Healthy Breakfast Recipe: Greek Yogurt Parfait

When a recipe so perfectly parallels a season it produces an enjoyment that is beyond something simply tasting good. Take this healthy breakfast recipe for Greek Yogurt Parfaits and the summer season for example. The berries, besides being seasonal in the summer months, are bright and flavorful with a refreshing pop of juice in each bite that remedies the sweltering heat. The cool Greek yogurt is thick and creamy without being dense. The grains are toothsome and nutty and remind you with comfort of the cooler months to come. One bite and you know its summer (even if its the last month).

Recipe Rundown
Taste: This parfait is what a perfectly bright and blithe summer day would taste like. It is vibrant, fresh, nutty, and subtlety sweet.
Texture: A complimentary trinity of textures; the satisfactory chewy bite of the grain, the luscious thickness of the Greek yogurt, and the juicy goodness of the berries.

Ease: This recipe is mostly about assembly, especially if you have already cooked the grain you decide to use.
Appearance: This is my favorite part of this recipe. The contrasting colors and layers inside a pretty glass jar make this parfait look sophisticated yet slightly rustic.
Pros: This dish is healthy, easy to make, and tastes as good as it looks. Plus, you can use any nutritious grains you happen to have. I used pearled barley because I had it in my pantry. It has a fantastically firm texture but is not the healthiest choice since it is slightly processed.
Cons: None really.
Would I make this again? Very likely.

Greek Yogurt Parfaits
Yield: 8 servings
Inspired by Cooking Light July 2010

• 3-4  cups cooked grains (grano, barley, wheat berries, brown rice), from about 1 cup of uncooked grains
• 1/2  cup orange blossom honey, more or less depending on your preference, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 4  cups plain Greek-style yogurt
• 2  cups fresh berries (such as blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and sliced strawberries)

1. Stir in half the honey and salt with the cooked grains. Stir in the other half with the yogurt.

2. Layer equal spoonfuls of yogurt, grains, berries into 8 parfait or glass containers. Enjoy!