Spicy Pumpkin Soup:

1. Heat a large cast iron frying pan and place the unpeeled garlic cloves, jalapeño, bell pepper, and onion in the pan to grill. When the skin looks a bit charred, remove and let the veggies cool; then pinch the garlic from its skin and slice and chop the veggies
2. Heat a sauce pot with two - three tablespoons of olive oil. Add the chopped veggies and the fresh rosemary and handful of sage and let sauté for a minute or two.
3. Add the artichoke hearts with the marinade and the pumpkin and continue to gently simmer.
4. Add the seasonings and the Vegeta; add the water and the beans and gently simmer on a low heat for 25 – 30 minutes.
5. Heat a small frying pan with a tablespoon of olive oil and add a few leaves of fresh sage for a minute or two.
6. Drizzle the oil and add the sage leaves to garnish each soup bowl, along with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh cracked pepper.

Polenta Cakes:

1. In large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients and mix.
2. In a smaller bowl combine the milk, eggs, chopped basil and Parmesan cheese and whisk.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix.
4. Heat a large cast iron frying pan over medium heat with a 1/4 inch of canola oil.
5. Carefully spoon the batter into the pan and slightly flatten each with a fork. The oil should sizzle when the cakes are added. Do not overcrowd the pan.
6. After 2 – 3 minutes; when the cakes are golden, carefully turn over and finish cooking on the other side.
7. Line a platter with a paper towel to place the polenta cakes on when finished cooking.
8. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.