Cooking can be an enjoyable activity because once you get the basics down you can let your creativity flow. Of course, there is the matter of keeping the kitchen clean enough; the cat may have to go outside so he doesn’t jump up on the counter. Everything has to be kept at the right temperature a nd used before its expiration. The seasoning should be appropriate, and the speed at which things are heated or cooled is sometimes an issue. Sometimes things shouldn’t be stirred too much, but the ingredients have to be mixed enough. And the list goes on. There is, with food, a tricky balance of knowing and using the rules and operating on faith that you know enough about the science to make the culinary situation sing. Bethany BeebeA hearty vegatable soup is always a good choice for a meatless meal during Lent. Lent can be much the same. The Church gives us beautiful, honorable traditions. Following those practices can lead us closer to God and bring great inner peace. We face the challenge, though, of choosing the right ways for ourselves in the sea of options to make it relevant to our own personal faith and life. Without any hint to rationalizing away the neglect of practice, we have to make selections on what we will do to draw closer to God during this special season. We have lots of ways to bask in that deeply beautiful Lenten experience. Personal and parish reconciliation services, Stations of the Cross, volunteer projects on your own or in a group, parish retreats, or a solo adventure to a park with your Bible can all bring deep, meaningful peace. We are blessed to have much available from which to choose, places where our lives can meet Jesus and our hearts can rest in Him. We all get a little overcooked sometimes. Cooking soup during Lent is a classic experience. In honor of that tradition, vegetable soup seems most appropriate. There are many ingredients for potential inclusion, and it is easily scalable. I used a slow cooker on low overnight, but you could also use a pot on the stove. While I used fresh ingredients largely for the accompanying photo, soup is also a nice way to use up odds and ends that are still usable and hanging out in the refrigerator (even if the mini Heath bars behind the vegetable drawer wait until the end of Lent). I looked at a recipe from Classy Cooking, but, to be frank, made my selections and added enough water to cover the food. Some people like to add stock, but I prefer water and simply add seasonings to taste. Vegetable soup Cooking spray 1 medium yellow onion 1 potato 1 zucchini 1 red pepper About 1/2 bag carrots 1 can diced tomatoes 1 can tomato sauce 1/2 bag frozen corn 1/2 bag frozen green beans Seasonings to taste (I used bay leaves, which need to be removed after cooking, a touch of thyme, basil, and garlic.) Chop onion and sauté in a pan with cooking spray. While the onion is cooking, peel and chop the potato, chop the red pepper, remove the seeds from and chop the zucchini, and cut up the carrots. Add the green beans and corn to the slow cooker with the chopped vegetables. Add the canned tomato products and seasonings and the onions when they are done cooking. Add enough water or stock to cover the vegetables. Because I used the slow cooker, I left it on the low setting overnight. The post Food for Thought: Options for Grace Abound appeared first on Today's Catholic. ...read more read less