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My dad turned 60 this past weekend! Our whole family was home (which never happens), so as a gift for my dad, we arranged to have a family photo taken by my amazingly talented cousin Hope (thanks Hope!). Just look at this crew -- I love these people!
Little did my dad know, we also had a surprise party with family and friends planned for him later that day :) Parties can be a challenge when you are trying to eat healthy... And especially when you are trying to do the Whole 30*! The menu at the party consisted of pizza, breaded boneless wings, salad (thankfully), and birthday cake!
I wanted to make an appetizer to share (and selfishly, one that I could eat), so I came up with these little dudes! Dried apricots, topped with pecans, wrapped with prosciutto, and drizzled with a nice thick balsamic vinegar.
There are so many flavors and textures going on here! Salty, sweet, crunchy, soft. They turned out to be really good and would make an excellent addition to a cheese tray (if you were eating cheese - a Whole 30 no-no)!
*Learn more about the Whole 30 here.
Prosciutto Wrapped Apricot & Pecan Bites
Makes: 30 apricot bites
Ingredients
30 dried apricots
1/4 lb Prosciutto (sliced paper thin)
30 pecan halves
Balsamic vinegar
Toast pecans in a skillet over medium heat, stirring often. They should be nicely toasted after a few minutes. Tear each piece of prosciutto into 4-ish strips.
To make each apricot bite, top a dried apricot with a pecan half and wrap a small piece of prosciutto around it to hold the two together.
Assemble all of the apricot bites and arrange on a platter. Before serving, drizzle with a nice, thick, balsamic vinegar.
TIP: If you are using regular balsamic, you can make a thicker balsamic reduction by adding it to a sauce pan and heating over low heat (at a simmer). Stir every few minutes until the vinegar reaches desired thickness. BE CAREFUL, it burns easily -- so don't let it get to a full boil.
