Breakfast
Fig Mediterranean
Breakfast Bowl.
Late summer in Italy tastes like this. A ripe fig, a crisp pear and a handful of pistachios over thick Greek yoghurt, finished with a little raw honey and a thread of good olive oil. Five minutes and no cooking. This recipe serves two.
- Energy
- 1,580 kJ (377 kcal)
- Protein
- 16 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Carbohydrate
- 50 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
- Net carbs
- 42 g
How to make it.
- 01
Spoon 150 g of yoghurt into each bowl and spread it into a shallow layer so there is room for the fruit.
- 02
Slice the pears thinly with the skin on and remove the core. The skin is where much of the fibre is.
- 03
Cut each fig into quarters and arrange the fig and pear over the yoghurt.
- 04
Roughly chop the pistachios and scatter them over the top.
- 05
Finish each bowl with a teaspoon of raw honey and a teaspoon of olive oil drizzled over everything. Eat straight away.
Why this meal works.
This is a fruit bowl, so I want to be honest about the numbers. Most of the carbohydrate here comes from whole fruit, and that is exactly why the yoghurt matters. At 150 g each you get around 16 grams of protein, which turns a light breakfast into one that keeps you full and protects your muscle. A fruit bowl with a spoonful of yoghurt is a snack. This is a meal.
The pistachios earn their place. In controlled studies, eating pistachios alongside carbohydrate foods reduced the rise in blood sugar after the meal. Their fat, fibre and protein slow how quickly the fruit sugar reaches your bloodstream, and they bring more colour and crunch than almost any other nut.
Olive oil on fruit sounds unusual until you try it. It is how many Italians finish fruit and yoghurt, and the fat slows digestion further while adding the polyphenols extra virgin olive oil is known for. Keep the skin on the pear and you have 8 grams of fibre per bowl, before you even count the fig seeds.
Raw honey is still sugar, so it stays at a teaspoon. When the figs are properly ripe you may find you do not need it at all. If blood sugar is a concern for you, use half a pear each and let the yoghurt and pistachios do the work.
Micronutrients on the plate.
- Calcium, iodine and vitamin B12 from the Greek yoghurt for bones, thyroid and energy.
- Potassium from the figs and pears, supporting healthy blood pressure.
- Vitamin B6, lutein and zeaxanthin from the pistachios, for energy metabolism and eye health.
- Vitamin C and vitamin K from the pear.
- Polyphenols from the extra virgin olive oil and figs, which help calm inflammation.
Make it yours.
- Figs out of season? Use a handful of berries or extra pear instead.
- Want more protein? Increase the yoghurt to 200 g each.
- Dairy free? Use a thick unsweetened soy yoghurt, which keeps the protein closest to Greek yoghurt.
- Swap the pistachios for walnuts or almonds, keeping the same handful.
- For more crunch, add a spoonful of the toasted nut granola from the Greek Yoghurt and Toasted Nut Granola Bowl.
Ripe fruit, good yoghurt and a thread of olive oil. Simple food, eaten slowly. Buon appetito.
Enjoy.
With love, Serena ×