I recently got a Zoku Quick Pop Maker. BEST THING EVER ! I love making pops but hate the wait time. Now I have ‘em in 7-9 minutes This is one of the recipes I pulled from the Zoku book – of course, I’ve tweaked many of the recipes to suit my own tastes, bring down calories, and to get creative with the pops, but some are in their original goodness.

You can make any of these recipes in traditional pop makers – each pop here is 2 oz. so adjust accordingly. And if you love pops like me, then do yourself a favor and get a Zoku

Zoku Quick Pop Maker

6 servings
265 calories per serving

1 c water
2 1/3 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I used ghiradelli bittersweet morsels)
1/3 c sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 c skim milk
1 T fat free half and half
½ c very thin banana slices
6 T Magic Shell chocolate shell for ice cream
3 T chopped peanuts

In a saucepan whisk chocolate, sugar, water and salt and cook until completely melted, about 5 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes in the fridge and then whish in the milk and half and half. Then return to the fridge and cool completely (about ½ hour).

Working in 2 batches – Place bananas on the sides of the maker molds then pour in the mix. In 7-9 minutes you’ll have creamy, fudgy goodness with a bit of banana thrown in for interest

If you are using traditional molds, you can suspend the bananas by filling the molds half way. Freezing a bit, then adding the bananas and the rest of the mix. Or you can just let the drop to the bottom – it will still taste dandy ! Freeze 6 hours.

This is such a great flavorful dish – and all the added zucchini makes it a healthful option. This tasted just as good cold the next day and would be a great take along for a packed lunch – even add a few strips of grilled chicken if you want !

Pasta with Pesto and Zucchini

6 servings
311 calories per serving

8 oz. FiberGourmet pasta (without FiberGourmet, you have to add 80 calories per serving!)
2 t oil
2 ½ c sliced zucchini
3/4 c prepared low fat pesto sauce
¼ c fat free half and half
salt and pepper to taste
2 T grated parmesan cheese
2 T chopped basil

Heat 2 t oil and sauté zucchini 5 minutes. Add 1 t minced garlic, salt and pepper and cook another minute. Cook pasta according to package instructions in salted water, drain reserving 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid. Add pasta to zucchini and stir then add reserved water, half and half, pesto sauce and additional salt and pepper. Serve garnished with parmesan and basil.

This creamy sauce has a nice little kick from the chipotle pepper – you can kick it up as much as you want ! All the ingredients here mix to perfection and you end up with a winner dinner.

Shrimp and Pasta with Creamy Chipotle Sauce

4 servings
371 calories per serving

10 oz. FiberGourmet fettucine noodles (regular or flavored)
1 T oil
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small bell pepper, sliced
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained well
1 canned chipotle pepper, minced, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce from the can
1/2 t cumin
1 lb. peeled and cleaned shrimp
2 t lemon juice
1 1/2 c fat free half and half
1/4 c chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven and sauté onion 4-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, peppers, tomatoes and cumin and sauté another 4-5 minutes. Add chipotle, shrimp, lemon and half and half and cook 5 minutes or until shrimp are done. Add salt and pepper and cilantro. Stir in pasta and mix well.

This quick cream sauce can be used on just about any pasta dish – added to the flavored fettuccine from FiberGourmet and topped with sauted shrimp – mmmm, mmmmm good !

Fettuccine and Shrimp

4 servings
346 calories per serving

8 oz. FiberGourmet Fettucine (without it you have to add 80 calories per serving) – I used a pepper flavored pasta and it was so awesomely spicy
2 T butter
½ c thinly sliced shallots
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c canned diced tomatoes, drained
1 lb. cleaned, peeled shrimp
½ t red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
½ c fat free half and half
1/3 c chopped parsley
1/3 c thinly sliced basil leaves

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Melt butter and sauté shallots 4 minutes then add garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add shrimp to skillet and sprinkle with spices and cook until shrimp is just about done. Add tomatoes , parsley and basil and cook another minute. Then add half and half and keep warm on low temperature. Pour over pasta and serve immediately.

