A Cookable Feast

Happy Leap Day, all! We’ve got a little bonus day here, a last chance to cram some amazing goodness into February.

Lovely February! Confession: February has historically been my most hated month of the year, for reasons that are pretty obvious if you, like me, live in a northern part of the Northern Hemisphere. It is cold. It is gray. It is icy and snow-slushy and yucky. It’s the tail-end of winter, stillllll hanging on, with no feeling of the end in sight most winters (this winter has been pretty darn easy for those of us in the Detroit area, but still. It’s winter).

I hated February so much for so long that it became quite a drag to me that I hated it. I mean, February is a whole month – one-twelfth – of a year. What a waste to hate on a whole month of a year! So about a year or two ago, I decided to flip it. Going forward, February was going to be the best month EVER in the year. I would love on it! I would embrace its extreme dreariness, reframing it as a chance for extreme coziness, complete with layer upon layer of fleece and flannel, and pretty candles to light the dark nights! I would fill it with fun social events and little treats!

This breakfast parfait arose out of a decision to award myself with one such treat. A few weeks ago, I was grocery shopping, and I spotted raspberries for sale. Honestly, I love raspberries, but I rarely allow myself to buy them. For one, no matter what the time of year, they are usually pretty expensive. Two, I don’t often see organic raspberries being sold at the fruit market I frequent, and raspberries are one of those fruits that it does seem especially beneficial to buy organic. They’re so delicate that it’s hard for me to ignore the thought of pesticides seeping into them like I can with some of the hardier fruits and veggies. But these raspberries were organic AND being sold for what felt to me like a reasonable price  considering that it was the dead of winter, $4 for a pint. So I sprung for them. And they were GLORIOUS! They were perfect – perfectly firm, non-bruised, flavorful raspberries. I created Draft 1 of this breakfast parfait, and then I went back a week later and bought more and created the recipe final version; they were just as amazing then. Who knew that out-of-season raspberries could be so delicious?

If you are experiencing a desire to treat yourself – and you most definitely should heed that desire, in my opinion – then I urge you to seek out some raspberries yourself and create this decadently delicious yogurt breakfast parfait. As with my other breakfast treats, it’s processed-sugar-free (yay!) and is quick and easy to make. I like to make it the night before in a Mason jar, as pictured, and store it in the fridge for a lovely breakfast treat to look forward to. I treasure my little breakfast treats! They are necessary. Because let’s face it, February may be over after today, but March certainly ain’t gonna be no picnic weather-wise for many of us – at least not for a couple of weeks.

If you can’t find fresh raspberries, strawberries or another berry can be substituted.

Chocolate, Raspberry, and Hazelnut Yogurt Breakfast Parfait

-1 cup plain yogurt ( I used full-fat = extra decadent!)

-2 tbs. unsweetened raw cacao powder

-1 tbs. honey (I used raw honey; I love its rich flavor.)

-1 pint (about 2 cups) fresh raspberries

-3 tbs. chopped hazelnut pieces, plus more for garnish

Mix the yogurt, cacao powder, and honey together in a bowl. Reserve one of the raspberries if you’d like to use it as garnish. Line the Mason jar with the following layers:

-1/4 cup yogurt mixture

-Half of the raspberries

-1/4 cup yogurt mixture

-Hazelnut pieces

-1/4 cup yogurt mixture

-Remaining  half of the raspberries

-1/4 cup yogurt mixture

Garnish the top with a few hazelnut pieces and the remaining raspberry. Gobble ravenously – or if you’ve got a bit more willpower than that :), store with a lid in the fridge for tomorrow’s breakfast.