Bloody Mary Bay

Named for Mary I,  Queen of Scots and considered the 'Bloodiest' woman sovereign in history. Mary was also the cousin of  Queen Elizabeth I the first Tudor to rule England.

Mary Queen of Scots

A mashup of the original Bloody Mary Cocktail and our own Bloody Bay, this surprisingly refreshing summer treat adds even more Blood Red interest with the addition of a bright red onion slice and even more thrown olives; or is that throne olives?

Ingredients: 

• 2 ounces vodka 
• 8 ounces tomato juice 
• Splash of Tabasco sauce 
• Splash of Worcestershire sauce 
• Dash of Old Bay Seasoning 
• 2 to 4 large green olives with pimiento 
• 1 red onion slice 

Method:

Add ingredients over the rocks in a highball, top with red onion and a skewer with olives.

Thai Peanut Noodle Bowl

Bamii บะหมี่

Vegetarian

Thailand, formerly known in the West as Siam, is located on a central peninsula below Mainland China. It is surrounded on three sides by Burma, Laos and Cambodia. The largest of the peninsular countries is connected by an isthmus into the Gulf of Thailand to Malaysia in the south. 

To this extent Thailand's cuisine shares much of the surrounding flavor, style and tradition of Southern Asia including Vietnam, Japan and the Philippines. Thailand is a cross roads country: Buddhist, agrarian in the North and more cosmopolitan in the southern half and has a history along the great trade routes of the area. 

Noodle Bowls, essentially broth with rice or noodles and flavored variously, are ubiquitous throughout the far east. We chose Bamii for that very reason, it is often vegetarian and has elements reflective of traditional Japanese Soba and at the same time may incorporate early African traditions like the peanut based Maafe.

                                                              photo GCB Press All tights reserved 

INGREDIENTS:

• ½ lb. extra firm tofu — drained and marinated [marinade follows]
• ¾ lb. thin spaghetti or thin linguine
• ½ c. fresh ground peanut butter
• ½ c. vegetable stock
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¾ teaspoon Asian sesame oil
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1-2 scallions

DIRECTIONS:

Place the tofu in a large strainer or alternatively between 2 paper towels, set a heavy pot on top to slowly drain out as much of the water content as you can; this will allow the tofu to then absorb more of the flavor from the marinade. When drained [about 30 minutes] remove the tofu and slice into approximately 1" square cubes.

In a large baking dish arrange the tofu in one layer and cover with the prepared marinade, refrigerate covered for at least 1 hour, overnight is better. Drain the marinated tofu, reserve the marinade liquid.

To begin prepare 1/2 cup of vegetable stock. To a non stick frying pan on medium heat add olive oil and drained tofu. Sauté 10 minutes turning until lightly browned. Add the diced red pepper and garlic. Cover and continue to cook until the red pepper is medium soft.
 

To a medium low heat sauce pan add peanut butter, reserved marinade and prepared vegetable stock, blend.

Bring a large saucepan of water with a pinch of salt to a boil. Add pasta and cook al dente. Add the tofu to the peanut sauce then the drained pasta, toss to coat serve. Garnish with slices scallion.

Prepare the Marinade:

Combine:

• ¼ c. plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon chile-garlic sauce
• 1 tablespoon. chopped fresh ginger
• ¾ teaspoon Asian sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid aminos
• 1 tablespoon honey [for vegan substitute agave syrup]
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

serves 2

Spinach Ricotta Taco

Vegetarian

                                                    photo GCB Press all right reserved

Ingredients 

6  ounces ricotta (preferably fresh), at room temperature

2  cloves garlic, chopped

    Himalayan pink salt

1  tablespoon vegetable oil

1  ounce diced green chilis

4  ounces button mushrooms sliced

1/2  white onion, sliced 1/2-inch-

8  ounces white beans drained

2  cups fresh spinach

1  teaspoon ground cumin

4  corn tortillas

1/4  cup chili sauce

Directions

1. Combine the ricotta and 1 clove garlic in a medium bowl season with salt.
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until lightly browned. Stir and continue cooking until the onion begins to soften. Add the chiles, spinach and cumin, cook, stirring, until the spinach begins to wilt. Add the remaining clove garlic and cook until the spinach is completely wilted. Season with salt; transfer to a bowl, keep warm.
3. Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet. Divide the spinach, bean mushroom mixture between the tortillas, top with the ricotta, fold and garnish with chili sauce.

Red Pepper Tomato Soup*

vegetarian

                                                                             photo GCB Press all rights reserved

Peppers are indigenous to the new world, fossilized remains in Peru indicate that peppers existed as early as1200 BC, and were cultivated in Central and South America in prehistoric times. Columbus brought them to Europe in 1493, and they were quickly adopted and cultivated as decorative additions to floral presentations.** 

Europeans gave peppers their modern name when it was discovered that the fruit of the plant was edible and tasted like the black and white ground condiment used at their tables, pepper.

Today the confusion remains and the argument over whether peppers are fruit or vegetable depends on largely on whom you ask, a gardener or a cook.

William-Adolphe_Bouguereau

(1825-1905) "Soup" (1865)     

This recipe marries red peppers with tomato, another case of dual identities combined in a tasteful union. 

