Best Seller

The Just Bento Cookbook 2

Paperback

Jan 02, 2018 | 128 Pages

Paperback
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Paperback $19.95
Jan 02, 2018 | 128 Pages

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About The Just Bento Cookbook 2

The author of the best-selling Just Bento Cookbook is back with hundreds of delicious new Japanese-lunchbox-style recipes — including many low-carb, vegetarian, and vegan options — that can be made quickly and without a lot of fuss.

The passion for bento boxes shows no signs of letting up. Leading the way in popularizing these compact and portable boxed meals has been Makiko Itoh, blogger extraordinaire and author of the perennial bestseller, The Just Bento Cookbook. Itoh was instrumental in spreading the word that bentos are perfect for busy adults-on-the-go — they don’t have to be cute and they don’t have to take a lot of planning or prep time in order to be tasty, nutritious, and economical.

In THE JUST BENTO COOKBOOK 2: Make-Ahead Lunches and More, Itoh offers hundreds of new recipes for bento-friendly dishes. The premise of this second cookbook is that anyone can make delicious, healthy bentos quickly and easily. Itoh focuses on three types of bentos with specific and appealing benefits: bentos that can be made ahead of time, “express” bentos that can be put together fast, using components right off the shelf or out of the refrigerator, and bentos for special dietary needs. Full-color photos accompany the directions and showcase the finished dishes.

THE JUST BENTO COOKBOOK 2 opens with Itoh’s basic bento rules, revised to reflect comments she’s heard from her many fans after the first book came out. “Build Up Your Stash” explains why having some items ready to pack up and go is the key to stress-free bento-making. Here are tips on making foods that store well, organizing storage space, the best containers to use for different foods, what store-bought items to have on hand, etc.

The first section, “Make-Ahead Bentos,” features recipes for a wide variety of dishes that can be prepared the night before or first thing in the morning. Here are different kinds of meatballs and burgers, including both Western versions and Japanese variations; mouth-watering chicken, pork, beef, egg and fish dishes; a section on “Tofu and Vegan” treats such as Ginger Tofu Teriyaki and Green Lentils and Brown Rice; and recipes for Rice Sandwiches such as Egg-wrapped Rice Sandwich with Bacon Rice Filling. A special section of Low Carb recipes based on shirataki noodles and konnyaku (konjac) offers fun and creative ways to use this no-cal, no-carb, no-sugar, gluten-free “miracle” noodle in dishes like Rice and Shirataki Pilaf with Shrimp, Shirataki Chicken “Ramen” in a Lunch Jar, and Shirataki with Sesame.

“Express Bentos” presents very quick-to-assemble boxes comprised of foods that don’t require detailed recipes and don’t rely on pre-homemade items. From Mediterranean Pasta and Yakisoba bentos to a Deconstructed Taco Salad and Stir-fry Bento, the ideas here will prove to be lifesavers for busy people who need to get out of the house in a hurry but still want their flavorful, filling, and healthy lunch.

Other new and exciting additions to this second volume include an entire section of recipes for Vegetable Side Dishes (Roast Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar, Spicy Broccoli, and Potato and Corn Salad), and one for Japanese Vegetable Side Dishes (Buttery Kabocha Squash, Crunchy Stir-fried Soy Beans, Hijiki Seaweed with Garlic). Recipes for different versions of dashi will help readers keep a supply of this staple ingredient at the ready. And advice on tools and equipment, types of bento boxes and accessories, as well as a glossary and resource section, will ensure that preparing bentos is as enjoyable as eating them.

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Praise

Praise for The Just Bento Cookbook:

“Itoh guides readers to build a beautiful bento lunch that is also nutritious and filling for both adults and children. Recommended for fans of bento lunches and anyone trying to get out of a lunch rut!” –Library Journal

“Equal parts recipe book and bento how-to, The Just Bento Cookbook is an elegant guide to making lunch more fun. Filled with lovely boxed lunch ideas that can be made for one or more, depending on how many lunches you plan on packing.” –Serious Eats

“The Just Bento Cookbook is packed with recipes for savory dishes that will make a tasty dinner or lunch. Most of the recipes include several variations using different proteins and make-ahead tips.” –Seattle Weekly

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
Basic Bento Rules
Build Up Your Stash
Bento Safety

MAKE-AHEAD BENTOS

1. Meatballs and mini-burgers
• Teriyaki Meatballs
• Tomato Ketchup Meatballs
• Italian Meatballs
• Sweet and Sour Meatballs
• Japanese Chicken Meatballs
• Pan-fried Meatballs and Mini-burgers
• Mediterranean-style Spiced Mini-burgers

2. Chicken
• Steamed Chicken with Sesame Sauce
• Easy Chicken “Ham”
• Chicken and Beansprouts with Umeboshi Sauce
• Crispy Fried Chicken with Chili
• Maple Chicken Teriyaki
• Grilled Garlic Chicken

