Disclosure: I am an official ambassador for Dole. Dole provided me with compensation for my time. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

Over the weekend, I was so excited to be able to participate in Dole’s “Now We’re (All) Cooking” Initiative inspired by Disney and Pixar’s Ratatouille. The initiative gets home cooks making incredible healthy and delicious dishes. As a cook, I rank myself somewhere between novice and not-a-danger-to-others-in-the-kitchen. The videos and recipes are very easy to follow and make (even for someone like me) and absolutely delicious!

The first recipe I tried was Little Chef Potato-Leek Soup. Confession: I had to look up what a leek was before I started shopping for ingredients. I only mention this to emphasize my lack of cooking prowess. My son and I followed the recipe and video cooking lesson step-by-step and created a soup with an incredible depth of flavor that I, quite frankly, never imagined I could make. The soup is completely vegan, gluten free, and guilt free. I cannot wait to make it again! Beyond just learning how to make the soup, I loved that the chef in the cooking class – Dole’s Nutrition and Health Communications Manager Melanie Marcus, MA, RD – provided a lot of really interesting cooking tips as she prepared the dish.

The “Now We’re (All) Cooking” recipes and videos were so easy for us to follow. It made us feel like pros in the kitchen!

The second recipe I tried was the Oui Oui Wafer Cookie Macarons. Once again, my son and I hit the kitchen to make something that we had never made before. These sweet, refreshing cookies are vegetarian and are a bright sweet treat that tastes like summer. We had so much fun making these together! Like the soup, I was totally blown away by the layers of flavor in the dessert. It is so refreshing!

Dole made it so easy for my son and I to create these goodies. We will definitely be making them again.

The “Now We’re (All) Cooking” Initiative has opened my eyes to recipes for dishes that I really never thought I could make.

First up on my to-do list is a dish I have been wanting to make for a long time, Coq au Vin. I am also looking forward to incorporating the MyPlate placemat in an upcoming nutrition unit I will be doing with my fourth-grade students.

You can stock up on delicious meal ideas courtesy of Dole at www.Dole.com/Disney. This dedicated website not only features 20 Dole original recipes ranging from appetizers to desserts made with fresh Dole products, but you can also get your kids involved through fun digital downloads, including fun Dole Banana Sticker Peel-and-Play Activity Sheets, printable café menus, and even your own printable chef’s hat!

Follow the campaign at the following hashtags: #NowWereAllCooking #Dole #DoleRecipes #DoleInsiders #PixarRatatouille – and be sure to follow Dole on social media!

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