Yet another way to jazz up hard boiled eggs! This is really really easy and really frugal, dare I say cheap....

A very simple 'instant' pickle-relish-salad made with always available vegetables, plus an equally easy decorative cutting technique.

Healthy and filling, this brown rice kayu or rice porridge is perfect for thermal lunch jars.

Here's a recipe for a classic vegetable dish that is served at New Year's in Japan. It actually gets better after some time in the refrigerator, and is a great bento side dish that may even bring you some luck!

Crispy pan-fried (rather than deep fried) chicken nuggets made from pre-cooked chicken dark meat. The nuggets are coated with cornstarch and thinly shaved or shredded gobo (burdock root) for extra crispiness. You could use leftover turkey (thigh or leg meat), and any kind of firm root vegetable instead.

A delicious fall-like walnut-miso paste that makes any bland cooked vegetables taste great. It's easy to make and stash in your refrigerator.

Here's an East-meets-West type of dish that is great for bentos, using one of my favorite grains, quinoa, with some very Japanese ingredients.