California

I've been daydreaming of California lately, can't guess why. I like going to California (the couple of times that I've been), among other reasons, because it inspires me to make new and delicious salads. This is a version of a fancier salad that I had at Gjelena on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice Beach last February. The colors are enough to brighten up this long, dragged out New England winter...

1 beet, peeled and sliced roughly into wedges
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into thick rounds
1/2 avocado
olive oil
pinch of salt

Steam (over boiling water or in a microwave) beet and carrot until a knife just slices through easily. I prefer the carrot to retain some crunch, so I add them to the steamer just before the beet is done.

Slice avocado into large chunks.

Toss all together and season with olive oil and salt. This makes a hearty salad that can stand alone as a lunch, or have it with a yogurt. I ate mine in the library hunched over a textbook, thinking back to those skateboarders with a view of the Pacific...