Broccoli Raisin Salad

Week 386. Summer 2023. I am 40 years old and standing in my kitchen — the Bench house kitchen, the one that held cancer and divorce and cinnamon rolls — and the stove is on and something is cooking and the house smells like grilled food and garden herbs and this is my life. This is the life I built.

The clinic was busy this week — spring puppies and summer emergencies and the constant, comforting cycle of animals who need care and humans who love them enough to bring them in.

Mason is 12 and reading everything he can find and examining the world under a microscope with the intensity of a tenured researcher.

Lily is 10 and riding horses with the fearlessness of someone who has never considered the possibility of falling.

I made grilled peach salad this week. The food continues. The food always continues. It is the thread that connects every week to every other week, every year to every other year, every version of me to every other version — the woman on the kitchen floor, the woman at the chemo recliner, the woman at the grill, the woman at the outdoor table under the string lights. All of them, connected by the food they made with their hands. All of them, me.

The grilled peaches were the star, but a good summer table never has just one dish — and this broccoli raisin salad has been showing up alongside the main event at the Bench house for years now, the kind of recipe that doesn’t ask much of you and gives back more than you expect. It’s cool and crunchy and a little sweet, and it sits on the outdoor table under the string lights as if it belongs there, because it does. Some recipes earn their place by showing up, week after week, summer after summer — and this one has.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 25 min (plus 1 hr chilling) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

6 cups fresh broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (roasted, unsalted)
6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Cook the bacon. In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp, about 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then crumble into pieces once cooled.
Prep the broccoli. Wash and thoroughly dry the broccoli. Cut into small, uniform florets so the dressing coats every piece evenly. Place in a large mixing bowl.
Mix the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and black pepper until smooth and well combined. Taste and adjust sugar or vinegar to your preference.
Combine the salad. Add the raisins, sunflower seeds, crumbled bacon, and red onion to the bowl with the broccoli. Pour the dressing over everything and toss well to coat all the ingredients evenly.
Chill before serving. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. This allows the dressing to mellow and the flavors to come together. Stir once more before plating.

Nutrition (per serving)

Broccoli Raisin Salad — The Thread That Connects Every Summer Table