Savory Carrot and Tomato Soup Recipe

Welcome back friends! Who would like some rich and savory carrot and tomato soup on a cold afternoon or evening? I know I do! This soup is tangy and delicious, pairing well with toasted bread or grilled cheese sandwiches!

Let’s make some!

INGREDIENTS
  • 3 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 1 1/2 lb. of carrots, peeled and cut into medallions
  • 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt
  • 2 cans of whole peeled tomatoes (28 ounces each)
  • 1 teaspoon of dried basil
  • 1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Warm the 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven or large soup pan over medium heat.
  2. Add the garlic and onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions begin to turn translucent.
  3. Stir in the carrots, black pepper, ground cumin and kosher salt and cook covered for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. After about 10 minutes have passed, add the the whole peeled tomatoes with their juices and the dried basil, stirring well to incorporate.
  5. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft. This may vary per oven, so keep an eye on them!
  6. Once the carrots are soft, remove the soup from the heat and use an immersion blender to carefully blend the soup until smooth.
  7. Stir in the greek yogurt and then use the immersion blender again to smooth it in.
  8. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Linguini’s Potato and Leek Soup Recipe (Ratatouille)

Welcome back friends! This week we are cooking Linguini’s soup from one of my favorite Disney and Pixar films, Ratatouille!

This is referred to as Linguini’s soup by the staff at Gusteau’s restaurant, but we all know Linguini made a mess of it and Remy couldn’t resist doctoring it up to make it more palatable before escaping from the kitchen.

It is never said what kind of soup this is, but judging by what Remy adds, we can conclude it is probably a variation of potato and leek soup! This soup is creamy and filling, the perfect cozy dinner on a cold night!

INGREDIENTS
  • 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
  • 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 4 large leeks, white and light green parts only, roughly chopped
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 2 lb. of potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 6 cups of vegetable broth
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1 cup of heavy cream
  • Chives, finely chopped, for serving 
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat.
  2. Add the garlic, leeks, black pepper and salt. Cook, stirring regularly, until soft and wilted (about 10 to 15 minutes).
  3. Add the potatoes, broth, bay leaves and thyme to the pot, then bring to a boil.
  4. Cover the soup and turn the heat down to medium / low. 
  5. Simmer for 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are very soft.
  6. Remove from the heat, then remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Purée the soup with an immersion blender until smooth. 
  7. Add the heavy cream, place back on the heat and bring to a simmer. 
  8. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking with salt and pepper. 
  9. Garnish with fresh herbs if desired and enjoy!

Tiana’s Gumbo Recipe

Tiana's Gumbo Recipe From Disney's The Princess and the Frog

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we will be cooking up Tiana’s gumbo from Disney’s The Princess and the Frog!

Tiana's Gumbo Recipe From Disney's The Princess and the Frog

This recipe is featured at the beginning of the film when Tiana makes gumbo for her family and community. It’s one of my favorite moments in the movie, revealing the loving relationship she shared with her father and how much she looked up to him, her passion for cooking and her generosity within her community.

Tiana's Gumbo Recipe From Disney's The Princess and the Frog

Tiana's Gumbo Recipe From Disney's The Princess and the Frog

This recipe is delicious! Absolutely perfect for this time of the year or whenever you need something warm and comforting.

Tiana's Gumbo Recipe From Disney's The Princess and the Frog

Tiana's Gumbo Recipe From Disney's The Princess and the Frog

GUMBO
  • 1/4 cup of butter
  • 1/2 pound of smoked beef sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
  • 1/3 cup of flour
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup of celery, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup of onion, chopped
  • 1 cup frozen orka, thawed
  • 1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 1/2 cups of chicken broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons of cajun or creole seasoning
  • 3/4 teaspoon of chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of hot pepper sauce
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1  pound of frozen cooked shrimp
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Melt the 1/4 cup of butter in a dutch oven and brown the sausage in it.
  2. Remove the cooked sausage and set it aside.
  3. Whisk the 1/3 cup of flour into the butter and meat drippings until combined.
  4. Continue to cook the roux, stirring constantly, for about 10 to 20 minutes or until it turns a dark amber-brown. If it’s cooking too quickly, or starts to smell faintly burnt, turn the heat down a little.
  5. Stir in the bell pepper, celery, garlic, onion and okra until they are completely coated in the roux.
  6. Cook these ingredients for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables have started to soften, stirring every 10-15 seconds.
  7. Once the vegetables have begun to soften, add the tomatoes and the chicken broth, stirring as you go to smooth the roux into the broth.
  8. Add the bay leaf, black pepper, cajun or creole seasoning, chili powder, hot pepper sauce and salt; stir to combine.
  9. Bring the gumbo to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
  10. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  11. Stir in the shrimp, then cover and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes or until the shrimp thaw and cook through.
  12. Remove the bay leaf and serve the gumbo on its own or over cooked white rice. We recommend Jasmine Rice!
  13. Enjoy!

Tiana’s “Bayou” Gumbo Recipe

Tiana's Bayou Vegetarian Gumbo Recipe

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we’ll be cooking up the gumbo Tiana makes in the bayou from Disney’s The Princess and the Frog!

Tiana's Bayou Vegetarian Gumbo Recipe

This recipe is featured on Tiana, Naveen, Louis and Ray’s journey through the bayou to reach Mama Odie. When they stop to rest for the night, she teaches Naveen how to help prepare the food and they learn a little more about one another. She is such a talented cook that she can still create a delicious gumbo from the ingredients on hand.

