MAKIKO ITOH has been writing about Japanese culture since 2000. She runs the popular Japanese food blogs JustHungry.com and JustBento.com, writes a monthly food column for The Japan Times, and is the author of the best-selling Just Bento Cookbook. Born in Tokyo, she has lived in the UK, the US, and Switzerland. She currently resides in Provence, France.

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
     

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.