Holding On or Letting Go? + A Delicious Summer Recipe

Holding On or Letting Go?

A personal reflection on clutter, memory, and making space

“Less is more.”
“Does it bring you joy?”
“Do you use it—or have you just been storing it for years?”

These are just a few of the questions worth asking when clutter begins to feel overwhelming. It's not just about organization—it’s about creating space for calm, clarity, and intention.  It's not that my house is messy, but I just keep a lot of stuff I no longer want or need. 

How an Overgrown Zucchini Turned Into The Perfect Summer Recipe

 

This summer my son planted a vegetable garden in his yard. Like many gardeners, he had a surprise or two along the way. His zucchini plants got a late start, but once they began producing, they didn’t hold back. He missed checking on them for just one day or two days—and suddenly, he had two giant zucchinis-  almost the size of baseball bats- ok not quite. 

He kept one of those zucchini and kindly handed the other over to me. The only question was: what do you do with a oversized, tough skinned zucchini?

My daughter-in-law mentioned she used hers to make ratatouille, but I was craving something simple and soothing. I decided on soup—a great way to soften up that firm flesh and let the flavors shine. But I had no intention of eating hot soup! So- read on...

Ratatouille 

I used half of the zucchini (and peeled it because the skin was tough), scooped out the enormous seeds, and chopped up the zucchini. Then I built a base with onions, celery, potatoes, and white beans, finishing it off with a generous amount of freshly squeezed lime juice and a blend of seasonings.

The result? A light, creamy, and comforting vegan soup with a gentle flavor—perfect as a starter for lunch or dinner. And here’s the bonus: it tastes just as good chilled, making it ideal for warm summer days such as tomorrow when temps will read 97 degrees here in Philadelphia area. 

Turn the vegetables into a side dish: 

 **Here's another bonus: I like this combination of vegetables. If you don't want soup- just make the sauté and omit the liquid. It's a great vegetable side dish perhaps over rice or quinoa. 

Whether you choose to make zucchini soup (hot or chilled)  or a vegetable sauté, if you’ve got an oversized squash on your hands, give it a try—you might be surprised at how delicious simplicity can be.

Ingredients :

zucchini-4 cups chopped in bite-size pieces ( peel the skin if it is tough)

onion - 3 cups of sliced 1/2 moons
potato- 2 cups of diced potato 

celery-1 cup of diced celery 

cannelloni beans-1 can, drained and washed

salt and cracked pepper to taste

3 cups water

4 cups broth  

1/4 teaspoon of cumin or herbs de province (choose one of your preference)

Juice of 1 lime

Directions: 

Sauté the onions in your Instant Pot ( or Dutch oven pan) for about 5 minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Add remainder of vegetables and continue to sauté for about 8 minutes (adding 2 tablespoons of water to prevent sticking if needed). Add the beans, seasoning, water and broth.If using an Instant Pot, secure lid, turn off saute function, and set to pressure cook for 5 minutes.(If using the stove top method add remainder of ingredients, cover with lid, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and cook on low-medium heat for about 20-25 minutes. 

Using an immersion blender, blend to desired consistency (chunky or completely smooth) Wait at least 2 hours before eating or serving, giving ingredients an opportunity to mingle and the flavors t9 enhance. 

Taste, and add additional salt and pepper if needed. OR CHILL OVERNIGHT and enjoy chilled the next day which is what I did!!

My Notes: 

1. I do not use added oils, so I sauté my vegetables entirely in a small amount of water (about 1/2 cup for all these veggies) . I think it tastes great and does not add extra calories. If you don't think so, then sauté in oil. 

2. I use an electric coffee grinder to grind seeds to powder- such as cumin seed. I like to add my cumin powder to the soup after cooking the soup. 

3. I like cannelloni beans the best in this soup, but you can substitute any white bean such as butter beans or chickpeas. 

4. Of course this recipe is naturally gluten-free, vegan, and parve.

Hot or cold it's a good way to use up and enjoy zucchini!!

How is your zucchini doing? What are you making with zucchini ? 

The Bees and The Wasps Need Some Love

Do you love flowers but hate bees and wasps? 

Flowers are blooming everywhere during the summer, and the markets are full of fresh fruits and veggies. It’s such a vibrant, colorful time of year. But while we’re enjoying all that beauty and flavor, most of us aren’t exactly thrilled to see bees and wasps buzzing around.

Still, here’s the thing — without them, we wouldn’t have nearly as much to enjoy. 🐝 and they are in danger. Why? 

Black Bean, Avocado, and Tomato Salad - When It's Too Hot To Cook

It's mid July and we've been experiencing a two week HEAT wave. As a result, I have not felt much like cooking so I've been on the lookout for interesting summer salad recipes. 

I didn't have to look very far. 

Carol at Comfort Spring Blog posted a delicious beautiful looking salad this week that is made with black beans, avocado, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, corn and more. I love this combination of ingredients, and I really enjoy reading Carol's blog. It's not the first time I've found a really good recipe on her blog. I decided to try it.

Tofu Bacon- Hold On To The Seat Of Your Pants

Plant-based "bacon"??? Yes please- and it's made with tofu!! This is a treat you won't want to miss out on. 

This delicious recipe takes tofu to a whole new level! 

Tofu "bacon" is very easy to make, and is flavorful, crunchy, and crispy. This method transforms "extra- firm" tofu into something extra -ordinary. 

Do you like BLT's but want something plant-based? Try this- I think you will be in love. 

Rainbow After The Storm + Recipe

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Last week we experienced a short but intense summer storm. It was the kind of storm that makes the early afternoon skies suddenly darken, the wind shake the heck out of the trees, and the powerful rain beat down on anything in its path. The storm started quickly and was was over almost as quickly as it started. 

When the rain stopped, I walked outside to assess any damage to our property.  I looked up in the sky and there it was!!  Clear and and beautiful, hanging over the rooftops as bright and bold as could be! A huge gorgeous rainbow!

Over my house

Excitedly, I called my husband to come and see it, but by the time he got his shoes on and came outside, it had already started to fade. Gone in an instant!!

IN MY KITCHEN - JULY

At the beginning of every month, Sherry from Sherry's Pickings invites bloggers to join her in a blog post linky called "IN MY KITCHEN" where you can get a peek into many kitchens. Anyone can join in.  I like to join in when I can. 

The past week has been brutally hot and very humid here in Pennsylvania, so we've been eating a lot of salads! This is a red cabbage, cucumber and cherry tomato salad was delicious with a lemon dressing ! See what else has been happening in my kitchen!