Asian Ramen Salad

It's hard to believe that Memorial Day is over already - I hope that you all had a great weekend.  My family managed to pack a whole lot of fun into our Memorial Day weekend and now I feel like I'm going to need a couple of days to recuperate. 

The best part of our weekend? We were able to spend time together as a family and also get together with friends. 

We went on a family hike on Sunday to "the Little Grand Canyon" at Providence Canyon State Park in Georgia.  It was our first trip to the park and we were totally impressed.  I'm putting the pictures from our hike at the end of this blog post so that you can see for yourself just how impressive it really is. 

We had a picnic with friends on Monday and I brought along my super simple Asian Ramen Salad.  (It's sort of my semi-healthy alternative to traditional Coleslaw.)  This salad is super easy to put together and I love it.  It compliments almost any meal that I cook on the grill and its especially great for picnics. It's easy to transport and I don't have to worry about the mayonnaise going bad when it gets too warm because the mayonnaise has been replaced by a slightly sweet and salty vinaigrette. 

Asian Ramen Salad

• 1 package dry ramen
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1 head shredded napa cabbage
• 1/4 head shredded purple cabbage
• 2 large carrots peeled and sliced thin
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• Salt to taste
  

Whisk together oil, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and salt.

Crumble ramen noodles and spread onto cookie sheet with almonds.  Toast 6-8 minutes at 400.

Toss together cabbage, purple cabbage, carrots, green onions and sesame seeds in a large bowl. 

Toss with dressing.  (I only used half of my dressing on my salad and it was plenty.)

Sprinkle with ramen and almond mixture. 

Serve.

I love the crunch of the almonds and sesame seeds and ramen in this salad. The dressing recipe actually makes enough for two salads so you'll have one for yourself and one to share.  Bonus!

As for our trip to Providence Canyon State Park - it was a very cool place - on a very hot day. 

I would totally recommend anyone who lives withing driving distance of Lumpkin, Georgia to go and visit Providence Canyon State park.  You will NOT be disappointed. 

Ciao!

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