You know, people always say Mondays are hard… but I feel like Tuesdays are the real ugly/evil step-sister of the week. The week is nowhere near over with, and it’s just as hard to stay awake at the computer than a Monday! Bring on the coffee!!
Anyway, onto the good stuff! Over the weekend, our little family attended a housewarming party for our best friends – they just bought a beautiful new home a few months ago, and finally got all unpacked and the furniture in place. I offered to bring something to contribute because feeding a crew like that can get expensive! Ramen salad is a fan favorite, and I haven’t made it in quite a while so that was the winner! I love this salad because it requires almost no prep and makes a huge batch so it’s great for crowds! There are hundreds of variations on this recipe, but this is how I make mine:
What You Need
- 4 packets of Chicken Ramen Noodles
- 1 bag of old fashioned coleslaw
- 1 bag of broccoli coleslaw
- 1 bag of sugar snap peas (or fresh peas would be fab)
- 1 scallion
- A handful of dry roasted peanuts
- EVOO
- Rice Wine Vinegar
- Sugar
Grab a big bowl or serving dish and add about 3/4 of each bag of coleslaw, the ramen noodles broken into pieces, peanuts, chopped scallion and snap peas (I chopped mine up, but whole would be good too). Mix everything together. – Easy right? 
For the dressing: Take 1/4 cup olive oil + 1/8 cup rice vinegar and add 1 tsp of sugar + 3 of the seasoning packets from the ramen. Whisk well to dissolve everything. I usually do some tasting to make sure the balance is right – these measurements shouldn’t be tooooo pungent from the vinegar, but if it is add a little water to dilute it a bit. Remember you’re adding this dressing to pretty bland ingredients so it does need to pack a punch!
If you’re making this ahead, you can store the dressing right in a container until right before serving – OR you can add right away, sometimes it’s good to let it soak into the ramen a bit.
Note: This would be good with so many veggies – if you like carrots, peppers or even kale chopped up, there are many ways you can play with it. I’ve also seen it done with almonds instead of peanuts – versatile, delicious and perfectly refreshing on a hot, steamy day!
Staying Martha 