BrokeAss Gourmet

BrokeAss Gourmet

Coconut Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Lime

  • Prep Time 0:10
  • Cook Time 0:20
  • Estimated Cost $10.50
  • 13 Comments

This soup manages to be rich and creamy, and somehow also cleansing and soothing—perfect Post-Super Bowl fare. Whether you’re still celebrating the Giants’ big win, or quietly mourning the Pats’ fall from grace (like I am), you still need to eat—preferably something quick and healthy. Add cubed firm tofu, a handful of plump shrimp or cooked, shredded chicken, if you want to add a little protein.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp cooking oil (if you have coconut oil, it works nicely here) Pantry
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
  • 1 1" piece ginger, peeled and minced $0.50
  • 1/2 medium red onion, chopped $0.50 for a whole onion
  • zest and juice of 1 lime $0.50
  • 1 quart vegetable (or chicken) broth $3.50
  • 1 15-oz. can coconut milk $1.50
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce (or more to taste) Pantry
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar or honey Pantry
  • 3 medium or 2 large sweet potatoes (garnet yams), scrubbed and diced into 1" pieces (leave the skin on) $3
  • 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped $1 for a bunch
  • sliced green jalapeño optional
  • Asian chili sauce optional

Recipe Serves 6

Directions

  1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. 
  2. Add the garlic, ginger, onion and lime zest and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes, until very fragrant.
  3. Stir in the lime juice, broth, coconut milk, soy sauce and brown sugar. 
  4. Cover and bring to a light boil. 
  5. Add the sweet potatoes, cover and cook for 12-14 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.
  6. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and serve, garnished with the cilantro and the jalapeño and chili sauce, if desired.

Chicken Mole Tacos

  • Prep Time 0:15
  • Cook Time 1:00
  • Estimated Cost $15
  • 18 Comments

Tacos are, in my opinion, the perfect Superbowl food; they can be cooked in large batches, involve lots of fun toppings, do not require utensils and go very well with beer. This year, I’m going beyond the typical ground beef-in-crunchy-shells route, and cooking ultra-tender (and ultra-cheap) boneless, skinless chicken thighs in a rich, spicy mole sauce, which I’ll wrap in warm corn tortillas.

Topped with a little Mexican crema, some chopped onions, cilantro and a dollop of homemade guacamole, I doubt anyone will be able to focus on the game while eating these. (Just kidding. Go Pats!)

Note: You will have a fair amount of leftover sauce. Don’t throw it away! It will keep, in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, and in the freezer for up to 2 months. Use it to make mole again, or drizzle it over nachos, enchiladas or burritos.

Ingredients

  • 18 corn tortillas $1.50
  • 2 tbsp olive oil Pantry
  • 1 onion, chopped $0.50
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
  • 1 tsp ground cumin $1.50 for 1 oz.
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon $1.50 for 1 oz.
  • 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes $1.50
  • 1 canned chipotle in adobo, chopped, plus a few spoonfuls of its sauce $1.50
  • 1 14-oz can chicken broth $1.50
  • 2 tbsp (creamy) peanut butter Pantry
  • 2 ounces semisweet chocolate chips $1.50 for 6 oz.
  • 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper Pantry
  • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs $4

Recipe Serves 6-8

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. 
  2. Wrap the tortillas tightly in aluminum foil and place in the oven, on the center rack.
  3. Heat oil in a deep soup pot over medium heat. 
  4. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent. 
  5. Add garlic and spices and cook for another minute, until very fragrant. Add diced tomatoes, chipotle pepper and sauce, broth, peanut butter, and chocolate.
  6. Stir well, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
  7. Uncover the pot and carefully transfer mole to a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth (this can also be done using an immersion blender, directly in the pot).
  8. Add the chicken thighs, stir well to ensure they are completely submerged, and cover the pot tightly. 
  9. Cook for 40-45 minutes, until chicken is very tender. 
  10. Use 2 forks to gently shred the chicken.
  11. Take the tortillas out of the oven, carefully remove the foil and fill with the hot chicken mixture. Serve immediately.

Grilled Salmon with Cilantro-Wasabi Aioli

  • Prep Time 0:10
  • Cook Time 0:08
  • Estimated Cost $11.50
  • 17 Comments

This recipe is the very definition of effortless elegance. A food processor makes the aioli come together very quickly, but it will still be good if you just finely mince the garlic and cilantro and stir it into the other ingredients.

If you can’t find wasabi paste at your grocery store (look in the Asian ingredients section), try an Asian specialty store or ask for a little extra the next time you order sushi—they’ll likely give it to you for free.

