The Santa Monica Salad

There are a number of things I miss about living in Santa Monica. One is being five blocks away from the Pacific Ocean. A little farther down the list is this ubiquitous salad. A mixture of beets, goat cheese, spinach, and other goodies makes it a fresh and flavorful creation. Most of the restaurants in Santa Monica served some variation on this salad.

LA (especially the West side) is an epicenter for trendy food. Santa Monica also hosts one of the country's best farmer's markets - which was also in walking distance of my old apartment. I liked to buy fresh local beets, spinach, and other goodies at the market each Saturday. There's also a market on Tuesdays, but the only time I could go is when I had the day off work. That is also the day all the celebrities go to the farmer's market, because I saw three different actors there that time. They must avoid the Saturday crowds.

Karen's Santa Monica Salad:

- 1 head Romaine lettuce
- ~4 cups baby spinach
- 2 golden beets and 2 purple beets, steamed and cut into sections
- fresh goat cheese, crumbled
- alfalfa sprouts
- toasted walnuts
- 1 orange, peeled and sectioned
- 4 large basil leaves
- aged Balsamic vinegar
- extra virgin olive oil

Mix and Enjoy.