Marinated Veggie Salad -- The Recipe That Shows Up and Delivers Every Time

The corporate-luncheon August 11 is next Tuesday. The small standard-summer-cookout-menu-format is prepped. The Reasor’s order is placed. The small solo-operation will be the small routine-execution it has been for the small three-year recurring engagement.

Brayden is four years and eleven months old. Eden is two years and six weeks.

The small Tulsa-apartment continues to be the small home. The small two-bedroom rental in the small midtown Tulsa neighborhood has been the small Bryant-residence since the move from the smaller previous apartment in January 2021. The small twelve-unit walk-up building is the small working-class pocket the small family of three (then four, then five) has been built in.

The small Tulsa family-network continues. Shelly (Kaylee’s mother) is the small Dollar General assistant-manager in Broken Arrow. Cody (Kaylee’s brother) is in the small halfway-house in Tulsa working at the small car-wash and trying to stay clean. Shelly’s boyfriend Roy drives a small bread-truck. The small geography of the small family rests on the small Tulsa-Broken-Arrow corridor.

The small Wednesday-night-dinners with Shelly at the small Kaylee-and-Dustin-apartment are the small family-business of a small kind. The small Shelly-plays-with-the-grandkids while Kaylee-cooks routine. The small closest-thing-to-a-normal-family-dinner Kaylee never had growing up. The small ritual has held for years.

The small budget-cooking-blog is the small Kaylee-creative-outlet. The small posts-with-the-receipts ($3.47-for-the-chicken-bake, $2.12-for-the-soup). The small audience of young-moms and small broke-families who want to eat well on the small tight-budget. The small Kaylee-message: you can feed five-on-$5-a-meal and here is how.

Dustin’s HVAC-career continues. The small shift from apprentice to journeyman-licensed has been the small career-trajectory. The small Dustin-makes-decent-money-for-Tulsa rate. The small future-house-down-payment-saving is the small two-or-three-year plan.

The small Dustin-Turner-parents-in-Owasso are the small in-law family network. The small annual-and-frequent visits the small twenty-minute-Owasso-drive enables. The small Turner-family is the small adjacent-stable-family Kaylee married into.

The small Sunday-publishing-rhythm of the recipe blog continues to be the small organizing-spine of the small week. The small Sunday-cooking happens in the small late-morning-to-early-afternoon window. The small photographing of the finished dish happens at the small three-PM kitchen-light-window. The small writing-up of the recipe happens at the small four-PM workspace at the kitchen-counter. The small final-edit happens at the small five-PM. The small post publishes at seven PM. The small ritual has been running for years.

The small recipe-development-philosophy continues to be the small small-batch-test-then-publish approach. The small first cook of a small new recipe happens on the small Saturday afternoon. The small adjustments are noted in the small kitchen-notebook. The small second cook happens Sunday with the small adjustments incorporated. The small Sunday-cook is the small version that gets photographed and published. The small two-test process catches the small recipe-flaws before they reach the small reader.

The small kitchen-equipment-inventory has the small key-pieces that show up in nearly every recipe. The small heavy-bottomed Dutch oven for the small braises. The small twelve-inch cast-iron skillet for the small sears and the small pan-roasts. The small half-sheet baking-pans for the small roasted vegetables and the small cookies. The small wooden-spoon-collection in the small ceramic-pitcher on the counter. The small chef’s-knife and the small paring-knife and the small bread-knife that are the small daily-tools.

The small grocery-shopping rhythm runs through the small Tuesday-evening trip and the small Saturday-morning top-off. The small Tuesday-trip is the small weekly-stock-up for the small staples and the small produce and the small protein. The small Saturday-trip is the small quick-fill for whatever the small Sunday-recipe requires that is not already in the small pantry. The small two-trip-per-week pattern keeps the small grocery-bill manageable and the small food-waste low.

The small meal-planning happens on the small Sunday-evening for the small week-ahead. The small dinners are mapped out across the small Monday-through-Saturday. The small repeating-meals are slotted in (the small pasta-Monday, the small taco-Tuesday or similar pattern). The small new-recipes are slotted for the small Wednesday-or-Thursday for the small variety. The small planning ahead reduces the small daily what-are-we-making-for-dinner stress.

The small weekday-cooking is the small efficient-and-fast mode. The small Sunday-cooking is the small slow-and-careful mode. The small two-modes serve the small two-different-needs. The small weekday-cooking has to be on the small table within forty-five minutes of getting home from the small work-or-school-pickup. The small Sunday-cooking can take three hours and benefit from every minute of that time.

The small recipe-archive on the small blog has grown to many hundreds of recipes over the years. The small archive is the small searchable-resource for the small weekday-meal-planning. The small reader-feedback in the small comments-section helps refine the small recipes over time. The small note-from-a-reader who tried a small substitution that worked better than the small original gets incorporated into the small recipe-revision.

The small Sunday-cooking-and-writing rhythm is the small thing that has held across years of life-changes and family-events and small ordinary-weekday-disruptions. The small constant is the small Sunday. The small constant is the small recipe. The small constant is the small posting-at-seven-PM ritual. The small constant is the small reader on the other end of the small post who is going to read the small recipe and try the small recipe in the small reader’s own kitchen.

The August 11 luncheon menu is locked, but this is the dish I keep coming back to when I need something that does its job without any drama — made the night before, pulled from the fridge, and looking like I put in far more effort than I did. There’s something I’ve always loved about a dish that improves with time, that gets better the longer you leave it alone. On a week when the order is placed and the routine is set and the whole operation is running on quiet competence, that felt right.

Marinated Veggie Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes (plus 4–8 hours marinating) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 cups broccoli florets, cut small
• 2 cups cauliflower florets, cut small
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 medium cucumber, quartered and sliced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 can (2.25 oz) sliced black olives, drained
• 1/2 cup Italian dressing (store-bought or homemade)
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Chop the vegetables. Cut broccoli and cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Quarter and slice the cucumber, dice the bell pepper, and thinly slice the red onion. Halve the cherry tomatoes.
2. Combine in a large bowl. Add the broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, and olives to a large mixing bowl. Toss gently to distribute evenly.
3. Make the marinade. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the Italian dressing, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
4. Dress the salad. Pour the marinade over the vegetables and toss until everything is well coated. Taste and adjust salt or vinegar as needed.
5. Marinate in the refrigerator. Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Toss once or twice during that time if you can — the flavors deepen and the vegetables soften just slightly into the dressing.
6. Serve chilled. Give the salad a final toss before serving. Transfer to a serving dish if presenting at a luncheon or gathering. It holds well for up to 3 days covered in the refrigerator.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 85 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Carbs: 9g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 310mg