When we were five years old, I convinced my friend Thomas to taste the water from the water fountain in our classroom for me to make sure it was OK. He graciously did, grimaced and assured me it was disgusting and that I should stick with my juice box. He bravely risked yucky 1986 tap water for me, so it should come as no surprise that this is a guy I put my utmost faith in when it comes to romantic advice, career maneuvers and, of course, beverage choices.

Twenty years later, when we were both living in San Francisco, he worked briefly as a bartender at a fancy restaurant where he made what has got to be one of the best cocktails I have ever imbibed: a cilantro margarita.

I could think of nothing else I’d rather sip under the sun right now, so I called him up and within minutes I had a PDF of the original recipe in my email inbox. I made a few changes, making it less expensive and easier to make, but the outcome is pretty close to the original.

This recipe would also work well with vodka in place of the tequila (for a cleaner, lighter flavor), basil in place of the cilantro and/or with the addition of fresh pummeled fruit, such as strawberries or mango.

• ingredients
• 6 oz. fresh lime juice (about 3 juicy limes) $1.50
• 6 oz. tequila $7 for 375 ml.
• 2 tbsp honey Pantry
• 3 tbsp fresh, finely-chopped cilantro, plus a few sprigs for garnish $1 for a bunch

Total Cost of Ingredients $9.50

Directions

Combine lime juice, tequila and honey in a shaker or pitcher. Shake or stir until honey is mostly dissolved.

Add cilantro and enough ice to chill and stir or shake vigorously until very cold.

Strain into 3-4 glasses.

I am infatuated with harissa, a hot Tunisian chili sauce. Seriously, I am 13-year-old girl to harissa’s Zac Efron. I truly believe it makes everything better.

Spread it on burgers or pizza, drizzle over eggs or try my current way of eating it, in this unique guacamole made with creamy and tart Greek yogurt.

Note: Harissa can reliably be found at Whole Foods in the ethnic foods section.

• ingredients
• 2 avocados, pitted and peeled $3
• 1/4 onion, chopped finely $0.50 for a whole onion
• 1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped (reserve a few pinches for garnish) $1 for a bunch
• 2 cloves garlic, minced Pantry
• 1/4 cup Greek-style yogurt (low-fat or whole milk), plus more for garnish $2 for 8 oz.
• juice of 1/4 lemon $0.50 for a whole lemon
• 2-3 tsp (or more to taste) prepared Harissa, plus more for garnish (I like the Shiloh) $4.50 for 11 oz
• salt and pepper to taste Pantry

Total Cost of Ingredients $9.50

Directions

Mash avocados with the back of a fork until only slightly chunky. To the bowl, add the onion, cilantro, garlic, yogurt and lemon juice. Stir well.

Add 2 tsp of the harissa, taste, and then add a little bit more if you like.

Serve, topped with a dollop of yogurt, a drizzle of harissa and a shower of cilantro. Pita chips and cut-up vegetables make great dippers for this guacamole.

I woke up this morning with a pancake craving.

This is all well and good, except for the fact that today is Wednesday. I don’t have time for pancakes on a Wednesday—I have things to do. It’s not so much that pancakes are especially time-consuming to make (they’re actually pretty quick), but it’s that post-pancake feeling I don’t have time for. The carb-and-sugar crash that renders my brain and body incapable of doing anything other than going back to bed. Like I said, I have things to do.

Enter these weird but wonderful breakfast cakes. Healthy, protein-rich cottage cheese and eggs (or egg whites) are blended to a creamy puree with healthy, rolled oats (which are notorious for providing morning energy). They’re a bit denser than regular pancakes, but their slightly nutty flavor and golden-crisp exterior is quite enjoyable.

Even better, it’s been an hour since I ate them, and I’m thrilled to report that both my brain and body are raring to go—no midday nap required.

• ingredients
• 1 cup cottage cheese (any % fat is fine) $2 for 16 oz.
• 2 eggs or 4 egg whites $1.50 for 12 eggs
• 2 tsp honey Pantry
• 1 cup raw rolled oats (do not use steel cut) $2.50 for 18 oz.
• 1 tsp baking powder Pantry
• pinch of salt Pantry
• vegetable oil or cooking spray for frying Pantry

Total Cost of Ingredients $6

Directions

Combine cottage cheese, eggs and honey together in a blender or food processor and puree until creamy. Add the rolled oats, baking powder and salt and puree until mixture is smooth and resembles slightly grainy pancake batter.

Heat a very light coating of oil or spray in a nonstick frying pan or griddle over medium-high heat and cook 1/8 cup dollops of the batter (working in batches, leaving plenty of room between pancakes), until golden brown on one side (about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes). Flip, using a spatula and cook until the other side is golden brown. Repeat until all pancakes are cooked.

Serve, warm, with fruit, honey, a touch of butter, preserves and/or syrup.

Makes about 10 pancakes (serves 2-3).

Do you know about Stunner of the Month? Well, you should. For a measly $9/month, you get a brand new pair of unique and stylish stunners (sunglasses) shipped right to your mailbox. The BrokeAss-friendly company has been featured in Thrillist and The Fader. Tomorrow, Stunner of the Month is getting a shout-out during the fourth hour of The Today Show. So exciting.

StunMo is run by a group of super-cool, good-food-and-drink-loving San Franciscans. Fortunately for you, they also happen to be good friends of mine—so good, in fact, that in honor of this exciting bout of press, they hooked up a deal for BrokeAss Gourmet readers. Right now, if you sign up using the promo code gourmetstunner (case sensitive), you can save $2 on the first month of your subscription (so that’s just $7 for an awesome pair of stunners shipped right to you).

To sign up, click here, join and then enter “gourmetstunner” where the form asks for a promo code.

And please enjoy the super-sexy shot of me modeling 3 pairs of stunners at once in my kitchen.

I love summer grilling, but I get tired of the same old hot dogs and hamburgers over and over again. With this in mind, I set out to create a simple-to-make, yet unique burger. These ultra-easy ones satisfy a craving for pulled pork, but can be made in the same amount of time it takes to assemble a ground beef burger patty.

Note: The burgers can also be rolled into smaller balls and baked as individual meatballs.