Yum, yum

Last weekend, I hosted a brunch at my place and this was the menu: spinach salad with cucumbers, tomatoes and olives; rice salad with chick peas and lemon dressing; red onion and goat cheese stuffed pastries; and for dessert, yogurt parfaits.

The yogurt parfaits were a big hit, and they're incredibly simple to make, low in fat, and perfect for the hot summer months ahead. It's best to make these at least 4-8 hours ahead of when you'll need them, so the flavors blend nicely. And for presentation's sake, I used wine glasses so the different layers could be seen easier.

Yogurt parfaits (serves 4)

1 package frozen fruit -- any variety
1 container vanilla yogurt

Spoon 1 tablespoon of yogurt into wine glass. Spoon 1 tablespoon fruit on top of yogurt. Continue to layer until wine glass is full. Seal with Saran wrap and refrigerate.

Notes:

Don't thaw the fruit out before spooning into the parfait. The fruit will melt in the fridge and the juices will mix in with the yogurt. No additional sweetner is required.

I used two different types of frozen fruit -- mixed berries and then a mix of strawberries, papaya and mango -- and both worked equally well. It really depends on personal taste.

I'm not a big fan of low-fat foods in general, but in this case, I used non-fat yogurt, and it didn't taste as if something were missing.