Yogurt Parfait on a Plate

All the research tells us that when it comes to our health, we’re far better off eating in than eating out. It makes good sense. Portions at restaurants tend to outsize our natural appetites. And professional chefs are more generous with the sugar, butter, and salt than home cooks. Add to that the fact that adequate fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are often neglected or left off restaurant plates altogether .

Nevertheless,  I’m no hermit when it comes to eating. Sure, most of my meals come from my home kitchen, but I enjoy dining out. Not only is it a pleasure and relief to let someone else do the cooking, some of my best ideas are inspired by what others have cooked for me.

Take today’s recipe, for example. It was a breakfast I ordered at a hotel during a mini getaway with the kids.  It was so good on day one, I had it three days running. At first glance, I thought it odd to serve yogurt on a plate. Plus, bowls are rather trendy of late (consider the popularity of the smoothie bowl, the hot-off-the-presses cookbook titled, simply, Bowl, and the fact that Tom and Gisele’s personal chef is, “all about serving meals in bowls.”)

BUT here’s the happy upside of going off-trend and making a Yogurt Parfait on a Plate:  Spreading all the ingredients thin and layering them one on top of another, means you get a little something of everything  in every single bite, right down to those chewy slivers of Medjool dates. Plus, it makes for a very pretty presentation.

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Yogurt Parfait on a Plate

This breakfast parfait is more than the sum of it's parts. It may have all the same ingredients you'd put in a typical yogurt/granola bowl, but prepared this way, spread thin and done in layers, means you get a little bit of everything in every bite. Plus, since you eat with your eyes first, it's old-fashioned good looks don't hurt for whetting the appetite.

Course Breakfast

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 1 serving

Calories 365 kcal

Author Katie Morford

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup granola
• 1/2 heaping cup berries (stem and quarter strawberries, if using)
• 2 dates , pitted and cut lengthwise into 4 to 6 strips
• 1 to 2 teaspoons honey (optional)

Instructions

1. Put the yogurt onto a small platter or dinner plate and use the back of a spoon to spread it into a thin oval or circle. Sprinkle the granola over the yogurt, followed by the berries and dates. Drizzle honey over the top, if desired. Serve with a spoon.