One of the most relaxing and peaceful things I find is cutting vegetables. And yes, I realize this may be a bit strange. Cooking has always been a good transition between work and home for me. But as the years have gone on I find that the prep work is even more gratifying than putting it all together – specifically cutting vegetables.

I always tend to visualize what I’m making and then cut the vegetables accordingly. Onions thinly sliced versus chopped. Brussels sprouts shredded versus sliced. And on it goes with each of the ingredients. I find it as a peaceful activity allowing for quiet focus and movement. The rhythmic chopping of the vegetables can also be calming and meditative, providing me a sense of relaxation and contentment.

It’s Saturday today and for some reason I gravitate towards soups as you’ve seen recently with my Zappa Di Lenticchie Rosse (Red Lentil Soup) and Soul Soup. Today it’s a bit of everything – onion, potatoes, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, carrot, celery, garlic, and more onion all in a vegetable broth doctored up with a pinch of this and a splash of that. This may be one of my best – warming with a complexity of flavors and textures.

Do you find peace in cutting vegetables or some other “typical” activity?