3. Soboro
• Japanese Dry Curry
• Classic Japanese Soboro
• Meat Soboro with Miso and Eggplant
• Dandan-style Spicy Meat Sauce
• Bento-friendly Spicy Meat and Tofu
• Mini Shepherd’s Pie
• Tuna Soboro

4. Pork
• Pork and Vegetable Rolls
• Sweet and Sour Crispy Sesame Pork
• Baked Mini-tonkatsu
• Stir-fried Miso Pork with Eggplant and Peppers
• Ginger Pork with Peppers
• Sweet and Spicy Bacon-wrapped Broccoli
• Bacon-wrapped Tofu

5. Beef
• Bibimbap
• Sesame-miso Beef
• Stir-fried Steak with Rosemary and Orange
• Roast Beef for Bentos
• Cold Roast Beef with Wasabi Ginger Sauce
• Roast Beef Salad with Southeast Asian Flavors

6. Egg
• Chicken Omu-rice
• Marinated Hard-boiled Eggs
• Egg Salad with Miso
• Japanese Rolled Omelette
• Egg Crepes
• Egg Parcels
• Mini Quiche

7. Fish
• Lemon Butter Tilapia
• Spicy Pan-fried Fish Nuggets
• Salted Salmon
• Salmon Soboro
• Tuna and Ginger Nuggets
• Salty-sweet Simmered Sardines

8. Tofu and Vegan
• Tofu Donburi Bento
• Baked Tofu
• Ginger Tofu Teriyaki
• Tofu Soboro
• Fried Tofu Roll-ups
• Bean and Pea Curry
• Green Lentils and Brown Rice

9. Rice Sandwich
• Ham and Egg Rice Sandwich
• Egg-wrapped Rice Sandwich with Bacon Rice Filling
• Rice Burger with Swiss Chard and Cheese
• Tuna Salad with Dried Shiso Leaves
• Brown Rice Sandwich with Japanese Omelette and Edamame Filling

10. Low Carb, featuring Shirataki Noodles and Konnyaku
• Stir-fried Shirataki Noodles
• Rice and Shirataki Pilaf with Shrimp
• Shirataki Chicken “Ramen” in a Lunch Jar
• Shirataki with Sesame
• Chicken and konnyaku “noodle” peperoncino
• Spicy Simmered Konnyaku

EXPRESS BENTOS
1: “Instant” Soup in a Thermal Lunch Jar
2: Mediterranean Pasta Bento
3: Yakisoba Bento
4: One-pan Bento
5: Deconstructed Taco Salad Bento
6: Wrap Bento
7: Appetizer Bento
8: Stir-fry Bento
9: Salad Bento
10: Tasty sandwich ideas

MORE RECIPES
How to Cook Rice and Other Grains Side Dishes: Vegetables
• Roast Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar
• Asparagus with Sesame Seeds
• Asparagus Mimosa Salad
• Spicy Broccoli
• Broccoli Florets with Bacon and Garlic
• Broccoli-stalk Kinpira
• Salted Cabbage
• Carrots Cooked in Soup
• Carrot Shirishiri
• Max’s Lemon Carrot Salad
• Miso-peanut Green Beans
• Sautéed Mushrooms
• Sake-steamed Mushrooms
• Tricolor Peppers with Anchovies
• Braised Pepper and Eggplant
• Caponata
• Potato and Corn Salad
• Cheesy Potatoes
• Spinach with Sweetcorn
• Spinach Namul
• Spinach with Bonito Flakes
• Marinated Vegetables
Side Dishes: Japanese Vegetables
• Burdock Root Kinpira
• Burdock Root Tataki
• Simmered Kiriboshi Daikon
• Kiriboshi Daikon Salad
• Buttery Kabocha Squash
• Lotus Root Salad
• Spicy Stir-fried Lotus Root
• Lotus-root and Tofu Burgers with Sweet and Sour Sauce
• Simmered Soy Beans with Konnyaku
• Crunchy Stir-fried Soy Beans
• Edamame Cheese
• Hijiki Seaweed with Carrots and Shiitake
• Hijiki Seaweed with Garlic
• Simmered Konbu Seaweed
• Nori Seaweed Bento
• Wakame Seaweed and Cucumber in Vinegar Sauce
• Wakame Seaweed and Beansprout Stir Fry
Little Bento Side Dishes
• Miso Soup Balls
• Tomato Soup Balls
• Decorative Sausages
• Other “Gap Fillers”
Dashi Stock Recipes
• Katsuobushi and Konbu Seaweed Dashi Stock
• Rice Sprinkles
• Konbu Seaweed Dashi Stock
• Shiitake Dashi Stock
• Chicken Stock

Tools and equipment
Types of Bento Boxes
Bento Box Accessories
Glossary
Index
Resources