Buttermilk isn’t just for fluffy yummy pancakes, crispy fried chicken or ranch salad dressing. This cultured dairy product can be used in a delicious array of sweet or savory dishes. The next time you have buttermilk leftover, don’t toss it or simply hold on until the family wants pancakes for breakfast again - instead, try one of these creative recipes featuring buttermilk.

What makes buttermilk special?

Buttermilk is a fermented dairy product with a distinctive - but delightful - sour flavor. In addition to being an invaluable ingredient in many recipes (to add moistness and flavor), buttermilk is also lower in fat and calories than regular milk and is a good source of potassium, vitamin B12 and calcium. Even better, buttermilk is easier to digest than whole milk.

Make your own buttermilk

If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own. Simply add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar and 1-3/4 teaspoons cream of tartar to 1 cup of regular milk. Let mixture, also called sour milk, stand for 10 minutes before using. This method can also be used with soy milk or rice milk, if you are following a dairy-free diet.

Tasty ways to use buttermilk

You can use store-bought buttermilk or homemade buttermilk to reduce the fat and add moistness to many of your baked goods by substituting equal portions of buttermilk for oil or butter in cake or quick bread recipes. Make healthy mashed potatoes by using buttermilk instead of butter and cream or milk. Substitute buttermilk for regular milk or for part of the cream called for in chilled soup recipes. Make a sweet tart smoothie by using buttermilk instead of yogurt. Simply do a search for “buttermilk recipes” on the Internet for additional buttermilk recipe ideas.

Buttermilk recipes

Buttermilk Berry Flax Shake
Makes 2

A delicious wake-me-up, the sweet tart combination of buttermilk and berries will delightfully surprise your taste buds while the flax and agave delivers a dose of tasty nutrition.

Ingredients:
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mixed berries
A few drops of almond extract
Handful of ice cubes
1 tablespoon ground flax
Agave nectar or honey to taste

Directions:
Place ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Serve in two tall chilled glasses.

Roasted Pepper Corn Chowder
Serves 6

Fresh corn and roasted peppers highlight this satisfying soup. Buttermilk not only lends thickness and tangy flavor, it also significantly cuts the fat and calories as compared to chowders made with heavy cream.

Ingredients:
6 cups fresh corn kernels (or frozen, thawed)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup yogurt
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch of cayenne
Pinch of salt or more to taste
1 cup roasted red peppers, from a jar, chopped
1 ripe tomato, seeded, chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Place 4 cups corn kernels, buttermilk, yogurt, red onion, cumin and coriander in a blender and puree until smooth (or to your desired consistency). In a medium-sized bowl, toss together remaining corn kernels, cayenne, salt, peppers, tomato and green onions.

2. Mound vegetable mixture in the center of six serving bowls. Ladle soup around vegetables and serve. To serve warm, combine vegetables and buttermilk mixture in a large saucepan and heat, stirring, over medium heat until hot (do not boil) and serve.

Fettuccini Edamame
Serves 6

Full of flavor, this main-course meal is ideal for light summer cooking or as a side-dish for heartier winter fare. Edamame are fresh shelled soybeans that can be found in the refrigerator or freezer section of health food stores and supermarkets. Some stores carry edamame in the produce aisle.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 cups edamame (fresh shelled soybeans), steamed or boiled until tender
1 cup buttermilk
8 ounces fettuccini, cooked al dente (tooth-tender but not mushy)
1 cup edamame
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
Ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a blender, puree vegetable broth, salt and steamed edamame until smooth. Set aside.

2. In a large saucepan or stockpot over moderate heat, stir together buttermilk, fettuccini, edamame, and salt. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until edamame are just tender, about 2 minutes.

3. Stir in edamame puree and spinach leaves, cover, and cook for 30 seconds or until spinach is just wilted, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in basil and season with pepper. Serve immediately.

Mushrooms were one of the first veggies - well, fungi - that I really loved. Maybe it was because my mom tricked me into trying them by sauteing them in butter. No matter, they continue to be a favorite. There’s an earthiness about them that I really enjoy.

