kitchen sink salad

I know -- it's a little ridiculous to post a recipe for a salad.  However, this is my "kitchen sink" salad; the one that I truly love, and to which I return time and again, so I thought I might as well share how I make it.  I actually used to hate salads until one magical summer when I first visited my sister in Southern California and realized how delicious fresh vegetables really can be (I think I also had simply outgrown my blanket policy of avoiding anything healthy at all costs).  This is basically a variation of what she made, although she usually added sprouts and would NEVER add raisins/apple.

The ingredients below are what I put into one salad; usually, I will buy enough to make salad for lunch every day that week.

Serves 1 person.  

Ingredients:
- handful of spinach leaves or another dark green
- 3 Tbsp. corn (fresh is great; frozen and thawed or canned and drained is also fine)
- 1/2 carrot, or about 5 baby carrots, diced
- 1/2 red beet
- 1/2 an avocado
- 1 Tbsp. crumbled feta cheese
- 1 stem (or stick) of heart of palm (my favorite ones are sold by Trader Joe's), diced
- 1/4 a tomato, or about 5 grape/cherry tomatoes, diced
- 1 Tbsp. sunflower seeds
- 1 Tbsp. black raisins, or 1/4 of an apple, diced
- salt and pepper
- really good quality extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar (note: "really good" doesn't have to be expensive - I buy both of these at Trader Joe's, and the balsamic really ages well if you buy the large bottle ... it gets a little richer and sweeter over time)
- lemon juice

Directions:

1. Take the red beets you've bought for the week, wash them, dry them, and brush them with olive oil.  Wrap them in aluminum foil and place them on a baking sheet.  
2. Bake the beets at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes to an hour, until you can insert a fork into the beet with very little resistance (remove them from the oven before they get mushy, however). 
3. Cool the beets, then peel them and dice them.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.  
4. Wash the avocado and cut it in half, lengthwise.  The side that has the seed left in it will remain fresh for longer; drizzle this very lightly with lemon juice, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and store in the fridge.  
5. Take the remaining half of the avocado and dice it.
6. Add corn, carrots, tomatoes, avocado, beet, heart of palm, feta cheese, sunflower seeds, and raisins/apple to a bowl.  Mix well.  
7. Add olive oil and vinegar to a small bowl/tupperware, and whisk or shake well to combine them - use sparingly, about 1 Tbsp. of each is more than enough.  Pour this mixture into the salad bowl.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste (note: the vinegar will have already added saltiness and flavor, so be cautious with the salt).  
9. Take a handful of greens, roll them up, and chop into ribbons.  Add to the bowl.
10. Toss the salad again.  Enjoy with a small piece of multigrain bread, if desired.  If you have hummus to spread on the bread, all the better!