Cooking with Tammy: Cooling Summer Treats

The Heat has arrived in Eastern North Carolina and let’s face it, the last thing you want to do in this heat is to cook over a hot stove. Summertime is the best time to enjoy making (and eating) cool desserts. There are plenty of ways to make cool desserts, give these recipes a try, some are a bit healthier than others, but everything in moderation, right? Stay hydrated

Frozen Cantaloupe Pops

Cantaloupe is loaded with Vitamins A and C, and super sweet, juicy, and succulent. Each one of these cantaloupe pops provides your kids with 30% of their daily requirement of Vitamin A and 60% Vitamin C. Plus, they're delicious.

6 oz. can frozen fruit concentrate

(pink lemonade works great, best if you can find no added sugar)

3 cups cubed cantaloupe or other melon

3/4 cup water

10 paper drink cups (or popsicle molds)

10 wooden Popsicle sticks

In blender or food processor, combine fruit juice concentrate and cantaloupe and process until smooth. Fill each drink cup with about 1/3 cup of this mixture, then freeze until partially frozen, about 1 hour. Insert wooden sticks and freeze until firm. To serve, peel away the paper cup, or remove from the molds. Makes 10 pops.

Lemon Pineapple Sherbet

2 quarts whole milk

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice

2 cups sugar

1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring until well blended. When you add the lemon juice, the sherbet will appear to curdle, but that is not a problem.

Pour into an electric ice cream maker. Process according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer sherbet to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 1 hour to firm up before serving.

Margarita Ice-Cream Sandwiches

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

5 teaspoons grated lime rind, divided

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

11 1/4 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 1/2 cups)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon table salt

1 teaspoon turbinado (natural brown) sugar

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

2 cups vanilla reduced-fat ice cream, softened

2 cups lime sherbet, softened

Place butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed for 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add egg, 1 tablespoon lime rind, and lime juice; beat 2 minutes or until well combined. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and 1/8 teaspoon table salt; stir with a whisk. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, and beat just until combined.

Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 6-inch log. Wrap logs individually in plastic wrap; chill 3 hours or until firm.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cut each log into 16 (about 1/3-inch-thick) slices, and place 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the cookies evenly with remaining 2 teaspoons lime rind, turbinado sugar, and sea salt. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes on pans on a wire rack. Remove from baking sheets, and cool completely on wire rack.

Place vanilla ice cream and sherbet in a medium bowl; lightly fold and swirl together. Scoop 1/4 cup ice cream mixture onto bottom of one cookie, and top with one cookie. Cover each sandwich with plastic wrap; freeze 4 hours or until firm.

Dole Whip

(This is a Disney treat)

½ cup pineapple juice or orange juice

1/3 cup coconut milk

3 cups frozen pineapple

1 cup vanilla ice cream

Put all of the ingredients into a blender. Blend on high until completely mixed, smooth, and creamy, adding a little more juice to help it blend, if needed, generally the mixture is very thick, so you may need to periodically scrape the sides.

Spoon the mixture into glasses or ice cream cups to serve.

Serves 4, each serving contains; Calories 280, Fat 8 g., Carbohydrates 53g., Protein 2g.

Pita Colada Sorbet

3 cups cubed fresh pineapple

1 cup coconut water

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup light coconut milk

2/3 cup cream of coconut

Place first 3 ingredients in a blender, and process until smooth and sugar dissolves. Combine pureed pineapple mixture, coconut milk, and cream of coconut in a bowl; stir with a whisk. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Pour mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions. Spoon sorbet into a freezer-safe container; cover and freeze for 2 hours or until firm.

Lemon Pineapple Sherbet

2 quarts whole milk

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice

2 cups sugar

1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons)

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring until well blended. When you add the lemon juice, the sherbet will appear to curdle, but that is not a problem. Pour into an electric ice cream maker. Process according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer sherbet to a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least 1 hour to firm up before serving.

Quick and Easy Keto Chocolate Mousse

3 ounces cream cheese, softened

½ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup powdered, zero calorie sweetener

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 pinch salt

Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Turn mixer to low speed and slowly mix in heavy cream and vanilla.

Mix in sweetener, cocoa powder and salt until well incorporated. Turn mixer to high and mix until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Serve immediately, or refrigerator for later.

Serves 2, each serving contains; Calories 373, Fat 37g., Carbohydrates 7g., Protein 5.4g.

Low-Carb Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

1 cup low-carb chocolate cookie crumbs

¼ cup butter, melted

3 tablespoons sugar substitute, granular

½ cup finely chopped macadamia nuts, pecans, or almonds

3 eggs, separated

3, 8 ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup sour cream

1 cup sugar substitute, granular

2 tablespoons low carbohydrate baking flour substitute

6 ounces low-carbohydrate, dark chocolate, melted

2 tablespoons finely chopped macadamia nuts, pecans or almonds

Combine cookie crumbs, butter, 3 tablespoons Splenda, and nuts. Press evenly in the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Chill crust while preparing the filling. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, whip egg whites until stiff but not dry.

In another large bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream, 1 cup Splenda, and flour substitute until smooth. Beat in egg yolks one at a time, blending well after each addition. Gently fold whipped egg whites into cream cheese mixture. Spoon batter into prepared crust. Slowly swirl 6 ounces of melted chocolate through cheese mixture to give a marbled effect.

Place pan on a cookie sheet in the preheated oven, and bake 60 to 70 minutes or until set. Turn off oven, and allow cake to cool in the oven with the door open. When cool, transfer to the refrigerator, and chill overnight.

Spread 3 ounces of melted chocolate on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with remaining chopped nuts, and then refrigerate until chilled. Scrape chocolate from pan to form slivers. Decorate cake with chocolate slivers by heaping over the top, and pressing vertically onto the sides of the cake.

Serves 16, each serving contains; Calories 375, Fat 34g., Carbohydrates 7g., Protein 8g.