Dressing

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon thin soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced

Directions:

Advance preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Trim the tops off the beets and reserve for another dish. Scrub the beets, and then wrap them in aluminum foil. Place them on a baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven about 30 minutes, until they easily can be pierced with a knife. Remove the beets from the oven. When they are cool enough to handle, peel away the skins. Cut the beets into thin slices and refrigerate.

Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F; then toast the nuts until light golden, about eight minutes. Set aside the nuts. Thinly slice the mozzarella or crumble the goat cheese; then refrigerate. Keep the spinach in the refrigerator. In a small container, combine all ingredients for the salad dressing. All advance preparation steps may be completed up to eight hours before you begin the final steps.

Final steps:

Place the spinach or greens in a bowl. Stir the dressing, then pour half the dressing over the spinach and toss until evenly coated with the dressing. Place the spinach on salad plates. If using mozzarella, add the slices next, then the beets, and a sprinkling of nuts. If using goat cheese, add the beets first, on top of the spinach, then add the goat cheese and nuts. Sprinkle on the remaining dressing and serve at once.