. You can use them in a rice based bento, with noodles, or as a sandwich filling. They can be eaten as-is with a cocktail stick or the fingers too. continue reading...

Bento contents:

• 4 lower-calorie inarizushi with hijiki, 240 cal
• Stir-fried bean sprouts, red chili pepper and garlic chives, 60 cal
• Handful of frozen edamame, 50 cal

Total calories (approx): 360 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 5-10 minutes in the morning Type: Japanese, vegan continue reading...

Bento contents:

Stir-fried noodles consisting of:

• 2 cups sliced mixed vegetables - sweet and chili peppers, cabbage, enoki (straw) mushrooms, snow peas, green onion, fresh ginger, celery, approx. 60 cal
• Shirataki or konnyaku noodles, 5-10 cal

• 1/2 Tbs. sesame oil, 60 cal

• 4 vegan shuumai dumplings, 120 cal

Total calories (approx): 245 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 10 minutes in the morning (can also be made ahead)

Type: Spicy Asian, vegan continue reading...

Bento contents:

• 1 1/2 US cups (approx. 6 oz / 170g) cooked cold soba noodles, 170 cal
• 1/2 cup dipping sauce (see soba noodles recipe), 15 cal
• Shrimp fritters (with 6 shrimp), 200 cal
• Cherry tomatoes, chopped green onion, 5 cal

Total calories (approx): 390 (how calories are calculated)

Type: Japanese, noodles continue reading...

Two recipes using frozen shrimp that can be made in a few minutes. continue reading...

This vegetable gratin in a cup is a great way to use up leftover vegetables in a tasty way. It only takes a few minutes to assemble too. The only thing you should have are the cherry tomatoes, which make their own sauce in a way. Otherwise you can use any cooked or frozen vegetables you have on hand. Here I’ve used some leftover zucchini and frozen carrot and peas. You could use the ever popular sweet pepper and onion confit too.

The ‘sauce’ used is mayonnaise. Cooking with mayonnaise may seem a bit odd, but it works very well. It’s a very popular all-around sauce in Japanese home cooking. Cooked mayonnaise sauce tastes very nice when cold, making it very suited to bento dishes. I have used a ‘light’ mayonnaise here to halve the calories (50 calories per tablespoon, instead of about 100 for regular mayo), and added a little pesto from a jar to make it even tastier. I seem to always have jars of sauces spreads and pestos and so on around in the fridge - if you do too, try experimenting with them!

You do need a toaster oven to cook them up fast, but for serious bento makers this is a really handy piece of kitchen equipment to have (see essential bento making supplies).

This is a lacto-ovo-vegetarian recipe. To turn this into a vegan one use a non-egg mayonnaise substitute and omit the cheese. You can up the nutrients by adding chopped up leftover meat, more cheese, and so on. continue reading...

Bento contents:

• 1 U.S. cup or 5oz / 140g spelt pasta, 170 cal
• A few pieces of white flour pasta, 40 cal
• 1/4 cup or 1.75 oz / 50g frozen tuna salad with mayonnaise, 120 cal
• About 3/4 cup sweet pepper and onion confit with zucchini, 90 cal
• 1/2 Tbs. olive oil, 55 cal
• 3-4 black olives, 30 cal
• 1 boiled egg, 80 cal
• Lemon juice, cherry tomatoes, celery, parsley, 10 cal

Total calories (approx): 645 (how calories are calculated)

Type: Pasta salad! continue reading...

Bento contents:

• 1 cup (1 cup = 220ml) bamboo shoot rice made with sprouted brown rice, 200 cal
• 1 1/2 cups asparagus, bamboo shoot and snow pea stir-fry, 70 cal
• 1 wiener cut into fish, 150 cal

Total calories (approx): 420 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 10 minutes in the morning

Type: Japanese, omnivore (wieners!) continue reading...

Bento contents:

• 3/4 cup (1 cup = 220ml) brown rice, 170 cal
• 4 Tbs. Vegan dry curry made with soybeans, 200 cal
• Cucumber and cherry tomato salad with yogurt sauce, 40 cal
• Broccoli, 10 cal

Total calories (approx): 420 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 10 minutes in the morning

Type: Japanese-yohshoku, vegan (soybeans or tempeh) continue reading...

Bento contents:

• 3/4 cup (220ml) carrot rice, 140 cal
• 1 cup Vegan nikujaga (potatoes stewed with fried tofu), 200 cal
• Sautéed spicy lotus root, 140 cal
• Radishes, 5 cal

Total calories (approx): 485 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 10 minutes in the morning

Type: Japanese, vegan (tofu) continue reading...

• 3/4 cup brown rice (220 cal)
• 1 egg in a treasure bag, cut into half (120 cal)
• 1/2 chikuwa (100 cal)
• poached carrot slices (40 cal)
• 1/3 cup Spring greens namul (40 cal)
• takuan pickles (5 cal)

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 continue reading...

Bento contents:

• 2 slices of whole wheat bread with dried cranberries and walnuts (approx. 240cal)
• Brebis cheese, about 60 g / 2 oz (approx. 100cal)
• Sweet pepper and onion confit, 3/4 cup (approx. 90 cal)
• Cut up mango and orange, 3/4 cup (approx. 50 cal)

Total calories (approx): 470 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 5-10 minutes in the morning

Type: Bread based, vegetarian (uses cheese) continue reading...

Bento contents:

• 1 cup (about 220ml) sprouted brown rice (220cal)
• 2 Tbs. salmon furikake or flakes, 1sp. gomashio (60cal)
• Tofu nuggets made from about 2/3rds block (200g) of soft tofu (160cal)
• Carrots and celery cooked in bouillon (30cal)
• Steamed asparagus spears (20cal)

Total calories (approx): 490 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 5-10 minutes in the morning, 20-30 previously continue reading...

(click on image for a bigger view)

Bento contents:

• 1 cup cooked sprouted brown rice (220cal)
• 1/2 Tbs. homemade gomashio (sesame salt) (45cal)
• About 1 cup total of stewed hijiki with carrots and fried tofu (130cal)
• 1 umeboshi (5 cal)

Total calories (approx): 400 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 10 minutes in the morning, a bit of this and that previously

Type: Japanese, vegan, gluten-free continue reading...

Bento contents:

• 1 small piece of shiozake or salted salmon (about 150 cal)
• 1 cup brown rice (220 cal)
• A few bibb lettuce leaves (3 cal)
• Konnyaku no tosani, salty-sweet konnyaku with bonito flakes (about 30 cal)
• Homemade ‘instant’ miso soup ball (see how-to) (about 30 cal)

Total calories (approx): 435 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 5 to 10 minutes

Type: Japanese continue reading...

Bento contents:

• Brown rice mixed with assorted pickled vegetables (230 cal)
• Dry-fried crispy fried tofu (220 cal)

Total calories (approx): 450 cal (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 5-10 minutes

Type: Japanese, vegan continue reading...