Cooking Corner: Cool treats to beat the heat

Yogurt, especially low-fat Greek style, raises the bar for high-quality, inexpensive nutrition. It’s low in calories and fat, but high in calcium and live bacterial cultures — and Greek style packs double the protein of regular low-fat yogurt. 

You may like yogurt by itself, but you can add it to whole grains and fresh fruits for a heartier breakfast. As a snack, use it as a dip with fresh vegetables. In recipes, low-fat yogurt is a healthy substitute for cream cheese, mayonnaise and butter. 

Prefer the coldness of a frozen treat while relaxing on the porch? Ice cream is one of America’s most popular summertime snacks. Read labels to be sure you scoop up a healthier version of this tasty treat. Choose those made with low-fat milk products and less sugar to drastically cut the calories of each serving. And be mindful of the recommended serving size, too. 

Here are a couple of quick, nutritious and tasty recipes that will keep you cool.

Good morning power parfait

Serves 4

2 cups fat-free Greek yogurt, divided
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1 ripe banana, peeled
2½ cups whole strawberries, hulled and quartered ½ cup crunchy cereal (preferably with raisins and almonds, such as granola)

1. Add the banana, 1 cup yogurt and cinnamon to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into 4 wine or parfait glasses.
2. Top each parfait with a rounded cup of strawberries, ¼ cup yogurt and 2 tablespoons cereal.

Nutrition facts per 1 parfait: Calories 142, fat 1 g, carbohydrates 30 g, protein 6 g, fiber 4 g

Frozen yogurt fruit pops

¼ cup pecans, chopped
½ cup blueberry Greek yogurt
12 strawberries, hulled
12 cake pop sticks
Waxed paper

1. Line a small baking sheet with waxed paper. Set aside.
2. Insert the cake pop sticks into the top part of the strawberry. Do not pierce through the end of the strawberry.
3. Dip each strawberry in the yogurt, shaking so that each strawberry is thinly coated. Use a spoon to help coat the strawberries if needed. 
4. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon pecans over each coated strawberry.
5. Place the strawberry pops on the baking sheet and freeze for 1 to 2 hours or until the yogurt is frozen. Once the pops are frozen, remove from the waxed paper and serve or put in a freezer zip-top bag. 

Nutrition facts per 2 pops: Calories 55, fat 3.5 g, carbohydrates 5 g, protein 2 g, fiber 1 g

Source: diabetes.org