Stick to the store-bought mushrooms

There are many, many different kinds of mushrooms and only a few are suitable for culinary purposes. Honestly, unless you are an expert, stick to the store-bought varieties. That said, twice in my life I’ve eaten mushrooms picked by loved ones. When I was very young, my mother was a quite good at discerning mushrooms and used to pick these very large mushrooms in the woods near a family friend’s house. And by large I mean almost the size of my head! Just like button mushrooms, she would saute them in butter. I can almost taste them, still - delicious. Then, while my husband was in graduate school, morel mushrooms grew in the yard of the house we lived in. I felt fairly comfortable eating those as really nothing else looks like morels. Extremely tasty, those.

Mycology - the study of fungi - enjoys an enthusiastic following. While it’s nothing I want to get into personally (except to understand why fairy rings grow in my yard), there are numerous websites devoted to mushrooms. One of my favorite is AmericanMushrooms.com. So much to learn about mushrooms!

Whether eaten fresh or reconsituted from dry, raw or cooked, mushrooms have many uses - appetizers, soups, salads, in sauces, main dishes - and I’m sure there’s some dessert application that I just haven’t discovered yet. I hope you enjoy these recipes.

Recipes featuring mushrooms

Wild mushroom and wild rice soup

Wonderful with a crusty baguette

3/4 c wild rice
1 tbsp salt
8 c water
1 oz dried mushrooms (porcini, shitake, or others, or a combination), reconstituted in boiling water and chopped finely (reserve the steeping water)
5 tbsp butter at room temperature, divided
4 oz pancetta, finely chopped
8 oz button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 leek, halved, rinsed, and white and light green parts thinly sliced
2 tbsp flour
1/2 c dry white wine
4 c reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
3 tbsp minced flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2/3 c cream (I use light cream, but heavy cream works, too, and creates a richer soup)

Boil the wild rice and the salt in the water, then lower the heat and allow to simmer about 45 minutes.

In a large soup pot, melt 1 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until the pancetta starts to render fat. Add the button mushrooms and leeks. Cook about 10 minutes, until mushrooms give off their liquid. Add reconstituted dried mushrooms.

Sprinkle flour over the mushroom mixture. Cook for several minutes. Flour will stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the wine, reserved mushroom liquid and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer about 15 minutes.

Add cooked wild rice and cream to the mushroom-broth mixture. Bring together quickly, about 1 minute.

Mix together the remaining butter and parsley. Serve the soup topped with a dollop of the butter-parsley mixture.

Marinated and grilled portobello mushroom burgers

Several large portobello mushroom caps, at least 5 inches in diameter
1/3 balsamic vinegar
1/2 c water
1 tbsp sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil

Trim the stems off of the mushrooms. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, garlic and olive oil. Whisk together well. Put the mushroom caps in a bowl and pour the marinade over, tossing well. Let marinate about an hour.

Grill the mushroom caps over medium heat, about 5 minutes on each side and basting during the cooking process.

Serve on buns, with all the fixings, just like you would regular hamburgers.

Stuffed mushroom caps

24 large, fresh mushrooms
2 tbsp butter, plus extra for buttering the dish
2 tbsp minced scallions
1 tsp lemon juice
1 c diced cooked crabmeat
1/2 c bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
3/4 c shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 c dry white wine

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a baking dish.

Removed the stems from the mushrooms and chop the stems very fine. Saute the chopped stems and scallions in the butter until soft. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, crabmeat, bread crumbs, egg, dill and 1/4 c of cheese.

Carefully and generously fill the mushroom caps with the breadcrumb mixture and place in the buttered dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the mushroom caps. Pour the wine into the baking dish.

Bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.

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Until recently, my only exposure to currants was the dehydrated form in scones. Nothing wrong with that - but I was missing out on a real treat.

Plump, red, beautiful currants

When my husband planted a couple of red currant bushes in the yard early last year, I thought, um, fine, whatever. But as those berries began to develop this spring and slowly ripen this summer, I watched with eager anticipation. The sprays of berries are just plain beautiful, plump and red and glistening beneath the leaves. To think they were edible, too, was a bonus.

The red currant is native to Europe, as evidenced by the several European cultures that have developed recipes that showcase this lovely berry. The currant is not only uncommon in North America, most local(ish) recipes I have found rely on the dried version, not fresh. That’s too bad, because it’s a lovely berry. The currant is more tart than sweet, but has a distinctive, intriguing flavor.

