BrokeAss Gourmet

BrokeAss Gourmet

Pantry Spaghetti

  • Prep Time 0:5
  • Cook Time 0:15
  • Estimated Cost $9.50
  • 4 Comments

I meant to go grocery shopping over the weekend. I really did…but I just had better things to do. My friend Danny was visiting from Boston, and so there were drinks to be drunk and dance moves to be attempted…and I just didn’t get to it. So making dinner with a near-empty fridge last night was a bit daunting. Well sometimes a lack of options forces us to be creative (and thankful for a well-stocked pantry) and the stars align and the resulting dish is truly fantastic, as this one was. Serve it on its own or accompanied by a green salad.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb spaghetti $2
  • 3 tbsp olive oil Pantry
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs $2
  • 2 tsp red pepper flakes $1.50 for 1 oz.
  • 1/8 cup grated Parmesan $3
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry
  • 1 small bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped $1

Recipe Serves 2

Directions

  1. Cook the pasta according to directions in salted water. While the pasta cooks, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Add the bread crumbs and stir to combine well with garlic and oil. Allow the crumbs to toast for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. When the pasta has finished cooking, drain it and return it to its pot. Toss with the garlic-breadcrumb mixture, the red pepper flakes, Parmesan, parsley and salt and pepper.

Category: Meals

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Black Bean Burritos

  • Prep Time 0:15
  • Cook Time 0:30
  • Estimated Cost $16.50
  • 6 Comments

If you know me well, you know that burritos are high on my priority list. They are the essential BrokeAss food: inexpensive, delicious, and quick—not to mention easy to eat, thanks to their handy shape. I really think that, if I were forced to eat one food for the rest of my life it would be a burrito…but I digress.

As nice as it is to swing by my favorite neighborhood taqueria, making burritos at home is relatively easy—and cheap. Better still, the ingredients last for days and translate nicely as lunches to take to work or school. Add grilled chicken, beef, or pork if desired.

Ingredients

  • 2 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained $3
  • 1 cup long grain white or brown rice $1
  • 6 large flour tortillas $3
  • 1 clove garlic, minced Pantry
  • 1 tsp chili powder $1.50 for 1 oz
  • 1/4 white onion, chopped finely $1
  • 1 small bunch cilantro, chopped finely $1
  • 1 cup jack cheese, grated $3
  • 1 Roma tomato, chopped $0.50
  • 1/4 cup sour cream $1.50
  • 1 avocado, sliced $1
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Recipe Serves 6

Directions

  1. Combine the rice with 2 cups water, the garlic, chili powder and salt and pepper to taste in a small pot over high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered for 20 minutes or until fully-cooked. Fluff and set aside. Heat the beans in a small saucepan with 2 tbsp water and salt to taste. Set aside. To prepare a burrito, lay a tortilla on a flat surface and add a sprinkle of the cheese. Top with 1/2 cup cooked rice, 1/2 cup black beans, a few slices of avocado, and 2 tbsp each of chopped tomato, onions, cilantro and sour cream. Roll tightly, making sure to tuck in the ends.
  2. Heat a large, dry frying pan over high heat. Cook the rolled burrito for 1-2 minutes on each side to sear lightly. Cut in half and serve with hot sauce if desired.

Category: Meals

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Black’s Embellished Stuffed Pepper Recipe

  • Prep Time 0:20
  • Cook Time 0:30
  • Estimated Cost $7.50-$11.00
  • 6 Comments

The stuffed green peppers my mom made when I was growing would make my mouth water. Coming from a family of six, I can remember my parents were always looking for shortcuts to try to make ends meet. My mom would use simple and inexpensive ingredients when preparing meals for our family. Mom’s stuffed peppers were filled with ground beef, salt, pepper and brown rice. If she was feeling really snazzy, she might pour spaghetti sauce from the jar over the top of her peppers. Presto! Dinner made for pennies was served faster than you could say, “Cheap to make and really tasty.”

Sometimes I like making some of my mom’s old recipes, so this time I decided to slightly embellish from mom’s original stuffed pepper recipe. Instead of the traditional green peppers, I chose red, orange and yellow peppers. They look so bright and festive sitting on a plate. Instead of ground beef, I used black beans, and I also added a spicy jalapeno, and instead of spaghetti sauce from a jar, I chose a slice of cheese that melts into the stuffing and turns brown and bubbly after baking. Serve these peppers with a small tossed salad and a beautiful chilled glass of beer for a delicious and very healthy, BrokeAss dinner option. Oh, and hey mom? I think I’ve fallen head over heels in culinary love with my own stuffed pepper recipe!

