Friday Dinner: Spinach Parmesan chicken with beet salad

This chicken recipe is simple, healthy, and delicious!

Spinach Parmesan chicken (for 2 people):
Boneless, skinless chicken breast (1 large)
Frozen spinach, thawed (about 1/3 cup)
Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)
Salt
Pepper
Water (1 tsp)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Wash chicken well and pat dry. Make incision on the side and make a big "pocket." Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken.
3. Squeeze any liquid out of the thawed spinach and mix well with grated Parmesan cheese. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Stuff the pocket with the spinach mixture.
4. Place chicken on an aluminum foil and put 1 tsp of water on the chicken. Fold in the edges of the foil. Place it on an oven-safe plate or casserole. Bake for 20 minutes.

Beet salad (for 2-3 people):
Beet (2 large)
Tomato (1 medium)
Red onion (1/4 medium)
Red wine vinegar (1.5 Tbsp)
Dijon mustard (1 Tbsp) - I like to mix regular (smooth?) and whole grain
Olive oil (1.5 Tbsp)
Salt
Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice beet into 1/4 inch thick pieces and peel them. Put them in an oven-safe casserole and sprinkle salt and pepper on them. Bake for 40 minutes or until tender. So, considering how chicken is also cooked in the oven at a different temperature, if you don't have a lot of time to cook, you can just boil the beet instead. I just like roasting vegetables...
2. While the beet is being roasted or boiled, slice red onion as thinly as you can. Slice the tomato into 1/4 thick slices. Combine Dijon mustard and red wine vinegar. Whisk in olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and mix well. Let red onion and tomato marinade in the red wine dressing.
3. After the beet is cooked, put it in the marinade mixture while it's hot. Mix well. Chill in the fridge before serving.

I had never really thought about eating beet until the other day I had beet salad for lunch at a restaurant. Beet is actually really good! It has a very unique taste that is really hard to explain... I got wonderful red and yellow beet at the local market and decided to make salad. When I cut into the red beet, the inside was white but with red rings, very interesting and fun. I like to put colorful things on my dish to boost my already-boosted appetite:)

I didn't feel like adding another side today, but you can have roasted or mashed potatoes.

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