News and Announcements

Best Wishes for a Safe and Happy Holiday Season, and a Happy New Year!  Dinner will not be served on Dec 23 or 30.

Macrobiotic Counselor and Acupuncturist Michael Rossoff will be available for personal consultations in Woodside, Monday Jan 6 through Thursday Jan 9.  His 33 years of ex­perience with macrobiotics, acupuncture, and Chinese medicine make him highly sought after as a counselor.  Call 650 366-4285.

Monthly Vegan Potlucks!  Sunday, Dec 15, at the home of Sairus Patel in Palo Alto, call 650 322-9654 to let him know you’re coming and to get directions.  Also on Sunday, Jan 26, at Brett Garrett’s home in Redwood City, call 650 599-9678.  To host, call Harold Stephenson at 650 856-1125.

EarthSave Bay Area sponsors a Din­ner/Lecture Event each month.  On Tue Dec 10, Michael Newman from the Center For A New American Dream presents a video: More Fun, Less Stuff, at Foundation For Global Community, 222 High, Palo Alto.  On Tue Jan 14, Rick Dina, D.C., speaks on All About Blood Sugar Regulation And The Fallacy Of The High Protein Approach, at The BayLeaf Café, 520 Ramona, Palo Alto.  The free lecture begins at 7:30 PM; an optional Vegetarian/Vegan Buffet Dinner is served at 6:30 PM, $12 reserved in advance, call 408 380-1214, bayarea.earthsave.org.

Special Thanks to longtime Monday Dinner volunteer Colleen Corey, who has demonstrated extraordinary flexibility and willingness to help in a wide variety of jobs over the last few months.  Colleen’s quiet reliability and efficiency are major reasons that the Dinners have worked smoothly for many years.  Kudos also to Sandy Corey, Colleen's partner in cleanup; James Holloway, who always lends a hand in the kitchen; and Milt Jones of the First Baptist Church, our helpful and accommodating host.

If you would like to support our efforts and organization, donations to the Peninsula Macrobiotic Community (PMC) are accepted in any amount.  $10/year is suggested to support the newsletter; larger amounts are applied to both the newsletter and other expenses, primarily insurance, and will also give us additional operating flexibility to handle rising costs.  See From The Editor for details on contributing by mail.  Donations, including $10 amounts to support the newsletter, are tax-deductible, as the PMC is a nonprofit organization.

Yogen Kushi, grandson of Michio and Aveline Kushi and a talented graduate of the Kushi Institute, edits and publishes the Non Credo Newsletter online.  As befits its title, a typical issue includes timely and occasionally controversial articles on a variety of topics, by contributors from within the macrobiotic community.  The current November issue features a special report, World In Crisis (Part One of Three), by Yogen himself.  Current and past issues of the newsletter are available free at Yogen's well-designed website, which also includes general information on Macrobiotics and an extensive set of links to related sites; see http://www.yogenkushi.com/NonCredo.

The BayLeaf Café, at 520 Ramona in downtown Palo Alto, serves tasty and nutritious Vegan Soups, Sandwiches, Salads, Beverages, and Desserts.  On Sat and Sun, they serve breakfast.  M-F: 11:30AM-10PM, Sat: 9AM-10PM, Sun: 9AM-6PM, 650 321-7466.

Cooking and Dinners

James Holloway, frequent Guest Chef at the Monday Dinners, does personal home cooking in Palo Alto, in macrobiotic and classical styles, call 650 852-9182.

Anne Mark does takeout meals and lifestyle recommendations, and occasionally teaches macrobiotic cooking classes, in Palo Alto, call 650 843-0255.

Meekk's Kitchen prepares a variety of vegetarian and vegan dishes in Palo Alto,  menu updated weekly, call 650 424-3900, www.meekksKitchen.com.

Michelle Nemer, Macrobiotic Health Guidance Counselor, teaches cooking classes and health workshops, and offers Private Health Counseling occasionally in San Mateo, call 510 527-4367.

Carolyn Peters offers private cooking, cooking classes, and catering in San Francisco.  She is experienced in macrobiotic, vegetarian, and conventional styles.  Call 415 552-5879, carolyn_peters@yahoo.com.

