Dija Know… Joe’s Restaurant Newsletter -104 July 2014

Dija Know… Joe’s Restaurant Newsletter -104 July 2014

Symbol of U.S. independence – what my immigrant grandparents saw as they were processed through Ellis Island in 1899. Happy 4th everyone.
July 15 – your last day to take advantage of a great deal while donating to the local farm movement. Joe’s is promoting and donating to the work of Farm to Restaurant. What is Joe’s doing? And how can you help? Until July 15 we are offering a prix fixe meal for two for 49.00 every day starting at 11AM. 10% of these sales are givento F2R. So feel free to spend more than the bargain price of 49.00 for two!! How it works – you and your dining companion may choose any two appetizers and any two entrees from any of our menus. Or substitute desserts for appetizers. The single exception is that if you choose the full rack of lamb there will be a slight up charge. No coupons or other offers will be accepted on this event. We are intending to send a nice chunk of cash to this worthy program, so think about how this can fit into your dining choices. Many thanks in advance from all of us at Joe’s.

Continuing our series on superfoods, what ancient food do you think has 5 times the calcium of milk? 15 times the magnesium of broccoli? More antioxidant power than blueberries? More fiber than flax and more protein than soy? Indulge me while I talk about
ch-ch-ch-chia. Chia seeds are native to South America and (like quinoa from last month’s discussion) have been a staple in Mayan and Aztec diets for centuries. Today, many people are including them in their diet for their many health benefits. Chia seeds are one of the richest plant-based sources of Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s help reduce inflammation, enhance cognitive performance and reduce high cholesterol.   Fiber is associated with reducing inflammation, lowering cholesterol, modulating insulin levels and regulating bowel function. Chia seeds are an excellent source of fiber, with a whopping 10 grams in only 2 tablespoons. That is one-third of the daily recommended allowance of fiber per day. One creative way to eat chia is soaked for 30 minutes in a ½ cup of juice (pomegranate or apple) – makes a kind of pudding.   Chia seeds are rich in antioxidants that help protect the body from free radicals, aging and cancer.    Mineral content of chia – I can’t over-emphasize the critical need for minerals to offset their depletion in the SAD* diet. Two tablespoons of chia seeds contain these approximate mineral RDA’s: 24% magnesium, 50% manganese, 18% calcium, 35% phosphorous. These nutrients (especially magnesium!!!) help you prevent hypertension, maintain a healthy weight, and are important for energy metabolism and a part of DNA synthesis.   Chia seeds gluten-free. And unlike flax seeds they are completely beneficial when swallowed whole.
I have recently started feeding chia seeds to our horses and I believe I see an improvement in the sheen of their coats. They have not told me of any other benefits they are feeling . . .so far!
(* SAD – standard American diet)

Dija Know 2/3 of the world’s soy is now GMO. Good grief?!

 

Have you gone bananas, Bill?
Dija Know – Bill Gates is underwriting a program that will genetically engineer the banana.
It amuses, but mostly annoys me when brilliant minds allow their big brain intellects to get in the way of common sense. The banana is already a near perfect food. What we don’t need is – another GMO food-like substance! Leave my fricken bananas alone!

Sea salt. Yup that’s what’s on your table now. IMO, salt has been falsely maligned. We need salt to ignite our body processes. But of course good sea salt or other “natural” salts are preferable. Salt helps control your fluid balance; it also controls the way your muscles and nerves work. Our bodies automatically regulate how much salt, or sodium, there is present. If levels are too high we get thirsty and drink – this speeds up the elimination of any excess salt through our kidneys.
Introducing Benzinger wines of Sonoma. We now have 2 Benziger wines on the menu – a delightful Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay Sonoma County –We recently attended a wine dinner hosted by the Benziger family and were very impressed with the beautifully integrated natural growing practices they use. Sheep for weeding and fertilizer, a trickle down watering catchment system, beneficial insects and many other techniques characteristic of the wholistic farming philosophy called Biodynamics. It fits right in with Joe’s food philosophy, so we want to share their wines with you. Here’s what they say, We don’t just farm this way because we think caring for the land is the right thing to do, it also happens to be the best way to make distinctive, authentic wines. By treating our vineyards the best way we know how, we’re making wines we’re really proud of. And that is good for, well, everybody.”

