we are just hours away from one of the biggest holidays of the year. ESPECIALLY if you are like me and live anywhere near the coast. the beach is MADNESS on the fourth. and partying starts EARLY in the day. 

and what is the most important part of a long day of drinking & fireworks?  breakfast. 

fill yourself up with something delicious and healthy before filling up with beer and bbq. 

these gorgeously patriotic parfaits are full of flavor, use only natural sweeteners and are guaranteed to get your party started. 

independence day parfait

serves: 4 parfaits

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 5 minutes

total timez; 15 minutes

ingredients: 2 cups greek yogurt. 2 cups orange blossom granola (if you do not have this on hand or don't want to make it, your favorite granola is the perfect substitute). 1 cup blueberries. 1 cup chopped strawberries. 2 tbs honey. 4 cups for serving. optional: piping bag with round tip or plastic zip loc bag. edible flower for garnish. 

start by drizzling the yogurt in honey and combining the mixture well.  

then, you have some choices. if you have a piping bag handy, i recommend filling the piping bag with the yogurt mixture. if you are like most people and do not have a piping bag, you could use a zip lock bag. fill it up and snip off one of the corners for easy squeezing. if a spoon sounds more up your alley, use a spoon.

regardless of your tool, scoop .25 cup of yogurt into the bottom of each cup.

hen layer .25 cup of granola. followed by .25 cup of mixed berries.

repeat that process with each cup till you have two beautiful layers of each ingredient.top with edible flowers and serve or store for later consumption. 

xo, a

independence day parfait

serves: 4 parfaits

prep time: 10 minutes

active time: 5 minutes

total timez; 15 minutes

ingredients: 2 cups greek yogurt. 2 cups orange blossom granola (if you do not have this on hand or don't want to make it, your favorite granola is the perfect substitute). 1 cup blueberries. 1 cup chopped strawberries. 2 tbs honey. 4 cups for serving. optional: piping bag with round tip or plastic zip loc bag. edible flower for garnish. 

start by drizzling the yogurt in honey and combining the mixture well. then, you have some choices. if you have a piping bag handy, i recommend filling the piping bag with the yogurt mixture. if you are like most people and do not have a piping bag, you could use a zip lock bag. fill it up and snip off one of the corners for easy squeezing. if a spoon sounds more up your alley, use a spoon. regardless of your tool, scoop .25 cup of yogurt into the bottom of each cup. then layer .25 cup of granola. followed by .25 cup of mixed berries. repeat that process with each cup till you have two beautiful layers of each ingredient. top with edible flowers and serve or store for later consumption. 

it's not that often anymore, but every once in a while, a client orders a dessert other than a cake. we recently catered for a party that had a gluten free hostess, so i was really challenged to create some desserts that were just as delicious and even more beautiful than their gluten full friends. 

tweaking the classic shortbread crust on this tart was surprisingly easy. and in my opinion, the addition of almond flavor really stepped things up a notch. not only is the tart delicious, because your not baking the filling, you can really set the berries in any style you like. you can throw them in at random or build a really beautiful pattern. the world is your oyster. 

blueberry lemon tart + gluten free almond crust
serves: 8-10
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 20 minutes
bake time: 20 minutes
total time: 45 minutes
ingredients: 2 cups almond flour. .25 cup sugar. .25 tsp kosher salt. 4 tbs butter, cubed, plus 1 tsp to butter the tart pan. .5 tsp vanilla extract. 1 egg. 2 cups greek yogurt. 1 cup lemon curd. 1 cup blueberries. baby mint leaves as desired. rectangular or 8-9 inch round tart pan. 

start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f. in a food processor or in a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, sugar, salt, butter, vanilla extract and the egg. 

pulse (or mix) until the mixture forms a rough ball. 

lightly butter the base and edges of your tart pan and dump your dough into the tart pan. 

using your fingers, gently press the dough to cover the bottom of the pan and up the edges. 

prick the base of your dough with a fork a generously and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges begin to lightly brown. remove the shell from the oven and allow it to cool slightly.

while the shell is cooling, combine the lemon curd and greek yogurt. 

stir till it is completely combined. 

pour the lemon yogurt filling into the tart shell. 

add in your blueberries and any mint you like in your desired pattern. 

serve immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to serve. can be made a day or two in advance. 

xo, a

blueberry lemon tart + gluten free almond crust
serves: 8-10
prep time: 5 minutes
active time: 20 minutes
bake time: 20 minutes
total time: 45 minutes
ingredients: 2 cups almond flour. .25 cup sugar. .25 tsp kosher salt. 4 tbs butter, cubed, plus 1 tsp to butter the tart pan. .5 tsp vanilla extract. 1 egg. 2 cups greek yogurt. 1 cup lemon curd. 1 cup blueberries. baby mint leaves as desired. rectangular or 8-9 inch round tart pan.
start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f. in a food processor or in a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, sugar, salt, butter, vanilla extract and the egg. pulse (or mix) until the mixture forms a rough ball. lightly butter the base and edges of your tart pan and dump your dough into the tart pan. using your fingers, gently press the dough to cover the bottom of the pan and up the edges. prick the base of your dough with a fork a generously and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges begin to lightly brown. remove the shell from the oven and allow it to cool slightly. while the shell is cooling, combine the lemon curd and greek yogurt. stir till it is completely combined. pour the lemon yogurt filling into the tart shell. add in your blueberries and any mint you like in your desired pattern. serve immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to serve. can be made a day or two in advance.