I am a big fan of Rioja wines. I indulged in quite a bit of Rioja when living in Spain, so I enjoy sipping them with nostalgia.

Pasillo was good. It went well with some French bread pizza.

Sometimes dinner needs to be fast, and French Bread Pizza is a great fast fix.

What I have here is some fresh French bread, layered with thinly sliced fresh tomatoes, some sauteed yellow onion, buffalo mozzarella, and basil. Delicious.

I like making “egg bakes.” They’re not frittatas, not Spanish tortillas. Just a bunch of stuff mixed together and baked. You can make them as healthy or fattening as you like. I usually opt for the healthier versions, like this one.

I started by sautéing a yellow onion in a little olive oil. After a few minutes, I added a sliced pepper and let this cook a bit. Not too much- 5 more minutes or so.

Meanwhile, I made some red quinoa. Quinoa is simple- one cup rinsed quinoa to 2 cups boiling water. It takes approximately 20 minutes simmering on low and it’s done. A complete protein in a super cool ancient grain.

I beat 8 farm fresh eggs and added 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.

Then I mixed it all in a bowl, added some fresh ground pepper, 1 cup grated white cheddar cheese, and some chopped fresh spinach.

Then into the oven at 375 for 40 minutes or so. Covered for the first 30 minutes, then uncovered to let extra moisture cook off.

Then I let it cool a bit. Serve it with toasted bread, extra cheese, sliced tomato… whatever you like.

It’s a great meal and is also great the next day, so I like to make egg bakes when I anticipate being too busy to cook dinner the following day. The possibilities are endless. What combinations do you like in egg bakes?

I bought another 20 pounds of tomatoes. Last time I made some sauce, and this time I did too. But, I also made a simple tomato puree to use in soups, like my Fall Harvest Veggie Soup.

Just slice the tomatoes in half and drizzle them with olive oil. Put them on the grill. After the tomatoes are grilled for 5 minutes or so on each side, blend them in the Vita-Mix.

It’s really basic, but adds great flavor to soup.

Fruits and veggies just taste better when they’re fresh, local, organic, and seasonal. That is the bottom line. I can pretty much guarantee that this soup would not have been so incredibly delicious had I purchased the ingredients at the store… especially in the middle of January.

But… that day will come. Right now, though, I will be savoring every last bite of my Fall Harvest Veggie Soup.

It was quite easy- Into a large stock pot went the following ingredients in the following order, allowing a little time in between each ingredient to bring the broth back to a boil:

I served it with some bread and mozzarella cheese. It was really, really good soup. I’m glad I have some leftovers.