Cake pops are one of my favorite recent food trends, not because I think they taste all that much better than regular old cake, but because once and a while we all make that cake that doesn’t rise or come out just how we planned and won’t serve to people but can’t bear to throw away.

That’s the beauty of cake pops: They’re very forgiving. You can start out with dry or crumbly cake and still come out with something delicious.

Chobani sent me a few of their 32oz yogurt containers for their Just Add Good cooking campaign. They’ve added a new Kitchen page to their website full of yogurt recipes and beautiful photos to get your gears turning.

When I made these cake balls, I swapped out the oil in the cake recipe for an equal amount vanilla Greek yogurt. For the frosting I mixed the cake with, I swapped out the butter for 1/2 the amount called for of plain 2% greek yogurt. The result was just as moist and delicious as any cake ball I’ve made before.

Since you lose richness when you cut the fat out of a recipe, this works better with bitter or spicy cake flavors like chocolate, pumpkin, or carrot cake. I used a gluten-free pumpkin spice cake with a white chocolate coating. 

Don’t forget when melting chocolate to look for baking chocolate instead of chocolate chips. Baking chocolate melts smoother and makes a better coating for the cake pops.

You’ve probably heard of Chobani, if not from their delicious yogurt then from their recent position as sponsor of the 2012 Olympic games. I hardly managed to do anything but watch TV for those two weeks—well, watch TV and eat yogurt.

Chobani recently introduced 6 of their most popular flavors in 16oz tub container form including a 2% vanilla chocolate chip variety which easily takes the gold medal for me. Chobani has always been one of my favorite Greek yogurts because of the simple ingredients and consistently low price at my grocery store and I was happy to try them when they sent me a variety pack.

I had to resist eating all of the flavors simply with granola and fruit and actually make something with them. I settled on frozen yogurt because few things are as tasty(and easy!) as homemade frozen yogurt. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, put it on your Christmas list; even though it only has one function it’s easily my favorite kitchen gadget I’ve bought over the past few years.

This recipe is as easy as 3 ingredients and is entirely customizable! You can use any flavor of Chobani and add any mix-ins your heart desires. Have fun with it and pretend you’re at a fancy frozen yogurt chain by adding things like chocolate chips, fruity cereal, and chopped fruit on top.

Chobani Frozen Yogurt

Prep time: 5 minutes

Freeze time: 2 hours

Ingredients(Makes about 6 servings):

• 1 16oz Chobani yogurt container*
• 1 cup skim or 2% milk
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted

*I’ve only tried this with the fruit flavors. If you’re starting with Plain Chobani, you might want to adjust the sweetness by adding more powdered sugar.

Method:

1. In a large bowl whisk together all of the ingredients.
2. Pour the base into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.
3. After the ice cream has churned, scoop it into a solid container and freeze for at least two hours.
4. Before serving, let the yogurt soften at room temperature for 5 minutes.

Mango admittedly is not one of my favorite flavor of yogurt. Somehow, turning it into frozen yogurt makes it much more irresistible. It reminded me of something I’d order from Pinkberry. And since this is made with low-fat ingredients and greek yogurt, it’s packed with protein, so feel good about having an extra scoop.

To be honest, grilling in the Summer is slightly less fun when you’re a vegetarian. I don’t do it nearly as much anymore. That doesn’t mean vegetarian grilling isn’t delicious; sometimes I just need to be reminded of that.

Just like you can grill any kind of meat, you can grill all different sorts of fruit and vegetables. The heat from the fire makes the fruit taste even sweeter and pairs perfectly with something cool and creamy. Most recipes use a soft cheese or ice cream; this one uses Greek yogurt for a similar taste and texture only a  little bit healthier.

Peaches are a great substitute for when cantaloupe isn’t available; you won’t have to change anything else in the recipe. Make sure to use full fat or 2% yogurt; non-fat yogurt won’t have the same depth of flavor or creaminess to really make this satisfying.

Grilled Cantaloupe with Yogurt and Mint

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 6 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 4 servings):

• 1/2 cantaloupe, cut into quarters
• Olive oil
• 1 16oz container full fat or 2% Greek yogurt
• Small handful of mint leaves
• Honey(optional)

Method:

1. Heat up your grill to roughly 400 degrees.
2. Brush both sides of each cantaloupe wedge with enough olive oil to cover.
3. Once the grill is hot, lay the cantaloupe down and let it cook undisturbed for roughly 3 minutes until grill marks have formed.
4. Flip the wedges once and repeat with the other side.
5. When the cantaloupe is done cooking, plate it with the skin touching the plate. Scoop about half a cup of yogurt over each wedge. Garnish with mint leaves and honey if desired.
6. Serve immediately.