Fun with buttermilk

Not long ago, I blogged about using Louisiana sweet potatoes in homemade muffins and included an original recipe that calls for buttermilk.

I love baking with buttermilk. It’s a great way to keep breads and muffins from being too dense and bready. But once you’ve gone out and bought a quart for the muffins (hard to find a smaller size), you’ve got a lot left over.

Don’t let it go to waste. Incorporating buttermilk in weekly recipes is easy, and its rich, slightly tart flavor helps it to bring a new dimension of flavor to everyday dishes. Feel good about using it. Not only is it low fat, but the majority of buttermilk on the local market is produced by homegrown dairy, Kleinpeter.

Here are few ideas for using it:
• Use buttermilk as your wet batter for chicken, chicken fingers or fish fillets. This is great if you’re baking instead of frying because of its naturally tangy profile.
• Add it to mashed potatoes. You’ll be able to cut back on butter.
• Instead of regular milk in your pancake batter, use buttermilk. It’s no secret that it helps the ‘cakes rise higher, gives them a pretty golden color and makes them extra tender.
• If you’re making scrambled eggs, frittatas, quiche or omelets, add buttermilk instead of milk.
• Create your own buttermilk salad dressings. Here’s mine with buttermilk and feta:

1 cup Kleinpeter Dairy buttermilk
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Creole mustard
Ľ cup feta or bleu cheese
˝ teaspoon Kosher salt
Several turns fresh cracked black pepper

Add all ingredients to a food processor and mix briefly until combined. Cheese should still be chunky. Serve over fresh greens. Store for up to one week in refrigerator.