The many ways to enjoy fresh ripe red currants

Since we in North America don’t have recipes with fresh red currants as part of the vernacular, what do you do with fresh currants if you have them? So, so many things:

• Cook them down with some sugar to make a sauce for everything from waffles to ice cream
• Whip up some red currant jelly
• Make red currant pie or a tart
• Make summer berry pudding
• Add red currants to bread pudding
• Add a few to any recipe that features raspberries, really. Currants bring out the flavor of raspberries wonderfully
• Toss a few into your green salad along with some goat cheese and slivered almonds
• Use them in place of blueberries in muffins
• Make a cool summer soup featuring currants
• They are a lovely complement and garnish for poultry, especially duck
• And, if you must, use a dehydrator to dry the currants for use in scones

This weekend we will be going to a family gathering, including a cousin we have not seen in years. I have been charged with bringing dessert. I intend to bring blueberry pie and summer berry pudding. I’ll also bring a selection of plain berries for nibbling throughout our time together.

Recipes featuring currants

Summer berry pudding

6 1/2 cups mixed berries, preferably equal parts raspberries and red currants
1 c sugar
Large loaf of firm white bread, about a pound, cut into even slices and crusts removed

Line a souffle dish with plastic wrap (there should be bits hanging over the sides), then line it, bottom and sides, with slices of bread, overlapping them slightly. Cut the slices of bread as necessary for an even layer around the dish.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the berries and sugar. Cook about five minutes, until the berries release their juices but still have some shape. Let cool.

Carefully spoon the berries and juice into the bread-lined mold and cover with the remaining pieces of bread. Lap the excess wrap over the top of the bread-lined berries.

Place the dish in a shallow bowl. Place a plate, or some other flat element that can press down on the pudding, on top of the dish, then place something heavy on top of that. Put in the refrigerator at least over night.

To unmold, remove the weights, carefully peel back the plastic wrap and gently turn over onto a serving plate. Remove all the plastic wrap. Serve sliced with a dollop of whipped cream.

A little kirsch or even Chambord stirred into the simmering berries would add to this dish, as would grated lemon peel added to the whipped cream.

Currant scones

1 3/4 c sifted flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 butter, chilled and cut into small bits
2 eggs
1/2 c cream
1/2 c dried currants.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Sprinkle the bits of butter over the surface of the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or a couple of forks. When fully cut in, the mixture will resemble coarse meal.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs lightly, then beat in the cream. Save 2 tbsp of the egg-cream mixture.

Make a well in the flour-butter mixture. Pour in the egg-cream mixture and stir with a fork with a few swift strokes to incorporate. When this process is about half done, add the dried currants.

Turn the mixture out onto a floured board and knead just enough to bring the dough together. Be careful not to overmix! Pat into a 3/4-inch thick round and place on a baking sheet. With a bread knife, cut the dough three times almost - but not quite - all the way through, making six wedges. Brush with the remaining egg-cream mixture and sprinkle with some coarse sugar.

Bake 15-18 minutes.

Red currant soup

1 lb red currants
1/2 c sugar
2 c water
2 c light cream or creme fraiche
Mint leaves for garnish

Put the currants through a sieve or juicer to extract all the juice. Meanwhile, heat the water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Let cool. Combine the currant juice and sugar solution. Whisk in the cream. Serve chilled, garnished with mint.

This soup would also be good with a splash of white wine.

If there’s a single food that says summer, it must be watermelon. The green rind, the red flesh, and the black seeds in a big wedge on a hot summer day, juice dripping down you chin - who doesn’t have this memory?

Watermelon is a staple on our summer grocery list, and we can go through a whole fruit in less than a day. While it’s enough to just eat it straight, why stop there?

The other night I made a watermelon salad that was wonderful. Wonderful, I tell you! The only thing that I think might make it more wonderful is substituting chopped basil for the chopped parsley. Oh, and go light on the vinaigrette as the melon itself makes quite a bit of juice for the salad.

Here are some other things to do with watermelon:

• If you can get your hands on different varieties of watermelon, including the yellow fleshed variety, cubing the fruit and alternating colors on a skewer then freezing them makes pretty and tasty watermelon kabob/popsicles.