Ingredients:

1 soy bacon strip
2 teaspoons Earth Balance vegetable spread, divided
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/8 teaspoon paprika
Splash hot pepper sauce
Dash cayenne pepper
1 cup vegetable broth, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup heavy cream [vegan alternative: to 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk add 1 teaspoon Sour Supreme, mix      thoroughly]
1/4 teaspoon salt or preferred, Himalayan Pink Salt

Method:

        1 To a skillet add 1 teaspoon vegetable spread and cook soy bacon  until crisp. Remove, set aside. To the drippings, add the red pepper, onion and garlic; sauté until onion is tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, paprika, hot pepper sauce and cayenne until well blended. Add 1/4 cup broth. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; cool for 10 minutes. Puree in a blender; set aside.

    2 In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt remaining vegetable spread. Stir in flour; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Gradually add remaining broth; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes; reduce heat to low.

3 Gradually stir in cream and salt. Add puree; heat through. Crumble soy bacon over top. Garnish with vegan sour cream, chives and red pepper if desired. 

Serves 2

*Originally published as Pretty Pepper Soup in  Reminisce Extra August 1998, revised by HCAYK to be vegetarian

** A Brief History of Peppers 

No-Bake Creamy Chocolate Cheesecake

Vegan

                                          photo Green Cutting Board Press, all rights reserved

Cheesecake, a popular if admittedly decadent dessert [we'll get to that later] has its origins far from the currently accepted "baked or unbaked" traditions. History grants the ancient Greeks credit for divining this food of the gods — by the Greek physician Aegimus, who wrote a book on the art of making cheesecakes (πλακουντοποιικόν σύγγραμμα—plakountopoiikon suggramma)…We know this as written in the oldest known surviving work of Latin prose the De Agri Cultura [On Agriculture,160 BC] by Cato the Elder

If cheesecake really is the food of the gods this no-bake conception must be their supreme accomplishment; and just as a whim we transformed it to a vegan version — not so decadently fat…apologies to Aegimus, Cato the Elder, deli bakers and supreme beings everywhere.

  

Crust:

2 1/3 ounces (about 2/3 cup) graham cracker crumbs 

2  tablespoons Earth Balance, melted 

Cheesecake:

1/2 container (4 ounces) Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese, at room temperature 

1/4 cup Agave Powder 

1/8 cup Tofutti Sour Supreme, Better than Sour Cream 

1/3 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/4 cup vegan chocolate, recipe by our favorite vegan baker, The Minimalist Baker

3-4 medium strawberries - sliced

Method:

1. For the crust, combine graham cracker crumbs and melted vegan spread together in a small bowl until the mixture looks like damp sand. Press the crust mixture evenly into the bottom of 2 Crème Brulée Ramekins. 
2. For the filling, in a small bowl whisk the cream cheese until smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and beat again for a minute or so until combined. Add the sour cream, vanilla and mix. 
3. Add the melted chocolate (make sure it is room temperature), whip for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and light. 
4. Divide the cheesecake filling evenly between the 2 ramekins, cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours until set. 
5. Top with sliced fresh strawberries and savor 

Serves 2

Rick

Chorizo Mushroom Stuffed Red Pepper

Vegetarian

Bell Peppers when fully ripened turn a deep, glossy red and are sweeter than their green cousins. Bell peppers are also the only peppers that produce no capsaicin, the chemical that causes irritation [heat] when in contact with our taste buds. A traditional recipe in Spain using piquillo pepper which are smaller than bell but of the same variation are stuffed with a variety of ingredients including meat, seafood, or cheese, and served as tapas; in Mexico called Chile rellenó, literally "stuffed pepper," or in middle eastern, Turkey, Greek cuisine called Dolma, a tradition of stuffed vegetables.

In this recipe the enhanced sweetness of red bell peppers adds an unexpected flavor note to the heat of the chorizo and the savory middle eastern blend of quinoa, onion, garlic and olive.

Pair these stuffed peppers with the rich, umami taste of this easy vegan Yorkshire Pudding and you experience the meeting of 2 worlds: the Old British Empire and the even older Ottoman Empire. That encounter produced a rich blended cuisine of northern European and middle eastern fare stirred, mixed and blended for four centuries until the end of the nineteenth century.

 photo: The Green Cutting Board Press, all rights reserved

         

             photo:wikipedia.org/

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup diced sweet onion
• 1 cup diced button mushroom
• 1 clove garlic diced
• 1/3 cup diced green olives
• 1 tablespoon Earth Balance
• 1/2 cup canned chickpeas [garbanzo beans]
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup quinoa 
• 2 medium red bell peppers
• 3 tablespoons vegetarian chorizo
• 3 ounces queso fresco
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon no beef bullion base
• 1 teaspoon cumin

                                                                                                                                                                           

Method:  

1. Set a soup pot of water to boil.
2. Cut the top of red peppers and remove the seed and veins. Place the peppers bottom down in the hot eater with their lids, cover and cook 10 minutes
3. Brown tablespoon Earth Balance in a medium hot pan. Add first 4 ingredients and sauté 2 minutes
4. Add water, chickpeas, quinoa, water and bouillon paste, cumin. Cover and cook medium for 10 minutes or until water is nearly absorbed.
5. Remove peppers from water, drain and allow to cool
6. Preheat oven to 365℉
7. Fill the peppers with chorizo mushroom stuffing. Top with queso fresco and pepper lids. Place in an oven ready pan.
8. Continue baking for 30 minutes

Serves 2