After-Dinner Events

Speakers receive a gratuity collected from the audience; please show your support and appreciation with a donation ($5 suggested).

On Dec 9, Holistic Nutritionist Meredith McCarty speaks on Nutritional Support For The Prevention And Treatment Of Breast Cancer.  Literally hundreds of studies have examined different aspects of food and nutrition and their relationship to breast cancer.  Meredith will share the latest positive findings (Macrobiotics is in the limelight yet again!) in breast cancer support through lifestyle changes.  Her talk will include the following highlights:

• an overview of the latest research, including seven risk factors and four protective factors
• a show and tell of healing foods and how to use them
• simple and delicious recipes that will satisfy both your senses and your sense of well-being.

What the experts are saying:

The approximate amount of breast cancer cases preventable by diet are 33%-50%.  Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

You can’t compromise on a healing diet when it comes to cancer, nor can you cancel out harmful dietary habits with supplements.  Dr. Keith Block, Nutritional Oncologist

The cells around cancer cells, and the general state of the body, influence their capacity to thrive.  Dr. Susan Love, from Breast Cancer: Beyond Convention

Meredith authored three popular cookbooks: American Macrobiotic Cuisine, Fresh From A Vegetarian Kitchen, and the award-winning Sweet And Natural. Formerly the associate editor of Natural Health magazine, she co-directed a natural health center in Eureka, California for 19 years. She has taught cooking classes, lectured, and consulted internationally since 1977; her consulting services are described at healingcuisine.com.

On Jan 6, Macrobiotic Counselor and Acupuncturist Michael Rossoff speaks on A Breath of Fresh Air--Keeping Lungs Healthy ($5 - $10 suggested due to travel distance).  The importance of breathing is obvious, yet the importance and well being of the lungs is elusive to most people.  This is because the lungs are among the first indica­tors that something is wrong in our bodies, whether it's the common cold, cough, phlegm or shortness of breath.  In this lecture, you will learn through the lens of Chinese medicine the importance of the lungs to physical, emotional and spiritual health, as well as the interdependence of lungs and kidneys, liver, large intestines and stomach.  We will explore ways to create stronger lungs and overall health, including which foods and herbs benefit the lungs and the keys to natural breathing.

Michael Rossoff brings 33 years of experi­ence with macrobiotics, acupuncture and Chinese medicine.  He has counseled many thousands of people, taught in the USA, Canada, Europe and Israel.  Besides his counseling and acupuncture practices, he is now the academic dean of the Atlantic University of Chinese Medicine, near Asheville, North Carolina.

Recipe

Silky Squash and Apple Soup

Makes 4 servings or 4 cups

 Ingredients:

• 1 or 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 onions or white part of 2 leeks, sliced
• 2 large cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 rib celery, thinly sliced
• 1 pound winter squash or a combination (buttercup, butternut, kabocha, and/or delicata), about 2 1/2 cups, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 large apple (ie. Granny Smith), 1/2 pound, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup soymilk (I prefer Edensoy Original), plus more to texture desired
• 3-inch piece kombu seaweed
• 1 tablespoon white miso
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger juice
• 1/2 teaspoon each ginger, curry, and cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon each cardamom and nutmeg
• 4 carrot cutouts for garnish (carrot slices boiled 5 minutes and cut with hors d’ouevre cutters)
• Chives, thinly sliced for garnish

1. In a 3-quart pot, heat oil and sauté onion (or leek), garlic and celery until soft. Cover pot after a couple of minutes and stir occasionally. Add squash, apple, water, soymilk and kombu. Bring to boil, then turn heat down to boil covered until soft, about 10 minutes.

Or, to avoid having to cut the squash and to concentrate the sweet taste, bake whole squash on a dry baking sheet at 400° or 450° until completely soft when pierced with a small knife, about an hour.  Peel, seed and add to pot with other ingredients.

2. Transfer solids to food processor and purée with remaining ingredients.  Add liquid gradu­ally to texture desired.  Return soup to pot and heat through to marry flavors.  If needed, add a bit more soymilk to texture desired.

3. Sprinkle chives on soup and top with a carrot cutout (hearts are a great shape).

by Meredith McCarty, Cookbook Author, Diet Counselor, and Nutrition Educator