Rosemary and Garlic Chicken with Roasted Beets and Sauteed Beet Greens

I was a little skeptical half way through making this meal that it wasn't going to be very good.
Don't you hate that? You've dedicated your time and effort and you're not feeling positive about the final results.

Sometimes my doubts are for good reasons and the meal is a dud, it happens, I eat it and I don't make it again. But other times, I hit the jackpot and the meal totally exceeds my expectations! Yes! I did it right! Gold star!

The flavours in this meal really come from the chicken and the beet greens. The beet greens were what I was most skeptical about but they were my favourite part! Please do not throw out the greens, they are perfectly good to eat and delicious with the right additions!

This is a meal I would be completely comfortable serving to company, the colours and taste are beautiful! If you have never tried beets or haven't had a good experience with them, I encourage you to give them another go. Roasting them brings out their sweetness and they have a light taste to them, not like the heaviness of a potato. 

Roasted Beets

Ingredients

4-5 Beets, stems/greens removed but reserved

1-2 tsp olive oil

Course sea salt

Preheat oven to 375

Place beets in oven proof dish with lid. I used a glass Pyrex bowl with lid.

Place in oven for 45-60 minutes or until you can easily pierce through beets with a knife. Take lid off of beets and let cool enough to touch. Rub the beets with thumbs and fingers to loosen skin and peel off.

Cut off top (where stems were attached) and slice beets or cut into chunks, whichever you prefer.

Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle course sea salt.

**Tip: Wear an apron or old clothing when dealing with beets - they stain big time!! To get the pink stain easily off your hands,  immediately use soap and water and a scour pad - lightly - it will help to scrub the pink stain off without spending a lot of time.**

Rosemary and Garlic Chicken

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 tsp dried rosemary (I didn't have fresh!)

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1-2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375

Place chicken breasts in a square glass dish. Sprinkle rosemary and garlic onto chicken breasts, pour olive oil to coat chicken. Use a basting brush if necessary to coat the chicken and make the rosemary and garlic stick to the breasts. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top.

Put in oven for 20 minutes, take out and bast chicken with olive oil in bottom of the pan if looking dry. Put back in oven for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.

Sauteed Balsamic Beet Greens

Ingredients

Reserved beet greens

1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic

pinch of red pepper flakes

sea salt

Chop greens roughly, including the stems. I did about half of the stems as I thought they would get tougher near the bottom. 

Heat olive oil in a pan and add in greens, garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute for a few minutes, the greens will begin to wilt. Add in balsamic vinegar and saute for another 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with a little sea salt and serve.

 Enjoy!!!