• Just cubing the fruit and freezing it then putting in ice water with a squeeze of fresh lemon makes for different and delightful rehydration.

• Try adding watermelon cubes to your weeknight green salad.

• Puree the watermelon with a banana and some ice for a light smoothie.

• Make watermelon gazpacho.

• Grill watermelon, yellow pepper and shrimp kabobs. Perhaps topped with watermelon salsa?

• After the kids are in bed, make a watermelon martini. Add some of those frozen cubes of watermelon to the glass, too.

Regardless of how you use watermelon, don’t forget to just let the juice drip down your chin a bit. It is summer, after all!

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Cooking for friends in need is one of those ways we show we care. Whatever the reason – an illness or injury, a new baby, a construction catastrophe – a cooked meal can mean so much, to both sides. When you don’t know what to say or the best way to help, you can say most of it with a healthy home cooked meal. When you are particularly overwhelmed by your situation, a home cooked meal keeps you warm inside and keeps you going.

Thinking outside the casserole dish

I’ve been blessed by support when I’ve been in need. I can’t begin to express my gratitude to members of my community, close friends and bare acquaintances who have cooked for me. If they hadn’t, I don’t know how my family would have been fed some days. But if I never see another American Chop Suey, it will be too soon. It was good – don’t get me wrong – we just got a little overloaded on that particular flavor combination.

Some meals for such a situation are expected and/or traditional: lasagnas, casseroles and the like. When I make meals for friends, I try to think a little outside the box, and provide the unexpected. I make not just a main dish, but salad, dessert, and often something for the next morning’s breakfast, too.

A comforting bowl of soup

For fall, winter and spring, soups work quite well in this situation. They are portable, comfortable, and reheatable. I often make a chicken and corn chowder that is thickened with finely grated potatoes; it’s thick without being too heavy and especially nice with a baguette and a simple salad. In the summer, I often grill some marinated chicken or beef and vegetables and provide tortillas, cheese, salsa and sour cream for wraps. Other great possibilities include pot roast or a roast chicken. Brownies or cookies make great desserts.

I really try to offer a complete meal with elements everyone in the family will like. That includes, depending on the reason for the meal, a split bottle of wine for the grownups.

Cooking for others is a way to help them, and give back to the community that helped me. It’s about the least I can do.

Chicken and Corn Chowder

4 c milk
1 c fat free reduced sodium chicken broth
1 ½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
2 onions (12 oz total), chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 slices bacon
2 large potatoes (1 lb total), very finely grated.
1 can (17 oz) cream style corn
1 pkg (10oz) frozen white corn kernels
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium pan, bring milk and broth to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover and keep hot.

In a 5- to 6-quart pot, cook the bacon until crispy over medium-high heat. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Discard all but 2 tbsp of the rendered bacon fat.

Over medium-high heat, cook the chicken, onions and celery in the bacon drippings until chicken is done, 5 to 6 minutes.

Add hot milk and broth mixture, potatoes, and corns. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Server with crumbled bacon on top.

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We still haven’t had the spaghetti carbonnara. Just one meal glitch from last week, really, but that glitch pushed out the carbonnara meal once again.

I feel confident that we will have the spaghetti carbonnara this week. This week we must address a significant schedule change that will affect meal planning. This is also the first of two major schedule changes with meal-time impact this month, and a third will be upon us in June.

Starting this week, my husband will be picking up the kids - and cooking - two nights per week. At the end of the month, it will go back to one night a week, but that adjustment will coincide with little league baseball season. We’ll get to all that then; it’s not likely to be pretty. In the meantime, recipes with asterisks have the recipe included below.

Sunday: Balsamic-roasted chicken*, roasted carrots and potatoes, salad. Ice cream for dessert.

A good sit-down Sunday meal to start our week off right.

Monday: Spaghetti carbonnara and salad.

Finally!

Tuesday: Alf’s birthday! Burgers, salad, birthday cake.

My oldest son’s birthday is on Tuesday. That meal choice is all his. Also, he gets to pick what he wants for breakfast that morning. He has asked for blitzes.

