News and Announcements

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Thank You to the many who contributed to our 2001 Fundraising Drive!  We collected a total of $3023; some of the contributions were quite generous!

     The Bay Area Veg Fair (vegfair.com), Silicon Valley’s first large-scale vegetarian food festival, takes place on Saturday, February 9, 9 AM – 6 PM, at the Santa Clara Convention Center.  Parking, admission, speakers, cooking demonstrations, exhibit hall, and food samples are all free!  Speakers include Dr. Neal Barnard, President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine; Jennifer Raymond, nutritionist and author of The Peaceful Palate and other cookbooks; John Robbins, author of the bestseller Diet For A New America and founder of EarthSave International; Linda Blair, actress, animal advocate, and author of Going Vegan; and many more (see website)! Also, the Exhibit Hall will feature displays and samples of vegetarian products by nu­merous vendors.  Fair sponsors are VegNews Newspaper, Veg Dining, Turtle Mountain, IDA, San Francisco Vegetarian Society, Bay Area Naturally, and VegInfo.com.

Health Counselor Verne Varona will speak after dinner on March 25.  For info on personal consultations with Verne when he is in the Bay Area, call 310 967-7700.

Monthly Vegan Potlucks!  Sunday, Feb 24, 6:30 PM, hosted by Harold Stephenson in Palo Alto, call 650 856-1125 to let him know you're coming and for directions.  Also, Sunday March 17, 6:30 PM at the home of Sylvia and Leslie Pollak in Palo Alto, call 650 462-1046.  To host a fun dinner, call Harold.

Special Thanks to volunteers Patricia Becker and Kim Springer, who provide vital help in preparing our popular takeouts.

 Cooking Classes, 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.

Susanne Jensen offers vegetarian take- outs  ($12) on Wednesdays in San Francisco, SF delivery available, reserve by 9 PM Tue, call 415 661-4764.

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

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 February 25, Mitchell Corwin, D.C., speaks on How To Self Test Your Food And Nutritional Supplements.  Mitchell will introduce us to a self monitoring technique that uses a form of self muscle testing.  Muscle testing was developed in 1965 by Dr. George Goodheart, a chiropractic physician.  This can determine if a food or nutritional aid is acceptable on five basic criteria: A) physical level, B) chemical level, C) emotional level, D) is it effective?, E) is it tolerable?  Bring your food and supplements for testing!

Mitchell Corwin is a chiropractor who has practiced in Berkeley for the last 19 years.  His clinical expertise is in systemic and neurological disorders, with emphasis on learning disabilities and scoliosis.

On March 25, Health Counselor Verne Varona speaks on BodyTalk--Ten Ways To Evaluate Your Own Health.  Learn the essentials of evaluating the status of your health.  From face to voice to mannerism, our body is constantly broadcasting our health and its direction.  Verne will share the most practical and reliable methods of self- diagnosis that he’s learned, from thirty years of studying modern and assorted folk and traditional medicine.

A certified nutritional counselor, Verne is an acclaimed authority on natural healing.  A frequent speaker at health expos and an instructor for The International College of Naturopathy, he has written numerous articles for Macrobiotics Today, Natural Health, Whole Life Times, and other publications.  His recent book, Nature’s Cancer Fighting Foods (Prentice Hall – Reward Books), has been very well received.  The former host of his own radio show, he is a popular media guest on nutrition and health topics.

  
Verne Varona at French Meadows Camp.   Photo by Gerard Lum.

Sea Vegetables

Sea vegetables are wild ocean plants, or marine algae, enjoyed daily as staple and healing foods in many coastal parts of the world.  Small amounts of sea veggies add a rich flavor and enhance the nutritional value of most dishes.  Popular American sea vegetables are Dulse, Kelp, Alaria, and Laver from the east coast, and Sea Palm from the west coast.  Asian varieties include Nori, Hiziki, Arame, Kombu and Wakame.

     Sea vegetables are rich in minerals and trace elements, including calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, iodine, manganese, chromium and more, at levels much greater than those found in land vegetables.  Sea veggies also provide vitamins, fiber, enzymes, and high quality protein.  Marine phytochemicals found only in sea vegetables have been shown to absorb and eliminate radioactive elements and heavy metal contaminants from our bodies.  Other recent research demonstrates the inhibition of tumor formation, reduction of cholesterol, and anti-viral properties of sea vegetables.

     (The above information is from www. seaveg.com, the excellent, informative website of Maine Coast Sea Vegetables in Franklin, ME, who provided the recipes below.  They have a West Coast affiliate, Rising Tide Sea Vegetables in Mendocino, CA.  See the two companies at the Bay Area Veg Fair on Feb 9.)

Lentil Walnut Kelp Spread

Serves 4 to 6; Preparation time: 10-15 minutes; Cooking Time: 1 hr.

• 1 ½ cup lentils
• ½ cup walnuts
• 1 approx. 5” piece of Kelp (or kombu sea vegetable)
• 3 cups water
• 2 ½ Tbls miso
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic

1. Simmer the lentils, walnuts and kelp in water for 1 hr. (Check after the first 10-15 minutes to make sure the water level is high enough).
2. Mash the above with miso, parsley and garlic.
3. Chill & serve on crackers, with sliced vegetables, or use as a sandwich filling with greens.

Options: Instead of lentils and walnuts, use split peas and cashews, or aduki beans and almonds, or yellow split peas and sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

Dulse Chickpea Salad

Serves 4 to 6; Preparation time: 20 minutes

1.  Break 1 large whole wheat pita bread into small pieces and bake at 400⁰ for 5 minutes (substitute corn tortilla or other grain product for whole wheat pita if desired).
2.  Mix together:

• 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
• 1 cup chopped Dulse
• 1 cucumber, peeled & diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• ½ cup chopped black olives
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• ½ cup parsley or cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1/8 – 1/4 cup olive oil
• ½ cup vadalia onion
• 1 cup chopped romaine or leaf lettuce, and the toasted pita bread