Greek Orange Parfait

When I was a kid, I would order a “cheeseburger, no burger, just the cheese and buns” at fast food places when we traveled. This led to a lot of confusion on the part of the makers, who more often than not ended up just giving me the cheeseburger (Which, of course, I wouldn’t touch, meaning that my parents had to sneakily peel off the beef, pickles, or whatever else the joint put on there before I could see it). But I loved that “no-burger” burger, because it was simple. The cheese and the bun were like perfect partners, each distinct and flawless (at least, to my little kid mind!).

So for some reason, this Greek Yogurt and Orange Parfait really reminds me of my childhood days. I wouldn’t have eaten it as a kid, as I just now have managed to get on the greek yogurt bandwagon (I know, sue me), but it also only requires two ingredients and is simple as fast. Not only that, but it is much healthier and lacking the saturated fat and empty calories of my “no-burger” burger days.

The bright, natural sweetness of the orange pairs wonderfully with creamy, slightly tangy Greek yogurt in this parfait. I used 8oz nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt and cut up pieces of a whole Cara-cara orange, which are darker in color and a tad sweeter than normal oranges. I threw on a totally optional touch of cinnamon, too. Since all you do is just layer the yogurt with the orange segments, I see no need for directions in this recipe (and, coincidentally, the wide variability in the nutritional information for different yogurt brands means that any calorie count provided would probably be unrepresentative). Instead, just throw this guy together and enjoy the wonderful flavors of simplicity.