Just Bento

While I do try to keep a good stash of pre-made food to quickly assemble bentos in the morning, sometimes I’ve just run out, or am not in the mood to use whatever I have in the freezer, or leftovers in the fridge. That doesn’t mean it’s not possible to assemble a bento quickly using fresh ingredients and pantry items. Here are a couple that I made last week. The only premade ‘stash’ I used was frozen brown rice. continue reading...

Bento contents:

• 1 cup of Vegetarian Chili with kidney beans, 250 cal (recipe below)
• 4 mini pumpkin yogurt muffins, 300 cal

Total calories (approx): 550 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 5-10 minutes in the morning with pre-made components

Type: Vegetarian, not Japanese (Southwestern) continue reading...

I’ve been working on a some recipes which work when I just throw them together, but aren’t quite ready for prime time publishing here. So the meantime here are a couple of bentos that are too similar to other bentos already shown here, but may be of interest to look at anyway. Both feature chicken recipes from the recent chicken mini-marathon. 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...

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...

• 1 cup (1 cup=220ml) white rice, 240 cal
• 1 cherry tomato and vegetable gratin with pesto, 110 cal
• Easy chili shrimp (4 med. shrimp), 60 cal
• Edamame, 10 cal
• Yukari (furikake made from umeboshi and red shiso leaves)

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

Time needed in the morning: 10-15 minutes

Type: Japanese continue reading...

Bento contents:

• 2 okowa with chicken onigiri, containing approx. 1 cup of cooked sticky rice and 1 oz. / 30g chicken - 320 cal
• Tamagoyaki with chopped green onions, 1 egg’s worth - 100 cal
• Green beans with carrot and ginger, 40 cal

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

Time needed: 10-15 minutes in the morning

Type: Japanese, omnivore (chicken, egg) continue reading...

Bento contents:

• 2 onigiri with salted salmon filling, each onigiri with about 1/2 cup (1 cup = 220ml) white rice (300 cal)
• 1/2 cup spicy miso marinated asparagus, 40 cal
• 3/4 cup stir-fried red pepper, onion and zucchini with fried tofu (atsuage), 100 calories
• A couple of slices of nori seaweed to wrap the onigiri
• A couple of cherry tomatoes, mainly for color

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

Time needed: 15-20 minutes in the morning

Type: Japanese, omnivore (salmon, miso, fried tofu) 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: continue reading...

• Bite size shrimp and caper sushi, about 40 cal per piece
• Tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette), 3 eggs worth, cut into 12 pieces - about 30 cal per piece
• Cherry tomatoes
• Blanched snow peas or mangetout
• Carrot flowers
• Cherries (not shown)

Last time, I mentioned how I thought the Fit & Fresh™ Breakfast Chiller, which is decidedly not a bento box in the traditional sense, could serve as a bento box. I put this into practice with some leftovers. It doesn’t look that photogenic so I’m putting it in the also-ran category of bentos, but it’s here since I thought it might be useful to see how to use a container like this. 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...

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. continue reading...

A list of bentos from no. 31 onwards - featured so far on Just Bento. Bentos no. 1- 30 are here. In addition, some also-ran bentos that didn’t make the list. 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...

A list of bentos no. 1 to 30 featured so far on Just Bento. continue reading...