arugula salad and sweet potatoes

another simple week night dinner showcasing some of the season's best produce- arugula and sweet potatoes- in a no frills way.  i added toasted pecans and hard boiled eggs to the arugula for our salad and made a nutty vinaigrette.  the sweet potatoes were topped with a pat of butter and a touch of brown sugar. since there is no need for a formal recipe for tonight's dinner, i thought i would share my recipe for a nutty vinaigrette and give you my method for making a perfect hard boiled egg.  i know there are so many "recipes" out there for such a simple task, but this method has never failed me!

nutty vinaigrette:

in a small food processor, grind 1/4 cups of pecans.  combine the pecans with 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil, 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, and 1 clove of minced garlic.  this vinaigrette needs to be used within 2 days of making it.

the perfect hard-boiled egg:

fill a medium saucepan about 2/3 full of water and add your eggs.  i cook at least 6 eggs at a time since they are so versatile, make an excellent quick and healthy breakfast, and keep unshelled for a week in the refrigerator.

bring the water to a boil, then turn off the heat and cover with the lid.  a large to extra large egg will be ready in 9 minutes.  immediately, plunge the eggs into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and to prevent the putrid greenish color from forming on the yolk.  refrigerate or crack and peel.