By the way, when you order any wine by the bottle at Joe’s, our pricing determines that you are getting an extremely good value. And remember NM law permits you to take home any unfinished bottle of wine. Ask your waiter for the official wine bag.
Not one but two. Two new Santa Fe artists have gone up recently on the walls at Joe’s. (Well not literally the artists, but their works.) In the Red Room are Albert Moore’s powerful 3D visual statements. Clearly he commands his medium and it’s pretty obvious that he is an architect. Jill Foster’s oilsare in the main dining room – luminous Southwest scenes. All works are for sale and your waiter can process the purchases. They are both of course Santa Fe artists. Each will have an opening: Jill on Sat July 12 at 3pm and Albert on Sunday July 13 at 3PM. Please come and meet the artists. Free hors d’oeuvres and cash bar.
Joe’s own “melt in your mouth” French chocolate truffles. $1.99 @ or 6 for the price of 5 — $9.95


Why do we keep hammering on this “buy local” theme? There are many factors that are out of our hands when it comes to our food supply. Most of what ends up on the American dinner table derives from a shockingly few giant agribusinesses. Their influence reaches from designing the (GMO) seeds to planting, harvesting, processing and shipping. We as consumers cannot with confidence hand over the entire stewardship of our food to these few multinationals. Our passion here at Joe’s is for a local sustainable food supply – food produced by growers who are accountable for what they grow. KYG – Know Your Grower. We are able to look our local farmer in the eye and ask him about his growing practices or even visit his operation. This gives us the confidence that we are eating food that is healthy,wholesome, non-genetically engineered, often better than organic, humanely treated and minimally processed. It is grown with a smaller energy-use footprint and transported short distances. We cannot divorce human health, the economy, ecology, personal (perhaps spiritual) satisfaction or honorable work from food. Food is fundamental. What we eat, where it comes from, the stewardship of food animals, the nurturing and building of soils – all these factors affect us at a cellular

and visceral level … whether we slow down enough to be aware of it or not. We so are fortunate in Santa Fe to have one of the very best Farmers Markets in the nation.

Here at Joe’s we do our best to offer this bounty to you, keeping dollars in the community. In the interest of transparency, in 2008 Joe’s spent $30,000 on local foods. In 2009 that increased to $60,000. And since 2012 we have far exceeded $100,000 per annum. During the growing season as much as 95% of our produce is locally sourced.
Land, economy, health – inseparable.

*Here are some of the farmers/ranchers we have developed long-standing partnerships with – Monte Vista Organics (Dave and Loretta), Camino de Paz Farm & School (Greg & Patty), Shepherd’s Lamb (Antonio and Molly), La Mont’s Buffalo (Monte and Lana), Green Tractor Farms (Tom and Mary), Synergia Ranch (Mark), La Montanita Co-Op, Sweetgrass Co-Op, Matt Romero Farms.

Tired of still paying for BB’s (big banks) bailouts? Tired of lining the pockets of the uber-rich Wall Street bankers? And still no convictions? DiJa know… in 2011 a congressional audit of the Federal Reserve found that the Fed gave 16 trillion dollars from American taxpayers to bail out the “too big to fail” banks with a hefty portion of it going to obscene CEO bonuses. Can you imagine — had this staggering figure been re-directed to the people of the US, how different the picture could have looked today? Manufacturing starts, job creation, skills training, roads and bridges repair, national parks, education, etc. Every time we use a credit card, part of that 3%-5% fee contributes to the BB’s. Now let’s be real – in today’s world you cannot function without a cc, but there are still (legal) alternatives that can save money and reduce our dependency on and subsidies to the BB’s. We have a couple of suggestions: (1.) Are you on Joe’s Check List? If you are a “regular” and wish to pay by check, please ask your waiter to get you on the list. (2.) Joe’s own credit card/gift card – purchase a $100 gift card with cash or check, get a $10 free bonus!
Giggles: Blonde Joke Revenge . . . I think

— How can 5 brunettes become invisible in a crowd?
When they’re with one blonde.
— Why can’t brunettes “tease” their hair? Because it’s not
funny.
— Why are there no dumb brunettes? Peroxide.
— Why are there no dumb brunette jokes? Because
blondes would have to think them up. (Huh, I didn’t
get that one!)
Joe’s
2801 Rodeo Rd (at Zia Rd) Santa Fe, NM   87507
505-471-3800      
www.JoesDining.com
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