Healthy Treats | Eating Habits, A Horned Melon and Sorbet!
Happy Hump Day my Foodie Friends!
I love the middle of the week; I always feel like I can look back at what I have already accomplished for the week and yet feel like I still have time to finish that to-do list before the weekend. Know what I mean? One item on my to-do list was to try a new fruit or vegetable!
Have you tried a new fruit or vegetable lately?
I know, sometimes it’s a bit scary to pick up something new. I mean, I might not like it! I think someone once told me most people won’t try new foods because of colors and textures.
But what if you do!
And better yet, what if its nutritional; makes you feel better, and you can share this new cool fruit or veggie with a friend or family? Its win-win either way you look at it!
So, I visited the market last week…
and look what I found!
What have you done now Bird? Those spikes, and it’s Orange!
Yep, it’s spiky alright!
It’s a Horned Melon…
or known as Kiwano or African Horned Cucumber! This Orange thorny fruit hails from the Kalahari Desert in Africa as it thrives in dry arid climates. As you can see it’s just as unusual when you cut it open!
The health benefits…
are amazing!
- Rich in Antioxidants and fiber. This means great skin and healthy digestive system.
- High levels of Vitamins C, E and Iron
- Loaded with calcium and zinc promotes healthy bones!
- Vitamin E- Aids brain function which in turn slows down dementia and Alzheimer’s.
The list goes on and on. For more info check this out
If I hadn’t stopped to try this little melon this week, I would have missed out!
Now, I must admit, I wasn’t sure what to do with it when I cut it open, I knew I could probably make a juice or smoothie but I wanted to do something a little different.
Who would have thought something so orange could have been filled with something this green?
After morning exercise it hit me….the weather was really hot, I definitely needed something to cool down! Research told me everything inside was edible; I just knew I would need to really blend it!
How about Sorbet!
Only Three Ingredients
- Fresh Apple (I used Granny Smith)
- Ripe Bananas
- Horned Melon
Wash, Chop and go…
into the blender.
Blend, blend, blend…
until everything is smooth. Taste it! I decided to add a squirt of lemon, you know a little zing!
Into the freezer…
or a couple of hours or until frozen. I like using ice cube trays that way I can make as much or as little as I want with each batch! After the sorbet is frozen, pop a few cubes back into the blender and blend until smooth.
Voila! Horned Melon Sorbet! Check out the bowl!
Yes, it was hot! I was just able to snap a few pictures before it melted! No worries, my in-house taste tester was more than happy to oblige! lol
I took a chance this week and it paid off! This sorbet was wonderful. By the way, the Horned melon (what a great name!) has a taste somewhere between banana and passionfruit. It would be great in a smoothie as well as a morning glass of juice! I hope you’ll take a chance with something new the next time you are at the market! Very seldom have I been disappointed. Plus its fun as a family to explore new tastes and cooking experiences! Thanks for stopping by today!
And as always, blessings to you all!
Gosh Mrs Bird, you are an amazing woman! I live in Africa but have never spotted this Melon, sounds really delicious and I love how you turned it into a Sorbet! Love your bowl by the way ;);) Definitely will buy one if I ever spot it in the fruits & veggies section.
I really thought about you when I was writing this post, sure you would eat this fruit all of the time!! Maybe you'll see it sometime. The sorbet was really good, I will definitely make it more often now that the weather is warming up! Thanks my friend :) Have a great weekend!
I will certainly look out for it!
Wow. I don't know that I've ever seen it. If I have I looked right past. Which sort of surprises me as it thrives in hot and arid conditions. Yuma, Az ticks both of those boxes.
Just a very interesting post. The sorbet looks easy. Who knew?
Thanks for expanding my knowledge. I'll now start noticing...
I wonder if you have it in Arizona, makes sense! I have seen them quite often here, just hadn't tried one yet. You should make sorbet @bigtom13, great when the weather heats up! :)
That is such an interesting looking fruit I never expected it to be that color inside and how cool presenting the dish in the Horned melon that is so cool
It is isn't it. When I picked it up I was surprised at how substantial it was, a hard rind. I knew I needed to let it ripen for a few days and then when I opened it woosh, I was surprised. The taste was mild and slightly sweet. Fun to try :) Thanks @tattoodjay!
I will be looking for it, sounds quite interesting and well worth trying
You’ve been featured!
You know what? You're the best! Thanks so much @dandays, you and @puravidaville are amazing, love your spirit and kindness, like a breath of fresh air:) Blessings to you both!!
I’m probably just warming you up so I can invite us to your place next time we’re in Florida. It doesn’t look like we’ll be there this year but I like spending about a week on the gulf side in May—the lightning storms this month are incredible!
I like Tampa Bay and the surrounding area, it sure would be convenient if we didn’t have to drive that far to the bird house. 😉
My pleasure, @birdsinpardise, your blog made my job easy!
@birdsinparadise strikes again with a really friendly read and excellent pictures. As Pura Vida mentioned, I did feature the horned melon once for food fight Friday. It wasn’t so great by itself but, like most things, it worked out in the smoothie. 😉 Great to see you again, chef!
Thanks @dandays...everything is nice with a smoothie, but this N-ice cream/sorbet was really good. I will definitely make it again! :)
So ... let me get this straight. (Seems to be par for the course whenever I swing by here.) You buy this thing. You cut it open. And then basically, you eat the slime? Does that about say it?
hehehe, yep! You got it right girl....Take the seeds, pulp all of it and toss it in the smoothie....blend away and its beautiful! I'm telling you, this sorbet was good! Thanks ES I can always count on you for honesty and a good laugh out loud! :)
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Dandays actually picked a couple of these up before leaving to CR. I don’t remember if we liked them or not. I think I ended up putting them in a smoothie type concoction too. I love the edible (kinda edible) bowl idea.
In CA? How fun! The taste was mild which is why you probably don't remember it. Smoothie was the way to go although I know you guys would love a sorbet right about now in CR! ;) These little bowls are really cool, I wanted to keep them and serve dinner in them, lol
The inside looks a bit like passion fruit. We had to replant our passion fruit vines last year, so hopefully we will get some this year. I think we can use the same recipe as you did here. But I usually just eat the insides, seeds and all.
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That is what I have heard. I'll have to look out for passion fruit. I've had the jelly before but not the fresh fruit. You're so lucky to have fresh passion fruit of your own, wow. I'm sure you could use the same recipe, it's so easy and quick to make. Thanks @toddrjohnson
As I was reading your post, with you saying we should all try new foods, passionfruit totally came to mind. The first time I went to Australia I was surprised to find passion fruit on everything. And I was kind of alarmed the first time I saw the seedy slimy looking inside of the fruit. Then wouldn’t you know, I scroll down and your melon looks like a green passion fruit inside! 😂🤣😂
The blending seems like a brilliant idea. And did you just have those tropical flowers around the house for garnish? Beautiful!
I know, that green slimy interior is a bit off-putting, lol Although it tastes great and in a smoothie or this sorbet it is wonderful. Haven't purchased any passion fruit, I'll have to watch for it . And as for the flowers, I love flowers and constantly pick them out of my garden to garnish everything. They're called Pentas, loved by butterflies, hummingbirds and bees :) Thanks @dfinney