FRUITS:
In winter we take advantages of citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, kumquats, mandarin/tangerine and ugli fruit. All of them are rich in Vitamin C.

PINA COLADA SMOOTHIE:
Yield: 3 cups

1 orange, peeled and sectioned
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
2 bananas, fresh

Break the bananas into two or three pieces. Place all the ingredients in a blender and process on medium speed until smooth. Serve immediately.

Vitamin C in oranges is well known for boosting immunity, fighting colds, and helping to eliminate exercise-induced free radicals that cause soreness. Organic oranges have up to 30 percent more vitamin C than conventional oranges, even though they are half the size. The nitrogen in fertilizers used to grow conventional oranges may cause the fruit to absorb more water. Researchers theorize that the extra water means more vitamin C moves into the peel.

Owing to the multitude of vitamin C's health benefits, it is not surprising that research has shown that consumption of vegetables and fruits high in the nutrients is associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes, including heart disease, stroke and cancer.

The health benefits of oranges also include fiber. One orange has 15 percent of the recommended daily value. Fiber is known to reduce high cholesterol levels. Therefore, I eat whole oranges instead of juicing them. For some people, toothache in crowned teeth, however, eating whole oranges does not normally create this discomfort.

This information is from Tonya Zavasta's book called: BEAUTIFUL ON RAW: unCOOKED CREATIONS.

VEGETABLES:
David, my son and our friends love this salad so much that I want to share this recipe with you, hoping that you would enjoy it too.

KALE SALAD:

1 head kale (any variety, green, red or lacinato is great), shredded
(I tear kale by hand into small pieces, about 1 inch)
1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup pine nuts

DRESSING:
1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey, agave or maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pinch of sea salt or celtic salt

In a mixing bowl toss kale and add the dressing. Then "massage" kale for five minutes to "soften" kale. Add bell pepper and pine nuts. Serve immediately.

KALE has over ten times the vitamin A as the same amount of iceberg lettuce. Served in equivalent portions it has more vitamin C than orange juice and more calcium than cow's milk.

Kale's concentrated beta-carotene content in an excellent source of vitamin A, which helps prevent premature aging. One cup of kale provides almost 250 percent of the daily value of vitamin A. Both vitamin A and beta-carotene are important vision nutrients. Kale contains the antioxident latein and iron, which transport oxygen to the skin.

Kale manganese and calcium, among other healthy attributes. Calcium is one of the nutrients needed to make healthy bones. But kale, unlike dairy products, is not a highly allergenic food, nor does it contain any saturated fat.

I use lacinato kale (also known as black cabbage, dinosaur kale or Italian heirloom) in my recipes because of its smoother texture.

This information is from Tonya Zavasta's book called BEAUTIFUL ON RAW: unCOOKED CREATIONS.

SOUP AND DESSERT FOR THIS MONTH:

STRAWBERRY PIE:
from LIVING ON LIVE FOODS by Alissa Cohen

CRUST:
2 cups almonds
1.l/2 cup dates, pitted and soaked
1 cup strawberries, diced

FILLING:
3.1/2 cups strawberries
3 very ripe bananas

FOR CRUST:
1. In a food processor, blend almonds until fine
2. Add dates and blend until smooth
3. Place in a bowl, and stir in the diced strawberries
4. Mold into a pie plate

FOR FILLING:
1. Dice 1/2 cup of the strawberries. Set aside
2. In a food processor, blend the remaining 2 cups of strawberries and the bananas until smooth
3. Place in a bowl, and stir in the diced strawberries.
4, Pour into crust.

STRAWBERRIES: Contain ellagic acid which can reduce and often neutralize the damaging effects of the carcinogen PAH found in cigarette smoke.

BANANAS: High in potassium. One medium-sized banana provides 400 mg of potassium. Potassium is a mineral that is lost during physical exercise. It is required to regulate your heartbeat, blood pressure, and may help reduce the risk of stroke in older people. Bananas are also rich in Vitamin B6 and they are a good source of fiber, Vitamin C and magnesium. Keep bananas in a paper or plastic bag to help them ripen.

