I know what you’re all thinking: “It’s way too hot out to even think about making soup!” Well, yes, this is true. Nevertheless, I decided to take the risk and wear white after Labor Day…or whatever…never mind. The point is, lentils are good for you. So good for you in fact, that you should make this soup in spite of the ungodly readings on the thermostat. High in iron and packed with protein, this recipe is the spinach for all your Popeye needs this spring. But that’s not all me hardies! Kale’s and carrot’s copious amounts of vitamin A will not only help you recover from that sunburn, but also make certain your vision is sharp enough for you to keep wearing those Ray-Bans at night. Last but not least, kale is swimming with vitamin C, just the thing to keep that nasty scurvy at bay while you and your mates travel the seven seas….or at least navigate your way properly though your recipe’s robot/pirate/hipster themes….Who needs some more aloe?

Tofu stars in this unique dish, with a crispy sesame coating, which works over time to seal in the garlicky-gingery-soy-saucy deliciousness of the marinade. Hint: the marinade is delicious. Save any excess and use it again, either for the same recipe or on whatever meat, fish or tofu you choose.

It was tough, but after much drooling over all the gorgeous photos and delicious recipes sent to us, we have chosen a winner—Steffany Farros of San Francisco, CA! We love how she took advantage of her local farmers market and used lots of beautiful local dairy and vegetables, all while keeping it under $35 (she spent $34.37, to be exact).

You can follow Steffany’s kitchen creation in her awesome blog, Dinner Love.

Check out her mouthwatering menu:

To start:
Asparagus with Lemon, Prosciutto and Parmesan

• Ingredients
• 1 small bunch asparagus tips $3.50 at farmer’s market
• 1/2 lemon $0.50
• 2 thin slices prosciutto, chopped into big pieces $3.99 from Columbus in San Francisco
• 1-2 tbsp Parmesan, to top $2.59 from Marin Cheese Co.
• salt Pantry
• pepper Pantry
• 1 tsp olive oil Pantry

Total Cost of Ingredients $ 10.58

Cut the very bottom off of the asparagus, but leave whole otherwise. Cook in a shallow pan with 1” of water for 3-5 min, just until bright green. Strain
the water. Add 1/2 lemon of juice and about 1/8 tsp salt and a few turns of a pepper mill. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, until asparagus is cooked as you like it. (I like mine crisp, so I would cook for about 3 min, but you
may like yours more well-done.) Remove to a plate. Crisp prosciutto in the
pan for about 1 minute. Top the asparagus with the prosciutto, Parmesan,
cracked pepper, and the olive oil. Serve.

Entree:
Rolled Lasagna in Bechamel Sauce

• Ingredients

Lasagna Rolls

• 1/3 C chopped onion $Pantry
• 1 clove garlic Pantry
• 1/2 C ricotta $2.29 from Lathrop, CA
• 1/2 C jack cheese $3.50 from Clover in Petaluma, CA
• 1.5 C uncooked chard, leaves and stems $3 from CCA box
• 2 oz prosciutto (3 thin slices) see price in asparagus recipe
• 6 lasagna noodles $1
• 1 tbsp olive oil Pantry
• 1/2 tsp salt Pantry
• pepper Pantry

Sauce

• 1 tbsp butter $3.50/lb from Clover in Petaluma, CA
• 1 C milk $1.50 for 1/2 pint from Clover in Petaluma, CA
• 1 tbsp flour Pantry
• Pinch of nutmeg Pantry
• 1/2 tsp salt Pantry
• pepper Pantry

Total Cost of Ingredients $13.79

Directions

Set oven to 400. Cook noodles according to package directions, cutting the
cook time by about 1/4. We don’t want the noodles to be cooked all the way, because we will be finishing the dish in the oven. Mix together ricotta,
jack cheese, salt and pepper. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil. When
translucent, add chard and 1/4 C water. Cook until reduced by half. Add more water throughout cooking if needed. Cut the prosciutto pieces in half
lengthwise. When the chard and noodles are done, you’re ready to roll. (Ha!)

Lay the noodles on a flat surface. Divide all ingredients by 6; there should
be about 1 TB for each noodle. Smooth 1 TB of cheese, 1 TB chard, and a
piece of prosciutto on the noodle. Gently roll and place in a rolled
casserole dish seam side down. Make sauce.

Sauce!:
Melt 1 tbsp butter in a pan. Add 1 tbsp flour; whisk to make a roux. Slowly add 1 C milk, allowing ingredients to incorporate before adding more. When you’ve added all the milk, add the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Allow sauce to simmer for about 5 min. You want the sauce to be thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Turn off heat, pour sauce over noodle rolls. Top with Parmesan, and bake for 20 min. After 20 min, turn heat up to broil and bake for another 5 min to brown the top.