Wednesday: Chicken quesadillas for the kids, Rosemary and White Bean Soup for the adults

Our typical Wednesday, with the kids needing to eat earlier and the adults having a couples meal.

Thursday: Pasta with red sauce and meatballs, salad.

Now, my husband can cook more complicated meals than this. In fact, he is a better cook than I am. But as we get into this routine change, best to keep things as simple as possible for all of us.

Friday: Chicken Pad Thai Salad*

Saw this one in a cookbook, and it sounded really good! Also, I need to expand our repertoire of salad meals for the change that occurs in late April.

Saturday: Quiche - probably with leftover chicken, peas and cheese, plus salad.

The Science Fair is Saturday. Something fairly simple seems right. I can pick up a prepared pie crust at the market.

Balsamic-Roasted Chicken

1 roasting chicken, 3 1/2 -4 pounds
6 sprigs fresh marjoram or sage
1 lemon, cut in half
1 yellow onion, cut in half
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup dry white wine or apple juice
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
kosher salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry the chicken, and carefully loosed the skin around the breast. Place about half the marjoram or sage under the skin. With the chicken breast side up in a roasting pan, squeeze the lemon over the whole chicken. Put the lemon halves and the onion inside the chicken cavity with the remaining marjoram or sage. Pour the vinegar and the wine or juice over the chicken, then rub the olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper over the chicken breast, then turn the chicken over so it begins roasting breast side down.

Roast 30 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices. Turn the chicken breast side up, then continue to roast about another 50-55 minutes, basting frequently with the pan juices. The skin should be golden brown and a meat thermometer should register 180 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh. Juices should run clear.

Let rest 10-20 minutes, loosely covered with foil, before carving.

Pad Thai Salad with Chicken

1/2 pound flat rice noodles
shredded chicken
1/4 snow peas or snap peas, stem ends and strings removed, blanched and julienned
1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and julienned
1/4 small head of savoy or napa cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
2 scallions, minced

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, finely chopped
2 oz bean sprouts or pea shoots

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup Pad Thai Vinaigrette

Set aside half of the peanuts and half of the bean sprouts for garnish.

Boil four cups of water in a large saucepan. Remove from heat, and immerse the noodles in the hot water. Let them sit in the hot water for about 10 minutes. They should be tender but firm. Drain well.

In a large bowl, combine the noodles with the remaining ingredients. Toss gently with the vinaigrette. Garnish with the reserved peanuts and bean sprouts.

Pad Thai Vinaigrette

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
2 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp light soy sauce or tamari
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
Zest and juice of one lemon
Zest and juice of one orange
1 tsp crushed red pepper or chili paste, optional

Whisk together all the ingredients. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week.

So lately I’ve been using the Google Calendar application to plan my menus and you know what? It kicks butt! In fact, my husband and I use the Google Calendar application exclusively for planning everything.

We each have our own calendars, we have a joint calendar, we have a calendar for the kids, plus we have the menu planning calendar. All color coded and set up so we both have access to them - and they all overlay each other so we can see everything that’s going on at a glance. I can access/update the calendar via my iPhone browser, but of course I mostly maintain it from where I sit most of the day, everyday: My computer.

Don’t ask me what’s for dinner.

One thing I particularly like about this approach is that hubby can look at the calendar and see what’s for dinner. If there’s nothing on the calendar… dude. Then there is nothing planned. He would be wise when observing this phenomenon to NOT ask that dreaded “what’s for dinner” question. Heck, he can even feel free to suggest an answer and do all the work.

Another thing I like is that as I’m inspired, I can add a menu idea to the calendar and paste a link to the recipe in the notes section of that entry to reference, research or print later. If I change my mind about the order of things, I can drag and drop the entry to another day.

My menu plan. (Do try not to drool on your keyboard!)

So here’s our plan for this upcoming weekend and week. Feel free to share your plans via comments, so I can be inspired.

Friday: Goat Cheese and Walnut Souffle and salad

My family loves this, even the kids! I make the salad with butter lettuce instead of the frisee and watercress. Mainly because I always have some in the fridge.

Saturday: Mesa Chili with cornbread. (Recipe below.)

