Time required: 10-20 minutes

Spinach Tamagoyaki (Spinach-packed omelette)

spinachomelette1.jpg

This is a very easy to make tamagoyaki (Japanese style omelette) that is chock full of spinach. Even spinach doubters may like this, since the egg, onion and garlic neutralize the iron-rich quality which some people have problems with. It is basically a whole load of spinach that is held together with egg. It does not use the rolling/folding technique used for plain tamagoyaki or the one-egg version, so you may find it a lot easier to make.

Cubed Tofu and Broccoli with Miso and Kochujang (gochujang)

misokochujangtofu.jpg

Not the best looking dish, but a very assertively tasty tofu dish that is great for bentos, whether you're a vegan/vegetarian or not.

Guy Does Bento no. 7: Chicken karaage bento

gdb7-1.jpg

The Guy Does Bento is back, with a bento featuring his favorite way of eating chicken.

Bento filler: Parsnip kinpira

parsnip_kinpira_0.jpg

A classic Japanese vegetable side dish made with a very European vegetable.

Bento filler staple: Walnut miso paste for cooked vegetables

kurumimiso-veg.jpg

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.

classicbento1.jpg

Here is a bento assembled mainly with leftovers and stocked items from my mother's Japanese kitchen.

Sweet pepper and carrot confetti

pepper-carrot-confetti.jpg

I am calling this colorful dish confetti, because it's not quite assertively flavored enough to call it furikake. It is sort of a no-sugar (low-carb) and much lower calorie variation of Cooked to Death Hot and Sweet Peppers, though I have made the hot peppers optional. Even with no added sugar or sweetener, I think the natural sweetness of the vegetables comes through nicely. It's a really useful vegetable side dish, to just pack on the side or sprinkle on top of rice or other things. You could also fold in a spoonful into tamagoyaki to make it really colorful. It can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days, or frozen.

Great Bento Idea: Flowery muffins by Emily

Muffins with flower

Here's a easy and pretty bento decorating idea from around the bento community - decorated muffins by Emily.

Pages