CURRIED YAM BISQUE
A hearty winter soup, this is mellow and smooth. Add more or less curry depending on your taste.

1 cup yam
1.1/2 cups cashew milk (cashews and water with honey or date to sweeten)
1/2 green apple
1 teaspoon mint
1 teaspoon curry (or less)

Blend all in a blender or Vita-Mix.

NOTE: In winter May warms up this soup in a saucepan till nice and warm.

GREEN FESTIVAL with 125 renowned speakers and 350 green businesses
October 10 - 11
Saturday: 10 AM to 7 PM
Sunday: 11 AM to 6 PM..
Washington Convention Center
801 Mount Vernon Place, NW
Washington DC 20001
www.greenfestivals.org/washington-dc/

RAW FOOD CLASSES AT THE COMMON MARKET,
5728 Buckeystown Pike
Frederick, MD 21704-5116
(301) 663-3416  - 
commonmarket.com‎

With Rochelle Williams

ALL ABOUT CANDY - Saturday, October 3 from 3 to 5 PM

RAW FOODS FOR HOLIDAYS - Saturday, November 14 from Noon to 2 PM
and Saturday, December 12 from Noon to 2 PM.

If interested, please sign up for these classes and pay $20 for each class.

So far no raw food potluck this month of September. If anyone would like to host a potluck in October, November or December, please email May Wille at: maywille@yahoo.com or Carol Moore at carolmoore@gmail.com.

So, here is some bits about me personally about how I came to be a vegetarian and then, a vegan later on and plus a vegan-raw as well. Lastly, I add about why/how I founded DVS.


On becoming a Vegetarian: When I was 13 years old, it started with me reading a magazine from PETA for the first time and it really upset me so intensely that it angered me to the point I cried angrily. In other words, it pretty much hit home in the heart for me. That very day, I went up to my mother and said that I was going vegetarian because I would not eat my friends anymore. Thankfully, she respected my opinion & my decision. With that, it was an overnight change that I went vegetarian cold-turkey (no pun intended). I never looked back since I was 13 years old. Plus, after about 6 months or so, my mother got tired of cooking separately for us both and she started to realize the health benefits as a vegetarian & for the love for animals, she became a vegetarian too! It has been 18 years now that I (& my mom) haven't touched meat willingly. Of course, being as a vegetarian newbie in a learning process, I've had very few overlooked accidents/mistakes in the beginning whenever I went out to eat, I learned more & more such as chicken broth, lard, & etc. like that was to cook the vegetables with. Also, I was still eating eggs & cheese at the time. Gradually over time, I became lactose intolerant as I got older. Not only it was just the change in my eating habits, I also removed any leather & silk & wool from my wardrobe. It was the beginning of a new lifestyle at such young age for me. It was so hard in the beginning because you have to keep in mind that it was 1990 at the time and vegetarianism was mocked at and there was inadequate options in the grocery stores and at restaurants. Despite all the immature teasing, belittling, hot debates (sometimes arguments) & many had no confidence in believing that I would last that long, I stood firm on my belief and my
morality up to this day and I still will until I die.

On becoming Vegan-Raw: I was & still am always expanding my reading materials & references on a large spectrum of vegetarianism & eco-lifestyle on all levels. A couple of years ago, I asked a Deaf raw foodist friend, Brenda, where I could find genuine information on raw food and one of her suggestions was Shazzie. For some reason, that name sounded the most appealing to me so, I found Shazzie's website & her blogs on Vegan-Rawism. Again, it hit home for me. It was beyond words and I felt so inspired that I kept reading it while I was at work! I had to hide her website page on my computer and go back & forth between reading her blogs and working on my spreadsheets at the same time. Sneaky, I know, but it was THAT inspiring to me! After I was done with most of her blogs, I went on to borrow few books to further my understanding on detoxing correctly first and then, going raw. Once I started my first detox, it went swimmingly & an interesting experience for me! Omitting all processed foods from my pantry was very easy as a snap of fingers because I had this gain of knowledge of what they really were & how awfully toxic they were. When I started my Raw journey, my main goal from going raw was basically just to be healthy in overall. An bonus that happened to come with the "package deal" which was the weight loss so I lost 30 pounds (I never was concerned nor was sensitive about weight in general & never tried to lose weight on purpose). As a whole, I felt great inside because I felt healthy and my colon felt so cleared up! Not only that, it also lifted me up emotionally & spiritually because raw food comes directly the Earth that has such abundance of deep beautiful energy.

