Yep. You should be able to buy it if you have any kind of high end market, food craft shop, or similar. My very favorite is from Vermont Creamery (nee Vermont Butter an d Cheese Co.). They make a log, which is regular cultured butter, and a ball wrapped in blue plaid waxed paper sold in a little wood slat basket which has sea salt, and is saltier. The latter is excellent for bread and butter or toast, but a waste and too salty for anything where the butter isn't the point. The regular log is good for any kind of table use. I use regular sweet cream butter for cooking and baking. Organic Valley makes cultured butter with wider distribution. I can usually find it, whereas the Vermont is hit and miss. Organic Valley also make pasture butter. I'm sure there are plenty of other makers as well. Other than for the experience, I can't imagine it being worthwhile culturing your own butter if you can buy it easily. :)

This recipe is moist AND a little healthier than the usual Banana Bread recipe: 1/4 cup light margarine 1/2 cup sugar 1-1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 medium) 2 eggs, lightly beaten (I used Egg Beaters; fine!) 1 egg white, lightly beaten 1/2 cup buttermilk (I used reconstituted from powder) 1 tsp vanilla extract 1-3/4 cups unbl or all-p flour 1-1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional; I opted for NONE) 1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a 9"x5" pan with non-stick spray. 2. In a large bowl, combine margarine and sugar. Add the bananas, eggs and egg white. Mix until well blended. Add the buttermilk and vanilla. Stir until well blended. In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the banana mixture. Stir just until the flour mixture is moistened. That's where you add the nuts, if using. 3. Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 50 to 55 min, or till a toothpick in the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Set the bread on the rack and allow to cool completely before cutting. Makes 16 servings. Nutritionals, per serving: 132 calories, 4 g fat, 34 mg cholesterol, 233 mg sodium, 22 g carbs, 3 g protein. (Nothing on the fiber, but with bananas, I'd think there would be at least a gram of fiber in each serving.) From Jeanne Jones' Homestyle Cooking Made Healthy (Love this cookbook - found it at the library and liked it, then found it at the Friends of the Library bookstore for $3 almost brand new. I haven't found a recipe yet that we haven't liked!) DonnaR/CA

Lots of good advice above. I've been into heart healthy cooking for a long time since heart disease at a young age runs in my family. That being the case it's sometimes hard to get interested in a lot of the recipes I find here - unfortunately. Here are some of the things I do: Very limited qty of red meat but I do have it once in a while. I love a good steak on the grill but where I might have eaten an entire NY strip in the past I now have maybe 1/4 - 1/3 of a steak. I never use hamburger any more - I substitute the leanest ground turkey. I eat a lot more fish than I used to and have found lots of interesting recipes for it. Pretty much avoid refined white stuff and substitute whole grains as much as possible. More vegetables and fruit - always have things on hand for snacking Low fat cooking - for example I'd never cook something with cream. I use skim milk in most everything - light coconut milk in some asian dishes - evaporated skim milk. Simple, unadulterated foods - not in sauces, etc. I now use more interesting salt free spice blends - Penzey's is my friend. I agree with the person who above said to try totally new things - don't just try to make low fat/low salt versions of the old stuff. It will likely be disappointing. I've discovered so many amazing flavors that come through when foods are not loaded down with salt, cream, butter and cheese. There are especially interesting foods and flavors from other parts of the world. I love Cooking Light - it's the first place I look for something new to try - love the online search capability though I also get the magazine. I know I'm not going to discover a great recipe only to find it laden with butter, cream and bacon. Good-luck - consider it a cooking adventure!

We don't do any grilling in the winter but in summer, if someone's coming to dinner who I know is watching calories, I often make grilled fruit desserts: GRILLED STRAWBERRY SUNDAES 1/4 cup orange juice 1/4 cup strawberry spreadable fruit 1 tsp. cornstarch 2 pint strawberries, hulled 2 cups low-fat vanilla frozen yogurt Preheat the grill to a medium heat. In a medium saucepan, combine the orange juice, spreadable fruit, and cornstarch. Set aside. Thread the strawberries onto 4 skewers. Grill the kebabs, turning once, for 4 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place the medium saucepan directly on the grill or on the stovetop over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove the strawberries from the skewers and stir gently into the sauce mixture in the saucepan. Divide the yogurt among 4 bowls, spoon the strawberry sauce over, and serve. Notes: Can substitute ice cream for the frozen yogurt if desired. Sauce is best when serve hot. Can also be served over sliced angel food or pound cake. GRILLED PEARS WITH BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE serves 4 4 large firm-ripe Anjou or Bartlett pears 3 Tbs. fresh lime juice 2 Tbs. sugar 1/3 cup evaporated milk (can be evaporated skim milk) 2 Tbs. firmly packed light brown sugar 2 tsp. butter (not margarine or spreads) 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract Peel the pears, halve lengthwise, and core. With a sharp knife, cut a very thin slice from the rounded side of each pear half so they will lie flat. In a bowl, toss the pear halves with the lime juice and sugar. Grill the pears over medium heat for 4 minutes. Turn them over, drizzle with any remaining lime mixture, and grill for 5 minutes, or until tender. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine remaining ingredients. Cook directly on the grill or stovetop over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. Cook until the sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Divide the pears among 4 plates, drizzle with butterscotch sauce, and serve hot or warm. GRILLED STUFFED PEACHES (serves 4) 4 large peaches 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup quick-cooking oats 2 Tbs. firmly packed brown sugar (light brown, preferably) 1 Tbs. finely chopped almonds 1 Tbs. butter, melted 1/2 tsp. cinnamon In a large pot of boiling water, cook the peaches for 30 seconds to make them easier to peel. Immediately remove and rinse them under cold water and carefully remove their skins. Halve and pit the peaches and cut a very thin slice from the back of each peach half so it will lie flat on the grill. In a medium bowl, toss the peach halves with the lemon juice and set aside. Preheat grill to medium heat. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Dividing evenly, fill the centers of the peach halves with the topping. Place filled peach halves on grill and cook, covered, for 5 or 6 minutes or until the peaches are tender. Serve hot or warm. Great with vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream.