- Prep Time 0:10
- Cook Time 0:30
- Estimated Cost $11.00
- 5 Comments
A long, luxurious weekend brunch is one of the truest pleasures in life—not to mention a nearly certain hangover cure. One thing that will surely make you hangover worse, however, is waiting in line for 45 minutes at your favorite brunch spot and then paying a hefty bill at the end. Our solution: make brunch at home. A frittata (basically the Italian version of a quiche minus the crust) is a delicious one-dish breakfast of eggs, cheese and vegetables (though you could add sausage or bacon and still stay within budget). We eat it with toast and coffee and then climb back into bed.
Ingredients
6 eggs $2
1 cup half-and-half $2 for a pint
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese $4 for 6 oz.
1 small head broccoli, florets separated, stems removed $1
1/2 red bell pepper, diced $1
1 small onion, diced $1
2 cloves garlic, minced Pantry
olive oil Pantry
1 tsp salt Pantry
1 tsp ground pepper Pantry
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8" pie pan liberally with olive oil. In a large bowl, beat eggs together with half-and-half. Gently stir in broccoli, bell pepper, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Sprinkle feta evenly over the top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the eggs set and are firm to the touch. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then cut into wedges and serve.
- Prep Time 1:15
- Cook Time 1:15
- Estimated Cost $16.00
- 8 Comments
Flank steak is one of the most BrokeAss-friendly cuts of meat around. It’s rich and flavorful on its own but also takes well to whatever you put on it and, most importantly, it tastes delicious without breaking the bank. The luxurious wine sauce will make you feel as if you are eating in a fancy restaurant and the lemony broccolini (which is milder-tasting and thinner than broccoli but equally full of antioxidants) is the perfect accompaniment. Finish off this decadent meal with Chardonnay-Poached Pears and just watch your dining companion try to keep their clothes on.
Ingredients
For Steak:
1 8-oz flank steak $4
Soy sauce $2
Salt and pepper Pantry
Leaves of 1 fresh thyme sprig $1
6 green onions, sliced $1
1/2 bottle red 2-Buck Chuck $2
1 stick butter $1.50
1 small bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped $1
For Broccolini:
1 pound broccolini $3
salt and pepper to taste Pantry
1 tablespoon olive oil Pantry
2 cloves garlic, minced Pantry
1 lemon—1/2 juiced, other ½ cut into wedges. $0.50
Directions
For Steak:
- Place steak on a large plate or in a baking dish and brush with soy sauce and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper to taste and the thyme. Let stand for 1 hour.
- Brush again with soy sauce and place on a hot grill pan or barbeque over high heat for 1-2 minutes on each side for rare steak (3-4 minutes on each side for medium, 4-5 minutes on each side for well-done). Slice steak on the diagonal.
- To make the sauce, combine green onions and wine in a medium saucepan and bring to a light boil. Add butter and parsley and allow to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Slice the steak on the diagonal and arrange prettily on plates. Spoon sauce over steak and serve with the broccolini.
For Broccolini:
- Trim ends off of broccolini. Place the broccolini in a large frying pan and cover with water. Cover pan and bring to a boil. Simmer broccolini 6 to 7 minutes, until tender and bright green. Drain the broccolini and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in pan over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook garlic 1-2 minutes and return broccolini to the pan.
- Add lemon juice and salt and pepper to the broccolini and toss well to ensure that each piece is well-coated.
- Prep Time 0:20
- Cook Time 0:40
- Estimated Cost $14.50
- 14 Comments
At the end of a long, hard day a warm, hearty piece of lasagna can do amazing things for the soul—but who wants to spend 2 hours assembling and baking a lasagna after said long hard day? I present your solution: use fresh potsticker wrappers as an inexpensive and delicious alternative to dry lasagna noodles. Fresh potsticker wrappers are usually found in the supermarket near the tofu. Unlike lasagna noodles, they require no boiling and cook quickly in the oven. When cooked, they taste like fresh pasta yet cost half as much. BrokeAss Brilliance.
Ingredients
- 1 cup ricotta (we like to use the whole milk kind) $4
- Salt and pepper to taste Pantry
- 3 tbsp olive oil Pantry
- 1 small zuchinni, sliced into 1/8-inch thick rounds $1
- 1 small eggplant, sliced into 1/8-inch thick rounds $1
- 1 lb package small square potsticker wrappers $2
- 4 ounces shredded mozzarella $4
- 1 14 oz can simple tomato sauce $1.50
- a few leaves of fresh basil, chopped $1
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Mix the ricotta together with the salt and the pepper until evenly distributed.
- Preheat a pan over high heat. Heat the olive oil. Sprinkle the veggie pieces with the salt and cook in pan until soft and browned on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.
To assemble the lasagna:
- Line the bottom of an 8” by 8” foil, Pyrex or metal baking dish with a couple spoonfuls of the sauce. Lay a single layer of potsticker wrappers over that. Next scatter about a cup of the veggies over top, then an even layer of the ricotta mixture. Repeat layers twice and top it all of with more mozzarella. Add a smattering of the basil leaves.
- Bake covered with aluminum foil for about 30 minutes. Carefully remove foil and return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned in spots.
- Prep Time 0:10
- Cook Time 1:00
- Estimated Cost $5.00
- 9 Comments
When it comes to sexy food, there are established aphrodisiacs and then there are the foods that, for whatever reason, we as individuals are particularly responsive to. For me, this is it. The pears become lusciously spoon-soft after a long bath in chardonnay and honey, and the balsamic wakes up the taste buds as it brings out the tartness of the raspberry preserves. I don’t make this for people I’m not hoping to make out with.
Ingredients
1/2 bottle 2-Buck Chuck Chardonnay $2
2 Bosc pears $1
1 tbsp honey Pantry
2 tbsp sugar Pantry
3 tbsp raspberry preserves (buy a small jar of store brand) $2
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar Pantry
Directions
- Peel pears and set aside. In a medium pot, whisk together wine and honey. Add pears and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and allow to cook covered for 45 minutes (this is a good time to eat your dinner).
- Once pears are cooked to the point that they could be easily pierced by a fork, remove using a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Leave wine mixture in pot, turn up heat, bringing the wine to a boil, and whisk in the sugar, raspberry jam, and balsamic vinegar until dissolved. Stir constantly for several minutes until mixture reduces to a syrupy consistency.
- Serve pears in small bowls on top of a little pool of the raspberry-balsamic reduction.
