Wine of the Week - Carivintas NV "Riley" Barbera/Tempranillo

This blend of Barbera and Tempranillo is ideal for fans of dry and sour.
Mostly sugary apple juice on the nose, with notes of strawberry underneath.
Strong tannins and nearly overpowering sourness on your palate, and a little bit of that strawberry coming through.  There's also some black pepper.  A long finish that develops into flavors of red fruit.

Black bean & Sweet potato burgers

It's time to say goodbye to winter produce. I truly do enjoy a good butternut squash or turnip, but it's time to endulge in spring veggies now! So I had one last hurrah...

I had this recipe photocopied from a book a friend lent me. The only problem is, I don't remember which friend and which book it was! So I can't give credit where credit is due for this tasty patty.

Ingredients
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 large sweet potato, cut into 1" pieces
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1 clove garlic, diced
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 tsp cumin
1/4 cup cornmeal
Dash of salt & pepper
Olive oil spray
Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place potato pieces in a pan sprayed with oil. Back for 20 minutes or until soft.
2. In a food processor, mix the rest of the ingredients until smooth. Add potatoes.
3. In a large pan, heat 2-3 tbsp of olive oil. Form mix into patties (I made 4 large patties), and brown each side.

I served on fresh pretzel bread from the farmers' market and topped with a little bit my tomato relish. It was heavenly.

And speaking of farmers' markets, for you southern Californians, here a great reference list of monthly in-season produce! From Southland Farmers' Market Association.

Wine of the Week - Phebus 2011 Malbec blend

This blend is 70% malbec, with merlot and cabernet sauvignon filling out the rest.
With cherry and roses on the nose, this wine is dry with a plummy taste and notes of mulch.  Mildly tannic.
14% alcohol

Breakfast Enchiladas

I made these so our scrambled eggs would be a bit more interesting. I used marinara sauce instead of enchilada sauce to reduce spiciness.

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1 avocado 
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tsp all purpose seasoning
• 1 tbsp basil
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese
• 1 jar marinara sauce
• 2 slices Swiss cheese 
• 8 corn tortillas

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
Mash the avocado and whisk it in with the eggs, seasonings, and shredded cheese.
Scramble the eggs in a skillet. Set aside.
In a clean skillet, heat a thin layer of marinara sauce. Heat each tortilla in the sauce until ready to roll.
Place in a baking dish and fill with eggs. Roll the tortillas up.
When all tortillas are ready, place the Swiss cheese across the top and pour remaining marinara sauce across it.
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
Enjoy!

Broccoli galette

This is a really tasty recipe from VegetarianTimes.com.

Rather than store-bought crust, I made my own pizza dough with the help of the free online Craftsy class Perfect Pizza at Home

Wine of the Week - Cougar 2009 Sangiovese

This is a great, complex wine with many layers that continue to surprise as you drink it.

On the nose are general floral scents, roses in particular, along with traces of honey and mesquite.

On the tongue, deep flavors of tobacco and something bread-like which I'd call pretzel. A bed of red fruits underneath. A light mouthfeel, yet very rich flavors. Easy to drink, and damn good.

12.3% alcohol