Broccoli Walnut Salad

The week between Christmas and New Year's. Chloe has not put down the stand mixer since December 25th. She's made: bread (three loaves, each better than the last), cookies (five batches, distributed to neighbors who now receive Mitchell baked goods with the regularity of a subscription service), and a cake (chocolate, four layers, the tallest cake the apartment has ever produced). The stand mixer has a name: "Ruby" (because it's red and because Chloe names her equipment because she's a chef and chefs have relationships with their tools). Ruby runs approximately four hours per day. The electricity bill is going to be interesting.

Kevin and Donna are getting serious. He told me on the phone: "I think she's the one, Sarah." The one. The words that a man says when the adjectives aren't enough and the feeling requires a superlative. The one. After Crystal, after the divorce, after the empty apartment in Clarksville and the beef stew for four days — after all of that, Kevin has found the one. Donna is the one. The one who passed the potato salad test and the genuine test and the baby test (she held Kaden with natural ease, twice). Kevin said: "She makes me calm." Calm. The word that Kevin has never used about any relationship, including his relationship with the Army. She makes him CALM. That's not love — that's peace. And peace is what Kevin Mitchell, the soldier, the divorcee, the man who survived Danny and Crystal and twenty years of deployments, has been looking for. She makes him calm. The storm found its harbor.

New Year's Eve. The annual. Mama, me, three kids. Chloe's midnight eulogy: "Goodbye, 2022. You gave me middle school and a stand mixer and a food review and twenty-three pecan pies. You gave Mama a car with no dent. You were the year we moved up. Goodbye." The year we moved up. The annual accounting. The Chloe Mitchell year-end audit, accurate as always. We moved up. From Altima to RAV4. From one Sunday to two. From $38,000 to (projected) $55,000. From a dental hygienist with a side hustle to a business owner with a dental job. The inversion happened. The frame shifted. The main thing is no longer the safe thing. The main thing is the brave thing. We moved up.

Black-eyed peas. The tradition. The prayer. Elijah ate them. Without complaint. At two and three-quarters, the pea rebellion has ended. The peas are green and the peas are tradition and the tradition has won and the green has been accepted. Not loved. Accepted. The acceptance is enough. The hope is in the peas. The hope is always in the peas. 2023. The year that's coming. The year of the storefront, maybe. The year of the next step, definitely. The year. Here we go. Again.

We always say the hope is in the peas — but the peas need company, and this Broccoli Walnut Salad has been that company on our New Year’s Day table for years now. Green on green: Elijah accepted one, he’ll work his way to the other. It’s fresh and crunchy and takes almost no time at all, which matters when you’ve got a Red KitchenAid that’s been running for six straight days and you want something that doesn’t require Ruby’s help. New year, good green things. Here’s how we make it.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 45 min (includes 30 min chill) | Servings: 6

Ingredients

4 cups fresh broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Prep the broccoli. Rinse the broccoli florets thoroughly and pat dry. Cut into small, uniform, bite-sized pieces so every forkful gets a little of everything.
Toast the walnuts. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the chopped walnuts for 3—4 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly golden. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until smooth and fully combined.
Combine the salad. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the broccoli florets, toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, and red onion. Pour the dressing over the top and stir until everything is evenly coated.
Chill before serving. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. This rest time lets the dressing soak into the broccoli and brings all the flavors together.

Nutrition (per serving)

Broccoli Walnut Salad — Because Hope Lives in the Green Things