BrokeAss Gourmet

BrokeAss Gourmet

Chicken-Apple Meatballs with Honey and Sage

  • Prep Time 0:10
  • Cook Time 0:14
  • Estimated Cost $9
  • 16 Comments

Inspired by the popularity of chicken-apple sausages on menus everywhere, these easy meatballs provide the perfect balance of sweet and savory. Serve them with toothpicks as a pre-Thanksgiving appetizer, or make a meal of them with roasted sweet potatoes and a green salad. Turkey or even pork can be subbed for the chicken and thyme or rosemary would be nice in place of the sage. They can also be flattened, pan-fried in olive oil and served as breakfast sausages!

Ingredients

  •  extra virgin olive oil for greasing baking sheet Pantry
  • lb ground chicken $3.50
  • 1 large or 2 small tart apple(s), peeled and diced finely $0.50
  • 1/4 medium onion, diced finely (about 1/4 cup diced) $0.50 for a whole onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced Pantry
  • 1 egg, lightly-beaten $1.50 for 12
  • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs $2 for 8 oz.
  • 1 tbsp honey Pantry
  • 6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped $1 for a bunch
  • 3/4 tsp each salt and freshly-ground black pepper Pantry

Recipe Serves 4-6

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet and set aside.
  2. Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
  3. Using hands, form mixture into meatballs by rounded tablespoonful and arrange on the oiled baking sheet.
  4. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until meatballs are lightly-browned on the outside and cooked through on the inside.

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Kale and Cheddar

  • Prep Time 0:15
  • Cook Time 0:50
  • Estimated Cost $7.50
  • 11 Comments

Technically this is a side dish, but honestly, I would just as soon eat it on its own for my dinner, maybe with a green salad. The filling is a gorgeous combination of sweet and savory and the skins turn crisp and lightly candied.

This is a warm, comforting dish, particularly in the cold weather descending on San Francisco these days. Feel free to experiment with the cheeses and greens you make them with—I’m anxious to try them with creamy goat cheese.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, skin-on, scrubbed $1.50
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Pantry
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped Pantry
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped $0.50 for a whole onion
  • 1 cup chopped kale (dinosaur or Tuscan), about 2-3 kale leaves $1 for a bunch
  • 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (jack, Muenster or fontina would also work) $3.50 for 8 oz.
  • 1 tbsp butter $1 for a stick
  • salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Recipe Serves 4

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Pierce scrubbed sweet potatoes several times with a fork. Place on a baking sheet.
  3. Roast sweet potatoes for 30-35 minutes, until cooked all the way through.
  4. While sweet potatoes roast, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, until they begin to soften. 
  5. Add the kale and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes, until kale is very wilted. Remove from pan and transfer to a mixing bowl.
  6. Let sweet potatoes cool for 5 minutes once you take them out of the oven (leave the oven on). 
  7. Slice sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the cooked flesh (you may need to leave a thin layer of flesh close to the skin to keep the skin from tearing). 
  8. Place scooped-out sweet potato flesh into the mixing bowl with the onion-kale mixture and set the skins aside (you'll use them later).
  9. To the bowl, add most of the cheese (reserve a few pinches to top the sweet potatoes) and the butter and use a fork to mash the whole mixture together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Divide the mixture between the empty sweet potato skins and top each with a pinch of the shredded cheese and place the stuffed sweet potatoes on the baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the cheese on top begins to bubble and brown. Serve immediately.

 

Don’t be fooled by the pretty picture here—this buttery autumn chicken dish is incredibly easy to make. As a bonus, you get to pound the chicken with all your might (and I get to write the phrase “pound the chicken”). Make sure you use a nice, sharp cheddar and serve this over sauteed spinach or kale.

  • ingredients
  • 3 tbsp butter, divided $1 for a stick
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped $0.50 for a whole onion
  • 2 medium apples (any kind), cored and diced $1
  • about 10 fresh sage leaves, chopped $1 for a bunch
  • salt and freshly-ground black pepper Pantry
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts $4
  • 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese $3.50 for 8 oz.
Total Cost of Ingredients: $11

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat 1 tbsp butter in a large, oven-proof frying pan (cast iron works well) over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and apple. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to brown. Stir in sage and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a plate. Spread out on the plate and place in the refrigerator to cool for 5 minutes.

While mixture cools, place a chicken breast between 2 pieces of wax paper and pound with a mallet or rolling pin to flatten chicken to about 1/2” thick. Repeat with the second chicken breast.

To assemble the chicken, spread half of the apple mixture and half of the cheddar on one half of a chicken breast. Roll up from the filled end, securing with toothpicks. Repeat with the second chicken breast and remaining apple mixture.

Heat the remaining butter over medium heat in the same frying pan you cooked the apple filling in and place stuffed chicken breasts, seam-side down, in the hot butter. Cook chicken breasts for 7-8 minutes on each side (be gentle when you flip them), until golden-brown. Transfer pan to the pre-heated oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until chicken is fully-cooked. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing in half and serving.

Serves 4.

Beet Smoothie

I’m on a pretty tight editing schedule these days, putting the finishing touches on The BrokeAss Gourmet Cookbook, and sometimes I don’t even have time to (gasp!) make lunch. On my extra-busy days, I chow on a handful (or 2) of raw almonds and a frosty glass of this easy, delicious, no-sugar-added smoothie. Even if you think you don’t like beets, give this a try—it’ll change your mind.

Ingredients

  • 3 steamed, peeled baby beets (I like the ones from Trader Joe's, halved $2 for 6
  • 1 ripe banana, peeled and broken into pieces $0.25
  • 1 medium orange, peeled, seeds removed $0.50
  • 1 large handful ice 
  • 2 tbsp cold water

Recipe Serves 2

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree, adding more water if necessary. 
  2. Serve immediately.

Pumpkin-Apple Soup

  • Prep Time 0:10
  • Cook Time 0:33
  • Estimated Cost $13
  • 6 Comments

Sweet pumpkin, tart green apples, earthy sage and creamy…well…cream. Not only is this a timeless autumn combination, but it’s one of the best ever dinner party soups to serve because it requires barely any work. Just prep, leave the ingredients in the pot to simmer, puree and serve. It’s sophisticated-looking and tasting, and a delicious starter (or even light vegetarian entree) for just about any fall meal. If you have some hazelnuts or walnuts on hand, you might want to toast and chop them and serve a few scattered atop each bowl.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Pantry
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and diced $0.50
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped Pantry
  • 4 medium-sized tart green apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and chopped $2
  • 2 15-oz. cans pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) $3
  • 3 15-oz. cans chicken or vegetable broth $4.50
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage (about 6 fresh sage leaves) $1 for a bunch
  • 1 tsp each salt and freshly-ground black pepper Pantry
  • 1 cup half-and-half or heavy cream $2 for a half-pint

Recipe Serves 4-6

Directions

  1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in the bottom of a large, heavy-bottomed pot.
  2. Add onion, garlic and apples and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until onions and apples begin to soften and pot is very fragrant.
  3. Add the pumpkin puree and broth, stir well and cover pot.
  4. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer soup for 22-25 minutes, until apples are very soft.
  5. Add sage, salt and pepper, then puree using an immersion blender until smooth (alternately, use a blender or food processor to puree the soup, then return it to the pot).
  6. Turn the heat back up to medium and stir in the half-and-half or cream and cook for 2-3 more minutes. The soup should be very smooth and creamy.
  7. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately.

Category: Meals

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