Artichokes are such a great vegetable, full of antioxidants and low in calories and fat. I decided I’d make a salad for dinner tonight consisting of nothing more than chicken that I’d roast in the oven, mixed greens, grilled artichokes and shaved parmesan cheese.

I started by cutting the top inch and most of the stem off of my artichokes and trimming the pointy leaves. I trimmed the leaves with my kitchen shears, which is definitely a kitchen tool I use daily. The leaves of an artichoke are very sharp, so be careful.

I filled a large pot with about 3 inches of water, squeezed the juice of one lemon into the water and sprinkled a tablespoon of kosher salt into the water as well. I placed the artichokes, stem side up, on the steamer rack. I turned the stove on high, placed the lid on my pot and let them cook for 40 minutes, until they were tender. Make sure to check the moisture level periodically in your pot to make sure it hasn’t evaporated. If it starts to evaporate, add more water.

Once I had the artichokes on their way, I started on the chicken. I preheated my oven to 425 degrees and placed my breasts onto a large sheet pan. I spooned a tablespoon of dijon mustard over the two breasts, splitting the mustard between both. I then sprinkled a teaspoon of kosher salt over the chicken and ground some pepper over as well.

I placed the pan into my preheated oven for 30 minutes and they came out perfectly. After pulling the chicken out of the oven, I immediately squeezed the juice of half of a lemon over the breasts. Dennis said this was the best chicken recipe he’s had so far. It was probably the most simple one I’ve made. I guess simple is best sometimes.

Once the chicken was done, I set it out to rest for 10 minutes while I grilled my artichokes. I cut the artichokes in half and brushed them with a little olive oil and sprinkled them with kosher salt. I placed them cut side down on my indoor grill pan for about 10 minutes, until they had the grill marks I was looking for.

For the salad, I used spring greens. I placed the grilled artichoke halves onto the greens and cut the chicken into slices and placed them onto the greens as well. I finished it off with freshly shaved parmesan and ground pepper.

My dressing was quite simple to make. In a large measuring cup, I mixed together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, the juice of a few fresh lemons, two cloves of minced garlic, kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. I whisked it together and drizzled the amount I wanted onto my salad.

I had enough dressing left over so I poured it into a small mason jar and set it in the fridge to use as a marinade for chicken another night.

Ingredients for Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

juice of half a lemon

Directions for Chicken

1. Place chicken on a baking sheet. Spoon dijon over chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Bake for 30 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Ingredients for Artichokes

2 artichokes

juice of one lemon

1 tablespoon kosher salt for water, plus a sprinkling for the cut artichokes

olive oil for brushing

Directions for Artichokes

1. Cut tip off of artichoke as well as most of the stem. Snip pointy leaves of artichoke with kitchen shears.
2. Fill a large pot with 3 inches of water. Squeeze the juice of lemon into water, as well as kosher salt. Place steamer rack into pot.
3. Place artichokes, stem side up, onto steamer rack. Turn stove to high and cover pot. Let steam for 40 minutes, or until you can easily pierce the stem with a knife and the leaves pull off easily.
4. Once artichokes are cooked, cut them in half lengthwise, through the stem. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Place them on a heated grill pan and grill for 10 minutes, until you have the desired grill marks.

Ingredients for Salad and Dressing

spring mix

shaved parmesan

ground pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

pinch of kosher salt

Directions for Dressing

1. In measuring cup, whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside until ready to drizzle onto salad.

Enjoy!

Until next time, Kris