Superfood Salad — The Table That Reminds Me Why I Survived

Fourth of July 2022. The annual tradition continues in this kitchen that has held every holiday since I started cooking through cancer and came out the other side with a cast iron skillet and a refusal to stop. I am 39 and Fourth of July means what it has always meant: too much food, the right people, and the gratitude spoken aloud because life taught me that gratitude unspoken is gratitude wasted.

The table is full. Mason (11) and Lily (9) are here, growing taller and more themselves with each passing year. Tom is here, beside me, where he has been since the day he showed up with wildflowers and patience and the quiet understanding that love is not a grand gesture but a daily one.

Brett is here — always here, every holiday, every Wednesday, the constant brother in the wheelchair who has been my anchor since we were children on a ranch that no longer exists. Kyle calls from wherever the Army has him, and his voice on the phone is the voice of the brother who left and came back and left again, and the leaving and returning is the rhythm of this family.

I made zucchini noodles this week, because Fourth of July demands the food that says: I am here, you are here, we are together, and together is the only word that matters. The recipe is the same as last year and the year before and all the years stretching back to the ranch kitchen where Diane stood at 6 AM making cinnamon rolls for a family that ate them without knowing they were eating love. I know now. I've always known. And I make the food and serve it and watch my family eat and think: this. This is why I survived. For this table. For this food. For these people. For this.

I reached for this Superfood Salad the same way I reach for every recipe that has carried me through a hard season — because it is bright and alive and refuses to be small. After everything this table has witnessed, after every holiday where gratitude felt both too large and too necessary to hold, I needed a dish that looked the way this day feels: colorful, generous, and rooted in something real. This is the salad I brought to the Fourth, and it was exactly right.

Superfood Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 5 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini, spiralized or julienned into noodles
• 2 cups baby kale or chopped curly kale, stems removed
• 1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled
• 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 1 avocado, diced
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Make the dressing. In a small jar or bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic, salt, and pepper until fully combined. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.
2. Prep the zucchini. Spiralize or julienne the zucchini into noodles. If the noodles feel very watery, spread them on a paper towel, sprinkle lightly with salt, and let them rest for 5 minutes before patting dry.
3. Build the base. In a large serving bowl, combine the zucchini noodles, kale, cooked quinoa, purple cabbage, and shredded carrots. Toss gently to mix.
4. Add the extras. Scatter the edamame, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and toasted almonds over the salad.
5. Dress and toss. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well to coat every layer. Let the salad rest for 5 minutes so the kale softens slightly and the flavors meld.
6. Finish with avocado. Add the diced avocado last and fold in gently so the pieces stay intact. Serve immediately, or refrigerate (without the avocado) for up to 24 hours and add avocado just before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 10g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 30g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 210mg