Dessert:
Molten Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Filling

• Ingredients
• 1/2 stick of butter, plus melted butter for brushing see price in lasagna recipe
• 1/8 C plus 1/2 tbsp flour Pantry
• 3 oz dark chocolate, chopped $2.50 from Ghiradelli in San Francisco
• 1/4 C sugar Pantry
• 1.5 large eggs (for the 1/2 egg, scramble 1 egg and use 1/2 the scrambled portion, about 2 tbsp) 2.50/dozen at farmers market
• pinch of salt Pantry
• 2 tbsp strawberry jam, for filling $5 at farmers market
• Powdered sugar (optional)

Total Cost of Ingredients $10

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease two ramekins with the melted butter. Dust the greased ramekins with the 1/2 TB flour. Chop the chocolate and melt over low heat with the butter. While it melts, whisk together the egg, sugar and salt until thick and pale yellow. Gently fold the melted chocolate into the egg and sugar until there are no visible chocolate streaks. Do the same for the flour. Fill the ramekins 2/3 of the way with the batter, then spoon 1tbsp of the jam on top, and cover with the remaining batter. Put the ramekins onto a cookie sheet, and bake in the center of the oven for 16 minutes, until the tops are cracked but the center is still slightly jiggly. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the cakes to loosen, invert onto a plate, and serve. Top with powdered sugar, if you like.

This is exciting. REALLY exciting.

In honor of Earth Day, Good Vibrations and BrokeAss Gourmet have united to bring you a really amazing EcoRotic gift basket, worth more than $500. To win it, you must submit (to gabi@brokeassgourmet.com) the sexiest 3-course locavore dinner you can for 2 people costing $35 or less by Wednesday, April 22 at 10 PM. Send recipes and a photograph of the food. We will publish the winner (but we won’t publish your real name and/or photo if you don’t want us to). See below for more information from Good Vibrations:

WIN A GOOD VIBRATIONS ECOROTIC GIFT BASKET!

To kick off Earth Day and the Ecorotic™ launch, Good Vibrations is be giving away gift baskets with loads of eco-friendly sex toys and goodies. Baskets are valued at over $500. Baskets include toys, books and personal products from:

• NobEssence (sustainable harvested exotic wood pleasure toy)
• Xhale (borosilicate glass pleasure toy)
• Njoy (Stainless Steel pleasure toy)
• Chronicle books (books on green living)
• Sliquid Organics (natural lubricant)
• Hathor Aphrodisia (natural flavored lubricants)
• Lelo (rechargeable vibrators)

• What Makes Sex Green?

In the first place, most people have sex in ways that use the earth’s resources lightly, with a way smaller carbon footprint than taking a drive. Good Vibrations suggests that even when you use manufactured toys and products, there are ways to do it “greener” – that is, in a healthier and more sustainable way:

• Be a “localvore” in bed as well as at the dinner table, using products that were manufactured and acquired nearby rather than being shipped overseas.
• Choose natural materials.
• Get toys that last a long time and won’t go to the landfill anytime soon.
• Look for items with little, or recyclable, packaging

Go to www.goodvibes.com to check out the new ECOROTIC™ Collection of Eco-friendly Products. The Good Vibrations earth-friendly Ecorotic™ collection offers all-natural and organic products, as well as longer lasting items that have less environmental impact, such as toys made from superior materials and rechargeable vibes. And all Good Vibrations Ecorotic™ products are safe and phthalates-free.

Sex is part of our lives, so any issue that concerns us out of the bedroom has implications inside it: if we recycle, buy local produce, watch our carbon use, and think ecologically in other ways, it makes sense to do the same when we make sexual choices. Our wellbeing and that of the earth are connected, so consider where you can go Ecorotic™!

Good Vibrations was founded with a culture of good work ethics and socially-conscious business practices. From vendors with fair labor practices to lubes and toys made with natural or vegan ingredients, Good Vibrations hopes to pass to their customers, healthy products that are as good for the planet as they are for your sex life.

The lowly slow-cooker can be the BrokeAss chef de cuisine’s dearest friend. It takes cheap cuts of meat and through the miracle of slow cooking, breaks down those tough proteins from bargain cuts of meat and woody root vegetables to a silky texture—add in my friend the immersion blender, and you have real creative possibilities.

This recipe calls for Andouille sausage—I use turkey andouille not only to cut fat but because I can buy a nitrate-free brand—it marries the spicy sausage to sweet potatoes and uses a good IPA (or Bud if that is all you have in the fridge—let me just say, the darker the beer, the more flavorful the stew) as a carrier that mellows the disparate flavors into a spicy blend. A few handfuls of fresh spinach thrown in during the last 10 minutes of cooking is a nice optional touch.