I recently got a Zoku Quick Pop Maker. BEST THING EVER ! I love making pops but hate the wait time. Now I have ‘em in 7-9 minutes This is one of the recipes I pulled from the Zoku book – of course, I’ve tweaked many of the recipes to suit my own tastes, bring down calories, and to get creative with the pops, but some are in their original goodness.

The maker gets sooo cold that sometimes the first batch come out with a crackling motif on them – looks kinda cool !

You can make any of these recipes in traditional pop makers – each pop here is 2 oz. so adjust accordingly. And if you love pops like me, then do yourself a favor and get a Zoku

Butter Pecan Ice Pops

6 servings
178 calories per serving

¾ c pecan halves
½ T salted butter
1 T brown sugar
¾ c water
2 ½ oz. butterscotch morsels
½ c half and half
½ t vanilla extract

Toast the pecans in a skillet with the butter and sugar. Cook about 3 minutes stirring often. Let nuts cool completely.

In a saucepan over low heat whisk water and butterscotch morsels and cook until melted, but don’t boil. Cool 10 minutes then stir in the half and half and vanilla and then refrigerate until completely cool, about 20 minutes. Whisk occasionally so that a skin does not form on top of the mixture.

Working in 2 batches – place approximately 6 pecan halves in each mold and then pour in the butterscotch mixture up to the fill line. In 7-9 minutes you’ll have rich, flavorful pops that rival the experience of butter pecan ice cream

If you are using traditional molds, freeze 6 hours.

I recently got a Zoku Quick Pop Maker. BEST THING EVER ! I love making pops but hate the wait time. Now I have ‘em in 7-9 minutes This is one of the recipes I pulled from the Zoku book – of course, I’ve tweaked many of the recipes to suit my own tastes, bring down calories, and to get creative with the pops, but some are in their original goodness.

You can make any of these recipes in traditional pop makers – each pop here is 2 oz. so adjust accordingly. And if you love pops like me, then do yourself a favor and get a Zoku

Fudge Pops with Bananas

6 servings
132 calories per serving

1 c water
2 1/3 oz. bittersweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli bittersweet morsels)
1/3 c sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 c skim milk
1 T fat free half and half
½ c very thin banana slices

In a saucepan whisk chocolate, sugar, water and salt and cook until completely melted, about 5 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes in the fridge and then whisk in the milk and half and half. Then return to the fridge and cool completely (about ½ hour).

Working in 2 batches – Place bananas on the sides of the maker molds then pour in the mix. In 7-9 minutes you’ll have creamy, fudgy goodness with a bit of banana thrown in for interest

If you are using traditional molds, you can suspend the bananas by filling the molds half way, freezing a bit, then adding the bananas and the rest of the mix. Or you can just let the drop to the bottom – it will still taste dandy ! Freeze 6 hours.

Last night I was watching Masterchef and the most awesome looking recipe was cooked ! It was Cat Cora’s Truffled Halibut, which in recipe books by Cat Cora is also referred to as Pan Seared Halibut with Sweet Corn Zabaglione.

Today I am going to make an exception and list a recipe here that comes in higher than 400 calories – this one just looks too exquisite to miss. And it’s just a few calories over 400 – barely enough to count With all original ingredients this one comes in at around 850 calories per serving. But by using fat free half and half instead of heavy cream and frying the zabaglione onions in Pam and some water instead of oil , you can come in at about 449 calories – not bad at all for a gourmet dish.

As soon as I make this, I will post pictures – for now, I just wanted to get the recipe up for you.

4 servings
449 calories per serving

Sweet Corn Zabaglione (cream sauce)
Pam
1-3 T water (instead of oil)
1/2 c fresh yellow corn kernels (about 1 ear)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c fat free half and half (instead of heavy cream)
1 egg yolk
Kosher salt to taste

Halibut
2 T olive oil
4 6 ounce halibut fillets
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
2 c arugula, stems removed
1 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 c thinly sliced red onion
1/4 c fresh yellow corn kernels (about 1/2 an ear)
1/2 c fava beans

Prepare the cream sauce – Heat a skillet and spray with Pam and cook corn and garlic 4 minutes. Add the half and half and simmer on very low heat 10 minutes. Because the half and half has no fat, you have to be careful to not let this come to a boil.