Tiana's Bayou Vegetarian Gumbo Recipe

Tiana's Bayou Vegetarian Gumbo Recipe

Tiana's Bayou Vegetarian Gumbo Recipe

I used a little more than the ingredients she had on hand, but I did keep it to a vegetarian theme and baked it in a pumpkin, which was so fun! How often do you get to make food inside of a pumpkin?

Tiana's Bayou Vegetarian Gumbo Recipe

Tiana's Bayou Vegetarian Gumbo Recipe

“BAYOU” GUMBO IN A PUMPKIN
  • 1 medium-sized pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup of butter
  • 2/3 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 2 red bell peppers, cored and diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 white onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 cup of fresh or frozen okra, chopped
  • 1 small cauliflower, chopped into florets
  • 1 lb. of baby bella or button mushrooms, diced
  • 14 ounce can of fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
  • 2 teaspoons of Creole or Cajun seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 cups of vegetable stock
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Green onions (optional garnish)
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Wash and dry the outside of the pumpkin, then cut the top off and thoroughly clean out the pulp and seeds.
  2. Place the pumpkin (and it’s top) on a baking sheet lined with foil and set aside.
  3. Melt the 1/2 cup of butter in a dutch oven, or large heavy-bottomed pot, over medium-high heat, then whisk in the flour until combined.
  4. Continue to cook the roux, stirring constantly, for about 20 minutes or until it turns a dark amber-brown. If it’s cooking too quickly, or starts to smell faintly burnt, turn the heat down a little.
  5. Stir in the bell peppers, celery, garlic, onion and okra until they are completely coated in the roux.
  6. Cook these ingredients for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables have started to soften, stirring every 10-15 seconds.
  7. Add the cauliflower, mushrooms, tomatoes, cayenne, creole/cajun seasoning, thyme, and the bay leaf.
  8. Cook and stir for another 5 to 10 minutes until the ingredients are well combined and the new additions have softened a little.
  9. While the ingredients cook, set the rack to the lowest point of your oven and pre-heat to 375 F.
  10. Carefully ladle this mixture into the pumpkin and slowly pour in the broth, stirring the ingredients a little to smooth out the broth.
  11. Place the tablespoon of butter on top of the gumbo and replace the pumpkin’s top.
  12. Bake the pumpkin in the oven for about an hour, but please keep an eye on it! When done, the outside of the pumpkin will turn a dark orange. The inside of the pumpkin should be slightly tender, but not overly so, we are not scraping the sides to use in our gumbo.
  13. Remove the baking sheet with the pumpkin from the oven and carefully remove the top. Remove the bay leaf, stir the contents and add salt and/or pepper to taste.
  14. Serve and enjoy!

Little John’s Beef Stew Recipe

Little John's Beef Stew Recipe from Disney's Robin Hood

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we’ll be cooking up Little John’s beef stew featured in Disney’s animated feature, Robin Hood!

Little John's Beef Stew Recipe from Disney's Robin Hood
This recipe is featured when Robin Hood and Little John are taking a break in the woods. Unfortunately Little John leaves Robin to tend the stew, and Robin starts daydreaming, effectively burning the stew (don’t worry we won’t burn ours). Friar Tuck shows up while Little John is trying to salvage the food; he tries the stew, coughs a bit, and comments “well done, ain’t it?”

Little John's Beef Stew Recipe from Disney's Robin Hood

Little John's Beef Stew Recipe from Disney's Robin Hood

Little John's Beef Stew Recipe from Disney's Robin Hood
I love a good, hearty stew! I thought burning it would be in poor taste (#momjoke), so I kept an eye on it. I also feel like Little John takes pride in his cooking so I kept it simple based on ingredients they may have been able to obtain, but not so simple as to insult his enthusiasm.

Little John's Beef Stew Recipe from Disney's Robin Hood

Little John's Beef Stew Recipe from Disney's Robin Hood

BEEF STEW
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 1 pound of beef stew meat, cubed
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon of basil
  • 1 teaspoon of black pepper (plus a few sprinkles more to season the meat)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of oregano
  • 1 teaspoon of rosemary
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt (plus a few sprinkles more to season the meat)
  • 1 teaspoon of thyme
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 3 ribs of celery, chopped
  • 1 cup of tomatoes, diced
  • 2 cups of water
  • 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
  • 4 potatoes, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons of flour
  • 1/4 cup of water (additional)
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Melt the butter in a dutch oven or large pot on medium heat.
  2. Season the stew meat with a little salt and pepper, then add it to the pot and brown all sides.
  3. Once browned, remove the meat and allow it to rest on a plate with its juices.
  4. Add the onions, basil, black pepper, oregano, rosemary, salt, and thyme to the meat drippings within the dutch oven and sauté for about four or five minutes.
  5. Add the garlic and celery, then sauté for another two to three minutes.
  6. Deglaze the pan with a little water (enough to loosen up the food particles left behind from cooking the meat and aromatics) and stir, then allow everything to cook for another five minutes.
  7. Add the beef (and its accumulated juices) back into the pot, along with the diced tomatoes and two cups of water.
  8. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about an hour to an hour and a half, or until the beef is fork tender.
  9. Add in the carrots and potatoes and bring the liquid back to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for another thirty to forty minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
  10. In a separate bowl, mix the flour into 1/4 cup of cold water and add it into the stew.
  11. Continue cooking and stirring the pot until the sauce has thickened (about 10 more minutes).
  12. Serve warm and enjoy!