Just Bento

Few things are as easy to make or as tasty for lunch than a simple tuna salad sandwich. It’s one of my favorite things to make when I’m too busy or occupied for more involved cooking. But porting around tuna salad when the weather is warm can be a bit of a problem.

I’ve been experimenting with freezing tuna salad in different ways, or rather stages of development as it were, as well as different tuna salad mixes. 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: 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)

Bento contents:

• 1 cup (220ml) zakkokumai, 160 cal
• 3 tuna tofu miso mini-burgers made with tuna packed in oil, 250 cal
• Red pepper and pak choy stir fry, 60 cal

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

Time needed: 10-15 minutes

Type: Japanese, meatless (tuna) continue reading...

I do like mini-burgers for bentos - they’re easy to make, easy to eat, and cute. This time it’s a tuna and tofu burger flavored with miso. Canned tuna is a versatile and handy staple to have around. I always seem to have at least a couple around - you may too. And it’s cheap, so if you live in the U.S. and are feeling a bit poor today after filing your taxes, these will help a bit in stretching your food budget. It’s better if you make the burgers with oil canned tuna, but water canned will do. They’re quick to mix up in a plastic bag, and cook up in a few minutes. continue reading...

Bento contents:

• Parsley and shiso leaves in lemon-flavored sushi with 1 cup white rice cooked with white zakkoku mix (approx: 200cal)
• Lotus root slices (approx. 20 cal)
• Salted salmon, about 50 g / 1 3/4 oz (approx. 80 cal)
• Usuyaki tamago (thin egg omelette) (approx. 80 cal)

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

Time needed: 20 minutes in the morning, 10-15 the night before

continue reading...

Bento contents:

• 3/4 cup (about 160ml) white rice with sushi vinegar (180cal)
• 5 peeled shrimp cooked with sake (90cal)
• 1/2 chikuwa (80cal)
• Cucumber with seasoning (10cal)
• 1/4 carrot (30cal)
• 1 T. edamame (20cal)

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

Time needed: 15-20 minutes in the morning, 5 the night before

Type: Japanese, sushi

Chirashizushi is just a bed of sushi rice with toppings of your choice. Here I have used peeled frozen shrimp that is steam-cooked with a little salt and sake in a dry pan, half of a chikuwa (a fish paste produce that looks like a bamboo branch), plus cucumber, edamame and carrots. If you cut the carrots in decorative shapes, allow a little more time. It will be pretty anyway with the colorful toppings. Since the protein components of this bento are quite low fat and low calorie, the whole bento is under 400 calories. This bento was inspired by one in Yaseru Obento Recipes. 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...