It’s normal chili with ground beef and chopped onion and tomato sauce/crushed tomatoes, but instead of kidney beans, we use white beans. Also a nutmeg/cumin/chili powder spice blend make this unique and interesting. Recipe is adapted from the Chandler Chili recipe in the Best of the Best from Arizona Cookbook.

Sunday: Coq a Vin

It’s a lot like beef burgundy, except with chicken instead. This especially easy version caught my eye in latest Cookie Magazine.

Monday: Asparagus risotto, salad, browned butter rice crispie treats

Thanks to my fellow ChefMom columnist, Jen!

Tuesday: Vegetarian Cassoulet

Wednesday: Taco salad

Thanks again to Jen for the idea!

Thursday: Migas

I’ve never made these before. I saw a recipe on the back of a corn tortilla package and thought… yum.

Friday: Probably dinner out or takeout. I like a break every once in awhile.

Saturday: Chicken fajitas with crunchy lime cabbage and avocado

We had this recently with orange slices, chips and guacamole (I cheat with wholly quacamole) on the side and it was a hit!

Mesa Chili

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespooons red chili powder
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can cannellini beans (white beans), drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 cup water

Directions

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in large pot or dutch oven until onion is soft. Stir in ground meat and brown it. Add oregano, cumin, nutmeg, chili powder, tomatoes, beans, parsley and water. Cook for two hours over low heat, adding more water as necessary. Serves 4-6.

As Betsy tells us about her vegetarian adventure, I was reminded of a time that my husband and I decided to try a vegetarian diet.

We did not approach this idea of a vegetarianism from a moral point of view or philosophical reasoning. It wasn’t cute faces or factory farming that drove the decision. It was far more pragmatic than that.

He was in graduate school, and the household budget was tight. I realized at some point that the amount of money we were spending on meat was high, and we were getting a little too dependent on high-calorie, high-fat meat and potato type meals. The kinds of meals that were okay once in a while were our norm. We discussed a vegetarian diet as a way to break out of our rut, get healthier, and save some bank.

We already had a couple of good vegetarian cookbooks, relatively unused, so I searched them for a dozen or so recipes. We decided to try it for a month and reassess. We went to the grocery store and sadly bypassed the meat section. Steak never looked better. The final total at check out helped us feel better about the test, but oh, that steak.

For a couple of weeks it went really well. Yes, I missed meat, but we were eating enough of a variety of new things that I was okay. I felt pretty good. I thought this might be something we could stick to.

About the third week of the test, I was out at lunch with my boss. He ordered a cheese burger. Oh, man, it looked good. Really, really good. I was salivating, almost drooling. My vegetarian sandwich was not the same caliber. I wanted that burger.

But I resisted. I was so proud of myself. I almost forgot about that burger by the end of the day. Not quite, however.

That evening at home, I told my husband about my lunch challenge. He kinda looked at me funny.

“What?” I asked.

“I, uh,” he hestitated, “didn’t think we were being that serious about this.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

He said, “I’ve been having burgers at lunch this whole time.”

I looked at him, stunned. Then I left the apartment, drove to the nearest fast food joint and ordered myself a cheeseburger.

And that, my friends, was the end of our vegetarian test.

The abbreviated test did have the effect of expanding our repertoire of recipes. While we didn’t maintain a vegetarian diet, we did eat less meat, we did eat healthier, and we did reduce the food budget a bit. Overall, it was a good thing to try, I think, and I think back to it whenever we get into a rut now. I go back to the same vegetarian cookbooks to see what might be interesting now. Cheeseburgers, though, still happen.

One of our favorite recipes from that time was this black bean soup.

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

2 c dry black beans
3 1/2 c water
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium to large onion, chopped
3 cloves crushed garlic
1 large carrot, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 tsp coriander
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 oranges, peeled, sectioned and seeded
1/2 c orange juice
1 tbsp sherry
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper (optional)
1/2 tsp fresh lime juice
Sour cream for garnish

Soak the beans in water overnight, changing the water several times.

Put the beans in a saucepan with the water and salt. Simmer for about an hour and a half.

Saute the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, coriander and cumin in the vegetable oil for 5-10 minutes. Add the beans and water and continue to simmer a while - maybe 30 minutes or so. Add the oranges, orange juice, sherry, peppers and lime juice. Cover and let simmer 10 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top.

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