Ingredients

  • 1/8 cup mayonnaise Pantry
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed Pantry
  • 1 handful fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped $1 for a bunch
  • 1 tsp (or more to taste) wasabi paste $2 for 4 oz.
  • 1 1/2 tsp soy sauce Pantry
  • juice of 1/2 lemon $0.50
  • 2 (5-oz.) salmon fillets (skin-on) $8
  • salt and pepper Pantry
  • oil for the grill/grill pan, if needed Pantry

Recipe Serves 2

Directions

In a food processor or blender, combine the mayonnaise, garlic, cilantro, wasabi soy sauce and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. If you don't have a food processor, mince the cilantro and garlic very finely and stir it into the mayonnaise, wasabi, soy sauce and lemon juice. Refrigerate, covered until ready to use (up to 4 hours).

Lightly season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper.

Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Lightly brush with oil. Grill the salmon on both sides, until still-pink in the middle and nicely-charred on the outside, about 4 minutes on each side.

Serve the salmon immediately, topped with a generous smear of the aioli.

Baked Pumpkins with Cardamom, Honey and Yogurt

  • Prep Time 0:15
  • Cook Time 0:40
  • Estimated Cost $5.50
  • 10 Comments

Adorable, reasonably healthy and even kid-friendly. This works equally well for breakfast as for dessert.

Ingredients

  • 2 small sugar pumpkins (note: they should be about the size of a large orange), tops cut out, seeds and stringy bits removed $3
  • 1 1/2 cups plain Greek-style yogurt $2.50 for 16 oz.
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom (or cinnamon) $1.50 for 1 oz.
  • 3 tbsp honey (or more to taste) Pantry

Recipe Serves 2

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Roast the pumpkins for about 25 minutes, or until the flesh turns soft but the pumpkin is still intact. Remove pumpkins but leave the oven on.
  3. Let the roasted pumpkins cool until they can be handles. Use a spoon to gently scoop out the roasted flesh (being careful not to scrape too deeply--you want the pumpkin to retain its shape) and transfer to a bowl. Mash gently with a fork.
  4. To the mashed pumpkin flesh, add the yogurt, cinnamon and honey. Stir well.
  5. Divide the pumpkin-yogurt mixture between the two pumkin shells. Bake for 12-15 minutes, just until heated through.
  6. Serve immediately.  

Shrimp and Green Pea Dumplings

  • Prep Time 1:00
  • Cook Time 0:15
  • Estimated Cost $9
  • 3 Comments

Dumplings are a Chinese New Year tradition, so today, the first day of the Lunar calendar and the beginning of the Year of the Dragon, seemed like an ideal time to try mixing and rolling my own dumpling dough, as opposed to buying more convenient, pre-made wrappers. A little patience and attention is required, but in the end, the thicker, chewier wrappers yielded a much more delicious, authentic-tasting potsticker.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour Pantry
  • 1/2 cup cold water Pantry
  • 1/2 lb raw medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed $5
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
  • 1 1" piece ginger, peeled and grated $0.50
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped $1 for a bunch
  • 2 tsp soy sauce Pantry
  • clear cooking oil, such as vegetable, canola or coconut Pantry
  • 1/8 cup shelled fresh English green peas (frozen will also work, but fresh will yield tastier dumplings--Trader Joe's sells them) $2.50 for 12 oz.

Recipe Serves 2-3

Directions

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and water. Stir well until a soft dough forms. If the dough is too try, sprinkle in more water 1 teaspoon at a time. 
  2. Knead for 5 minutes on a floured surface, until the dough is very elastic, but no longer sticky (this is extra-easy to do in a food processor or stand-up mixer). 
  3. Cut the dough in half and roll each half into a 6" log. 
  4. Place the logs on a floured plate, sprinkle them lightly with flour and cover with a clean dish towel. 
  5. Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes (up to an hour).
  6. While the dough rests, make the filling. Chop the shrimp into 1/4" pieces, and combine in a bowl with the garlic, cilantro and soy sauce. Set aside. 
  7. Once the dough has finished resting, cut each log into about 10 pieces. Sprinkle them with flour to keep from sticking.
  8. I find it's best to roll the wrappers out as you assemble the dumplings. 
  9. To assemble each dumpling, use a rolling pin to roll out a piece of dough on a floured surface, until it is about 3 1/2 inches in diameter (aim for a circular shape, but don't worry if it's a little misshapen). 
  10. Brush the edges with a little water (use pastry brush or a clean finger).
  11. Place about 2 tsp of the shrimp mixture and 2 or 3 green peas onto 1 half of the dumpling. Fold over so you have a half-moon shape and press the edges to seal. 
  12. Place the completed dumpling on a floured plate and set aside. Repeat with the remaining dough, filling and peas until you have about 20 completed dumplings.
  13. Heat 2 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. 
  14. Working in batches, if necessary (it likely will be), fry the dumplings for 1-2 minutes on each side. After they've browned on the second side, pour 1/8 cup water into the pan, cover the pan tightly and reduce heat to medium. Steam the dumplings like this for 1-2 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed. Remove the lid, aerate the dumplings until they are no longer soggy, and place on a serving plate. Repeat until all the dumplings are cooked.
  15. Once all the dumplings have been cooked, serve immediately with soy sauce and/or chili sauce for dipping.