Cooking at home, Caroline and I eat a vegetarian diet; Caroline maintains a vegetarian diet at all times, while when we eat out, I remain a meatatarian. So, cooking at home can be a challenge as I do not want to resort to steamed carrots and lettuce.

Besides the Indian, Thai, Italian, Greek, Chinese, and various Asian influences on our cooking, I look for just about any tip from cookbooks and online sources that point me in the direction of savory, full-flavored meals that bring excitement to veggies, lentils, beans, and the occasional soy product.

Tonight’s dinner of Asparagus with Lemon Risotto is given extra punch with the addition of goat cheese. Unfortunately, I picked up a run-of-the-mill soft goat cheese made in America that can’t hold a stick to one of those pungent French goat cheeses that probably make ordinary people’s toes curl. The recipe comes from Linda McCartney’s “World of Vegetarian Cooking.”