On "backing down" to Vegan after being Raw: After being Vegan-Raw for almost a year, I started to go through a difficult financial hardship due to several changes in my life & having to move back in with my mother. I decided to cut down my grocery expenses which meant less Raw food. I started cooking a little again, but I still kept my rule of using only organics. By this time, I hadn't had any eggs for so many years so that was easy for me of not going back to eggs ever again anyway. However, cheese was the hardest for me to let go for so many years because I LOVE cheese. I felt that it was mentally hard for me to train myself on omitting cheese from my life forever. I usually have a congested nasal airways and I felt that the dairy from the cheese could be the culprit. Finally, about over 7 or 8 months ago, I stopped eating cow cheese & I did not even notice until few months later. I was officially a Vegan! When it dawned on me one day (because I did not really notice it at first), I felt so proud of myself! Obviously, my mentality had finally seeped into my body after years of trying to draw the concept in my soul. It took a while to change that reality & so, in the no-cheese area, it became second skin for me finally. It was such a battle with cheese! Although, I still do pick at very little feta cheese maybe once every two months or so because organic feta comes from goat which has less acid in their only one stomach; unlike the cow's 4 stomachs. In conclusion, I am currently a Vegan. I still make & eat raw dishes at home. I eat raw breakfast every morning. As for dinners, I still have a salad every time, but sometimes I do have cooked dinners. All in all, I still always make sure I incorporate vegan-raw dishes in my daily life one way or other.

On why/how I founded Deaf Vegetarian Society: When I first moved to Phoenix, AZ with my mother in 1997 (I was 19), she & I wanted to find some kind of veggie club so we could meet people of same interests. We found Vegetarian Society of Phoenix. Every month, they had potlucks, discussions & meetings in the same day. It was awesome to find that group. However, I was the only Deaf person in that group. Naturally, as you all Deafies know this very well, I felt left out, kept filling in blanks during conversations & had the difficulties of getting involved in discussions. My mother is a signer. She interpreted for me during every gathering they had. I started to feel bad for her because she would not able to fully process the information for her own brain because she was interpreting for me. So, slowly every now & then, I started to abstain myself from their monthly gatherings and my mom would still attend on her own. Until one day, I stopped showing up completely. I had wished there was a deaf group that had something like that. So, I looked excessively online for one. I learnt that there are SO many (hearing) veg groups all over the world in almost every country, city & even in small towns. But there was no Deaf groups at all. I was surprised & disappointed. It wasn't until years later after I stopped moving around & came back to Phoenix in 2004. The idea came back to me & nagged at me again, but I did not act on it. It kept bothering me & nagging at me in the back of my head for a while. So, a few years later, I talked to very few friends about it and they encouraged me to do it. Deaf people needed this type of thing to keep up on knowledge on natural health via food & a support system as well. So, if no one is doing it, then who will? So, why not I just do it? Evidently, I finally set it up. Deaf Vegetarian Society was born in 2007.

Much Green Love

Veronica Kozlowski

Founder of D.V.S.
DeafVegetarianSociety.org

Come and join us for a week of fun, relaxation, and information on how to improve your health & lifestyle aboard Holland America’s  ms Westerdam!  The holidays will be  over and  it will be time to take a break and join Paul and Ann Malkmus and the Hallelujah Acres Lifestyle Center owners for seven fantastic days in the southern Caribbean . 

The Hallelujah Acres and GoAwayTravel.com organizations are working together to bring you this special opportunity where you are invited on a cruise which will depart from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida,  January 3, 2010 at 5 pm, and return  January 10, 2010 at 7 am.

Below you will see some of the ports of call where the ship will be going, some of the  possible shore excursion that are available to you, and a little about what will be available on the Westerdam itself. 

http://www.goawaytravel.com/html/d10019.html

In order to find out more about cruising in general, the Westerdam, or shore excursions, you can go onto Holland America’s website:  http://www.hollandamerica.com.   Once you have booked your cabin you can log in and get even more specific valuable information!

The only way you can get on the Hallelujah cruise is by signing up through GoAwayTravel.com.  I will be very happy to talk with you, answer your questions, or help you sign up for the cruise.  You that you will have a marvelous time and it will be one you will never forget!  Don’t hesitate; we all deserve a little something special this year.

Warmly,

Cindy Drew

Leisure Travel Specialist
GoAwayTravel.com
cindy.drew@goawaytravel.com
Fax:  850-215-5968    
Cell:  850-832-4517

Now that we are living in the technical age, the world is opening up to the Deaf as we finally can get any information we need on the internet. It is a BIG blessing. At the same time it can be a BIG curse if we put a lot of faith on new medical technologies, new surgical procedures and new pharmaceuticals. We expect miracles from medical science without realizing the miracles that take place in the human body.

We keep forgetting the amazing intelligence of self-healing power in our bodies working non-stop FREE OF CHARGE. If one has a deep cut in his/her skin, he/she rushes off to the doctor or ER for "help", medication, ointments, etc. while the body itself knows how to heal the cut. It can heal by itself without help. Another example is a pimple on your face. It can disappear by itself within a few days without any ointment or medication! We are simply making the doctors and pharmaceutical companies rich while the self-healing process in our body is FREE and helps us to save money!!! We don't even thank God for the self-healing power for sustaining our
homeostasis.

Tonya Zavasta in her book called: QUANTUM EATING: the Ultimate Elixir of Youth, wrote: "The complexities of the human body have been reduced to CAT scans, colonoscopies and mammograms. Our right to health has been taken from us and placed in the hands of the medical profession. Listen to me now. Get a hold of this powerful, shocking truth of modern life. You can't have health without a doctor. It's just not allowed. The exuberance of living vitality and mature beauty have been reduced to antidepressants, annual check-ups and Botox injections. Science, ladies and gentlemen, is only purely to blame. Who else is at fault? We are. We have relinquished our responsibility for our own health and subjugated ourselves to medical dependability." Click here for more info>>

FOOD NOT BOMBS made a powerful impact on me. Keith McHenry gave a talk how
he and his co-author wrote a book called FOOD, NOT BOMBS and how they educated and served homeless people with vegan meals. Keith was arrested many times but he kept on serving meals to the homeless people.

One of Keith's flyers stated:
"The money spent by the world on weapons in one week is enough to feed all the people on earth for a year. When millions of people go hungry each day how can we spend another dollar on war? More than 25,000 people die as a result of hunger every day. If you feel that people need food more than bombs we invite you to call us today. The next few years could profoundly change the world for generations and Food Not Bombs is working to make those changes positive for everyone. We are an all volunteer movement with autonomous groups active in Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, New Zealand and Australia. We welcome your help.

Food Not Bombs is organizing several projects in your community.

*Free food distribution to local people in need.
*Literature tables to provide information about food, peace and justice.
*Providing hot meals at demonstrations and events.
*Organizing creative actions in protest to war and proverty.

We invite you to work with us desparately needed services and information to
our community. You can make a difference!

FOOD NOT BOMBS
Call 561-389-9885
foodnotbombsdone@gmail.com
www.foodnotbombs.net/dc.html

Meghan Shannon was at the booth for INFINITE LIGHT in Peru known for its Ayahuasca Shamanic Healing in the Amazon. Meghan is an interpreter. She explained how plants can be used to heal peoople from chronic diseases. An interpreting service is provided at Infinite Light for any deaf person or group wishing to visit this place. The services include:

* Serving the Hearing and Deaf Communities
* Profound Physical, Spiritual, Emotional and Psychological Healing
* Distance Healing
* Medicinal Plant Identification Course
* Jungle Survivial Course
* Weight Loss Program
* Spiritual Life Coaching
* Spanish and Sign Language Tutoring

703-628-9931 (US and Peru, voice/text)
www.infinitelightperu.com
infinitelightperu@gmail.com