Broccoli Almond Salad

Mid-April, the week the weather can't decide. Sixty degrees Tuesday, snow flurries Thursday, fifty-eight on Saturday. Chicago in the spring is a personality test.

I had midterms this week — one paper, one online exam, both due Friday. I wrote the paper at the kitchen table from nine to midnight Wednesday and Thursday, with a glass of cold coffee and the heat on too high. The paper was on procedural safeguards in IEP implementation, which sounds dry, and is dry, and is also the closest thing to my actual work I've been allowed to write about. I wrote about a kid I'll call J in the paper — composite of three students from over the years, but mostly Marcus, with the home situation he can't control and the school system that doesn't know what to do with him. The professor will probably mark it down for being too narrative. I don't care. I needed to write about him.

Cooking was a mess this week because of the paper. We had cereal for dinner twice. Ryan made spaghetti once. The twins ate a lot of cheese sticks and Goldfish crackers and bananas. By Saturday I felt guilty enough to make a real meal — a slow cooker pulled pork from a pork shoulder I got on sale at Aldi for six dollars, with rolls from the bakery section and coleslaw from a bag. We ate at the table. Nobody had screen time. The twins talked about everything they had done at daycare that week, in great detail, in twin tandem, finishing each other's sentences. Ryan and I let them. We didn't interrupt. It was the best meal of the week and probably of the month.

I called Wally Saturday morning. He picked up the phone, said "Myszka," and then handed the phone to my dad, which is what he does now when he doesn't have the energy. Dad and I talked for ten minutes. He said Wally had a good day, then a bad day, then a good day. He said it like a weather report. I asked how Mom was. He said "your mother is your mother," which is shorthand for: she is fine, she is busy, she is taking care of everything, she will not stop until she physically cannot. I know. I am her daughter. I am also her, in some ways, which I am only just figuring out.

I wasn’t going to do anything fancy alongside the pulled pork — the whole point was easy, and I’d already used up my one ambitious move on the pork shoulder. But the bag of broccoli coleslaw in the fridge was begging to become something, and this broccoli almond salad was the answer: no stove, no babysitting, just chopping and stirring and done. After a week of paper-writing and cold coffee and guilty cereal dinners, putting something crisp and bright and homemade on that table felt like the smallest possible act of repair — and it was enough.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min (plus 30 min chill) | Servings: 6

Ingredients

4 cups fresh broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
1/3 cup dried cranberries
4 strips bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until smooth and fully combined. Taste and adjust sweetness or acidity as needed.
Prep the salad base. In a large mixing bowl, combine the broccoli florets, red onion, dried cranberries, and crumbled bacon. Toss gently to distribute evenly.
Dress the salad. Pour the dressing over the broccoli mixture and toss until everything is well coated. The dressing should be generous — this salad absorbs it as it chills.
Add the almonds. Fold in the toasted sliced almonds last so they retain some crunch. Reserve a small handful to scatter on top before serving if you like.
Chill before serving. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This allows the flavors to meld and the broccoli to soften very slightly while staying crisp. Serve cold.

Nutrition (per serving)

Broccoli Almond Salad — The Side That Saved Saturday Dinner