A Dinner Party

   Ali and Erik came over for dinner on Monday night, after the snowstorm.  The goal was a healthy meal coming off of Christmas weekend.  For an appetizer I made an artichoke spread from a recipe I found on bhg.com.   It was very simple and very tasty.  Even Arnauld liked it and he doesn't usually go for my vegetarian creations.

Artichoke Spread

 

Ingredients

• 1  15-ounce can  cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
• 1  9-ounce package  frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and well drained-I couldn't find these frozen, so I used a canned.
• 1  clove  garlic, quartered
• 1  teaspoon  finely shredded lemon peel
• 1  tablespoon  lemon juice
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  cayenne pepper
• 1    green onion, thinly sliced
•     Sliced green onion tops
•     Assorted vegetable dippers and/or crackers

Directions

In a large food processor, combine beans, artichoke hearts, garlic, lemon peel, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper. Cover and process until nearly smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as necessary.
Transfer bean mixture to a serving bowl; stir in the thinly sliced green onion. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 2 days. If chilled, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
To serve, garnish with sliced green onion tops. Serve with assorted vegetable dippers and/or crackers.

     I poured over past issues of some of my magazine before finally deciding on the dinner menu, chicken and sweet potatoes with shallots, from February's issue of Real Simple.  Unfortunately, it was so good I forgot to take pictures before it was all devoured.  Since it tasted so good, it will probably find it's way into my rotation of favorite recipes.

Chicken and Sweet Potatoes with Shallots

Serves 4

Hands-On Time: 30m

Total Time: 30m

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (each 6 ounces)
• 4 shallots, sliced into thin rings
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh rosemary-I used dried

Directions

1. Place the sweet potatoes in a large pot. Add enough cold water to cover and bring to a boil.
2. Add 1 teaspoon salt, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 14 to 16 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup of the cooking water, drain the sweet potatoes, and return them to the pot. Mash with the reserved cooking water.
3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.
4. Cook the chicken until golden brown and cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer to plates.
5. Wipe out the skillet. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, rosemary, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring, until the shallots are tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
6. Serve the chicken with the potatoes and drizzle with the shallot mixture.

   For dessert I went with apples in the skillet.  I peeled and cut 4 apples, added 1/4 cup of brown sugar, some lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a few shakes of cinnamon.  I put them in the skillet until the were soft and served them with vanilla ice cream and cool whip.  Yum!