Seasonal Berries with Green Tea and Sweet Yogurt Sauce

It’s time for berry season!

Berries are one of the most versatile fruits going.  They are perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  At the risk of sounding like the scene in Forest Gump, there are berries parfait, berry salads, berry compote, berry jam or jelly, berry smoothies, etc.   There are blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries…..so many berries to choose from, and all of them yummy right now at their peak.

The problem though is that they often are an afterthought. Pop them on cereal, or just serve them in a bowl all by themselves.  Nothing wrong with this approach, I have berries on top of my cereal every morning, and am always grateful when I find a  big bowl as a dessert option at pot lucks or family gatherings.  But berries can be so much more exciting with very little effort.

I have some super easy recipes like my berry crumble or macerated strawberries that take berries to the next level, but if you want something even simpler, than this is the perfect recipe for you.  Aside from brewing the tea, which basically makes itself, there is almost nothing to do.  Plus you get a nice bump of goodness from the yogurt.

Here then is my take on a berry yogurt “parfait”, upside down and with a few tweaks to take it from breakfast to dessert at dinnertime.

Ingredients:

• 1 green tea tea bag
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup vanilla flavored Greek yogurt (I like Kite Hill)
• 1-2 Tablespoons (vegan) honey or agave
• mint leaves for garnish
• seasonal berries

Directions:

1. In a small pot on the stove, boil the tea bag in the water until the water is reduced to approximately 1/4 cup.  Remove from stove and allow to cool with the tea bag still in the water.
2. In a bowl, whisk 1/4 cup of the green tea (tea bag removed) with the yogurt and honey.
3. Drizzle on top of fresh berries and sprinkle with freshly chopped mint leaves.

Enjoy!