Transfer all to a blender and puree until smooth and then strain through a fine mesh sieve. Bring 1 inch of water to boil in a double boiler and pour the corn puree into a bowl and whisk in the egg yolk then place in the top pan of the double boiler and whisk until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt.

If you do not want to go out and buy a double boiler, you can carefully fit together 2 sauce pans and accomplish the same thing – the main purpose of a double boiler is to make sure the pan with the food in it does not come in direct contact with the heat – it is like cooking with indirect heat. It is much gentler for sauces and other preparations. So just fill the bottom pan with a bit of water, rest a smaller pan on top making sure it does not touch down to to the other pan. It takes some coordination, but it can be done

For the fish – Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Heat 1 T oil to very hot and them saute fish 2 minutes per side being sure to get a nice golden sear on each side. Transfer to oven and bake 5-6 minutes to cook all the way through.

Bring 2 c of water to a boil and boil the shelled fava beans for just a minute or 2 to soften them some.

Toss together arugula, beans, tomatoes, onion and corn and mix with 1 T oil, salt and pepper.

Divide the cream sauce on dishes, plate the fish atop it and add the salad bits to the top.

This is one of the better mac and cheese recipes I have done. Make sure you stir the mix enough to get all the cheese melted. And try not putting in the half and half until a good amount of the cheese is already melted so you don’t get unmelted lumps. This really hit the spot and you can certainly change it up by adding bits of different vegetables, maybe even some hot peppers

Mexican Mac and Cheese

4 servings
245 calories per serving

2 c FiberGourmet rotini pasta (without FiberGourmet, the recipe comes in at 285 calories per serving)
¼ c sliced black olives
½ c fat free half and half
½ t salt
1 small red bell pepper chopped
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies, drained
4 slices fat free Kraft American cheese slices

Cook pasta according to package instructions and stir in the rest of the ingredients. Cook over low heat 5 minutes or until cheese is all melted.

This dish has a great cream sauce that goes perfectly with the ravioli. I bet that the dish would be great with a mushroom ravioli substituted. It’s a heavier dish, but certainly within the calories and sometimes you just gotta splurge !

Ravioli with Mushroom Sauce

2 servings
367 calories per serving

2 c refrigerated fresh cheese ravioli
½ c sliced mushrooms
1 T chopped shallots
1 T pine nuts or walnuts
1 T chopped yellow bell pepper
1 T chopped red bell pepper
1 t oil
2 t cornstarch
½ chicken broth
¼ c fat free half and half
1/8 t salt
1/8 t pepper
Optional – grated parmesan

Cook ravioli according to package instructions. Spray a skillet with Pam and cook mushrooms, shallot, nuts and peppers in oil until tender – add a little hot water if they start to dry out. Mix cornstarch, broth and half and half with the salt and pepper and then gradually stir into the pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and cook 2 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Serve mixed with drained ravioli. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

This is one of the best chowders I have had ! The broth is just creamy enough without being too much – the chowder has just enough fish flavor (unlike some clam chowders that can really be too much) – and the potatoes and beans make it very filling. This mild chowder will be a favorite in your house in no time !

New England Cod Chowder

4 servings
380 calories per serving

16 oz. clam juice
1 C water
1 onion, chopped small
1 celery stalk, chopped
15.5 oz. cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
14/5 oz. can diced new potatoes, rinsed and drained
1 c frozen corn
1.2 t dried thyme
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 t onion powder
leftover cod from Lemon and Herb Cod recipe
3/4 c fat free half and half

Place first 4 ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Cook, covered, 1 minute and then add beans, potatoes, corn, thyme, salt, onion powder and pepper and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, 10 minutes. Then break 1/3 of the potato and bean mixture with the back of a spoon and break the cod into large pieces and add to the chowder with the half and half. Reduce heat to low and simmer very gently about 5 minutes.

(If you haven’t made the cod recipe, you just need 1 1/2 lb. broiled cod for this dish)