Ingredients

  • 3 medium sized red, yellow and orange bell peppers $3
  • 1 cup of cooked brown, white, or wild rice (or a mix) $1
  • 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped, with seeds $.50
  • 1 15-oz. can of black beans $1.50
  • Dash of salt Pantry
  • Several dashes of pepper Pantry
  • 1 tbsp olive oil Pantry
  • 6 slices of Havarti, or a similar, soft, mild cheese $1.50

Additional Options

  • Head of fresh, green lettuce $1.50
  • Oil and vinegar Pantry
  • 2 beers $3

Recipe Serves 2 (with potential leftovers)

Directions

  1. Cook rice and preheat oven temperature to 350-400 degrees F (depending on your oven). Wash peppers. Slice the bell peppers horizontally and remove seeds and tops. Wash inside. Use olive oil to grease an oven safe cooking dish. Place all six of the peppers onto the dish. Mix the beans, rice, chopped jalapeno, and salt and pepper together. Fold ½ slice of cheese into each pepper and then add the mixture on top of the cheese. Lay the remaining ½ slice of cheese over each stuffed pepper.
  2. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Category: Meals

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Carrot-Sage Soup With Chive Flatbread

  • Prep Time 1:00 (including dough)
  • Cook Time 0:30
  • Estimated Cost $6.00
  • 4 Comments

This recipe is one of the best ways I know of to make a nice meal for someone for nearly nothing ($6!). It’s full of flavor, thanks to the fresh herbs and garlic, and at merely $3 per person (I’ll be impressed if you manage to eat it all), you can save your hard-earned cash for the bar.

Ingredients

  • 6 large carrots, peeled and diced $1
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed Pantry
  • 1/2 white onion, roughly chopped $1
  • 8 fresh sage leaves, torn $1.50
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry
  • 1/2 recipe pizza dough $1.50
  • 1 small bunch chives, snipped into 1/4" pieces $1
  • olive oil Pantry

Recipe Serves 2 very generously

Directions

  1. Combine carrots, garlic and onion in a large pot. Add water just to cover. Bring to a light boil over high heat, then reduce to medium and cover. Allow to cook for 20-25 minutes or until carrots are soft. Add sage and salt and pepper to taste. Puree in a blender, food processor, or in the pot using an immersion blender, adding a little more water if necessary.
  2. To make the flatbread, divide the dough into 6 pieces. On a clean, floured surface, roll the dough out into 6" rounds. Sprinkle chives on a round and then use the rolling pin to press them into the dough. Repeat with the remaining dough.
  3. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Fry the pieces of chive-rolled dough for 1-2 minutes on each side until brown and bubbly, adding more oil as needed. Sprinkle the flatbreads lightly with salt. Cut into wedges and serve alongside the soup.

Category: Meals

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Vegan Chocolate Rice Crispy Squares

  • Prep Time 0:05
  • Cook Time 0:15
  • Estimated Cost $9.00
  • 2 Comments

Who doesn’t like good old-fashioned rice crispy treats? No one! They’re comforting, familiar and always satisfing to the sweet-tooth. The trouble is, these innocent-seeming snacks aren’t vegetarian friendly, or Kosher for that matter! Sure, marshmallows seem like the most harmless things in the world—all billowy and full of childlike whimsy, but, to my great dismay (and that of many other sugar-loving vegetarians) these classic confections get their consistency from gelatin, a meat by-product. For years I thought I had to say goodbye to one of my favorite childhood treats, but thanks to the sticky help of peanut butter and rice syrup, marshmallows have met their match! This rice crispy treat recipe has a chocolate twist, giving it a slightly more complex flavor then the Saran-wrapped ones you used to find in the school cafeteria. But not to fret: they haven’t grown too old for unicorns or the Tooth Fairy just yet…

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar Pantry
  • 1 cup corn or brown rice syrup $3
  • 1 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter) Pantry
  • 6 cups puffed rice cereal (or other puffed grain) $3
  • 2 cups non-dairy chocolate chips $3

Recipe Serves 8

Directions

  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together the sweetener and corn syrup until hot and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the nut butter, stirring together until well mixed. In a large bowl, add the puffed rice and chocolate chips. Stir in the nut butter mixture and mix together. Pour mixture into a 9x13 pan, press flat, and let cool for one hour before cutting into squares.

Category: Meals

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