Orange in the Kitchen

My kitchen is officially colored in the shades of Fall, with the fruits of my labor (and the grocery store purchases).

Orange is the flavor of the week, as I bring you Pumpkin and Cantaloupe eats!

We’ll start with dinner, and move on to dessert. Should you choose to do this in the opposite order, I would not judge you.

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Polenta Cantaloupe Rice

In the mood for something warm & filling, this creation was a make-as-I-go dinner. Not surprising, as that’s usually my tactic. And thankfully, it was another success!

1 cup brown rice, uncooked
1 cup water
Salt, pepper to taste
1/4 cup polenta

Mix ins:
1/2 small cantaloupe, cut into 1 in pieces
~2 tbsp Red onion (I don’t measure this, just an approximate amount)
1/2 cup Black Beans
Ground Red Pepper, Cumin, Black Pepper to taste

Boil water, stir in the rice and let simmer for ~10 minutes (or as directed on packaging). Then, add in the polenta, cover and let sit for ~3 minutes (softens the polenta). Stir together to mix well.

Add seasonings, and “mix ins”. Serve, and enjoy!

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Let that rice sit, warm up and get ready for a chilled dessert!

Ready? Your taste buds can thank me later…

Pumpkin Banana Soft-serve (for two)
This might be a new household favorite.

1 1/2 banana, sliced & frozen
1/4 cup pumpkin (canned, or homemade!)
1 tsp Apple Pie Spice
~1 tbsp Honey

Add all ingredients in the Food Processor, and pulse!

Optional: top with Organic Chocolate Syrup. If nothing else, just for the fancy presentation. 😉

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DID YOU KNOW: Cantaloupes are in the Squash family! To ripen them at home, leave at room temperature ( even though the cold refrigerated version is so refreshing!). Most US cantaloupes are grown in California, Arizona or Texas. So, for us, they’re close by.   It’s full of Beta-carotenes (aka Vitamin A), Vitamin C and fiber!