Newsletter Fall 2008

MINERAL RICH SEA VEGETABLES

By Chef Debby DeGraaff

The seas are abundant with vegetable life. The coast of every continent is a garden ripe for the harvest. The powers of sea vegetables (seaweeds) have been drawn upon for thousands of years for their ability to prolong life, prevent disease, and impart beauty and health for happier and longer life.

In addition to a wealth of minerals, vitamins, and amino acids, sea plants are especially excellent sources of calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron. They contain alginic acid, which binds and expels radioactive substances and heavy metals, as well as glutamic acid, which increase mental acuity. There are 75 edible species, but we only see a few available to us. They are Wakame which is essential in miso soups; Hijiki, which contains 10 times the calcium of milk; Nori, seen and used in Japanese cuisine; Arame, mild and very popular; Agar Agar, a natural thickener and vegetarian gelatin; Kombu, a type of Kelp. When added to beans, the minerals help to balance the protein and oils in them and increase digestibility. They also soften and break down tough fibers in beans and other foods cooked with them. Dulse can be found in condiments and eaten without cooking. Sea plants build the immune system, strengthen intestines, liver, pancreas and sex organs, as well as the chlorophyll cleans the blood, heals the mucous membranes and dissolves body fat. As you see, ounce for ounce, sea vegetables contain higher vitamins and minerals than any other class of foods. If you are sensitive to salt, rinse the plants before using. Prepare by hydrating in water and cook 10 to 15 minutes. Experiment with sea vegetables by adding them to your favorite recipes. Here's one to try. Enjoy.

ARAME SALAD

• 1-1/2 cups dry Arame
• 1 head Cauliflower separated into small florets
• 1 cup Snow Peas cut in half on the diagonal
• 3-1/2 cups spring water
• 3 Tbs. Sesame Seeds

Place Arame in saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain, Chop and Chill.

DRESSING

• 1/3 cup Lemon Juice
• 3 Tbs. Tamari
• 1 Tbs. Toasted Sesame oil

Place 1//2 cup water and cauliflower in a saucepan, boil and simmer until barely tender, about 5 minutes. Add snow peas. Cook 2 minutes. Turn off heat and cover to steam for 5 minutes.

Pour dressing over vegetables and Arame. Add sesame seeds and serve.

$10,000 IN COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP MONEY TO BE AWARDED BY VEGETARIAN GROUP

The Vegetarian Resource Group announced that $10,000 in college scholarship money will be awarded to graduating high school students who have promoted vegetarianism in their schools and/or communities. Two awards of $5,000 each will be given.

Students will be judged on their promotion of vegetarian and vegan diets in a positive way. For application information, visit or write to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P. O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203. Deadline for application is February 20, 2009. The student must be an American high school senior at time of application and plan on attending an American college.

Interesting articles at www.vrg.org include:

• How many vegetarians are there in the United States?
• Does cysteine in your bread come from human hair or duck feathers?
• The meaning of egg labels.
• Low cost vegetarian meal plans, weight loss the vegan way, or omega 3's for vegans.
• How can I be a vegetarian and create quick meals? See Meatless Meals for Working People (ISBN 0-931411-22-X0, which features information about meatless options at fast food chains, a convenient meal plan, quick recipes, and more.
• Parents of vegetarian youngsters may also be helped by The Vegetarian Resource Group's Parents' E-Mail List, which is an opportunity for vegetarian parents to share ideas. For information about the Parents' List, Meatless Meals for Working People, and other useful resources, visit , and click on Teens, Families, and Kids.
• Where are restaurants I can eat out vegetarian?

For all of the above, go to www.vrg.org or write to The Vegetarian Resource Group, P. O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

Next Dinner

Tuesday, November 18th at EDO Japanese Tappanyaki, 4500 66th Street North in St. Petersburg. Guest speaker will be Irma Radosavljevic, whose topic will be "Body Realignment through the St. John Method of Neuromuscular Therapy." Deadline for reservations is Saturday, November 15, at noon.

Cost of the meal will be $12.00 per person, including tax and tip, plus a $2.00 non-member fee. We will be seated around large grills, where the cooks will prepare the meal for us as we watch. The dinner will include:

• Miso Soup
• Ginger Salad
• Vegetable Fried Rice
• Sesame Seed Noodles
• Tappanyaki Vegetables
• 2 Sauces for Dipping

There is a full bar, with drinks available for an additional charge.

VEGANS WILL BE SEATED TOGETHER AROUND GRILLS WHERE THE COOKS WILL PREPARE THE FOOD WITHOUT EGGS AND BUTTER. For vegetarians, vegetables will be prepared with butter and the fried rice with eggs. Vegans should ask to be seated at a vegan table after they have signed in.

Holiday Party

The December members-only Holiday Party is held instead of a regular December dinner. Non-members may not attend. The 2008 party will take place on Saturday, December 6, at the Imperial Point Club House, 14950 Sovereign Drive in Seminole. Imperial Point is located at the west end of 102nd Avenue North. Just keep driving west until you can't go any further, and you are at Imperial Point. The clubhouse has windows overlooking the Intra-coastal Waterway. Attendees can pay by cash or check made payable to Tampa Bay Vegetarians (no credit cards).

Thanks to Mary Ann Dellesky for making this location possible.

Susan Huff of Integrity Organics will be catering our holiday event. The menu will be:

• Garden Salad with Assorted Veggies
• Vegan Nut Loaf
• Steamed Carrots with Dill
• Potatoes Kuggle with Mock Cream Sauce
• Rice Pilaf
• Veggie Mix with Cashew Gravy
• Dessert: Wheat Free Carrot Cake with Apple Crust and Coconut
• Beverage: Organic Berry Tea

Entertainment and live music for dancing will be provided by TONY BELLUSCI; the same person who performed for our holiday party last year. He will also play soft dinner music while we dine.

The cost is $20.00 per person. However, the Board determined that there is enough money in our treasury to subsidize the party by half. Thus, the cost per person will only be $10.00.

BOARD MEETING

January 10, 2009, Noon to 2 PM, Panera Bread in Bardmoor Shopping Center, 10801 Starkey Road (at Bryan Dairy Road), Largo, FL.

We'll meet in the private room at the rear of the restaurant. We encourage you to arrive early to eat some of Panera's great food. Please ask the register clerk to add your purchase amount to the TBV tally. If we spend at least $50 as a group, the meeting room will be free. This is a Panera Bread Co. policy.

ALL TBV MEMBERS ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND. We need people to help out with various tasks. If you are interested in being a member of the Board, you need to attend two Board meetings first. You don't need to be a Board member, however, to take on one of the tasks. Welcome to Fran Naumann, our newest Board member.

Restaurant Committee

The Committee consists of Sharon Dante, Chairman, Joy Karp, and our newest member, Fran Naumann. Our restaurant committee welcomes recommendations of restaurants that would be good for a dinner, but they must be able to seat at least 50 of us.

About Tampa Bay Vegetarians

Our social group meets monthly, 4th Tuesday, at 7:00 PM at vegetarian or vegetarian-friendly restaurants. Click here for more information.