It’s an oldie-but-goodie kind of day. This salad is a family-favorite, my mom has been making it since the dawn of time. Or at least the dawn of my time! I don’t remember a time in my life when this salad didn’t make an appearance at least once or twice a month. Mostly on Sundays and at other family gatherings, which by the way she still does to this day. Of course, when you come from a family of nine (yes, 9) children who are all grown up and having kids of their own and most of you live “in the area”… there is never a shortage of reasons for the family to gather. Weddings, birthdays (oh my gosh the number of birthdays…), baptisms, T-ball tournaments, dance recitals, and Sundays. Sundays happen once every week and in my family it’s pretty much a must to attend family dinner on Sunday. One reason this salad is so darn awesome is that it seems to go with e-ver-y-thing. Whether you’re having an Asian-style dinner or not it really doesn’t matter. This salad goes just a perfectly with sweet and sour chicken as it does a pot roast. The Asian flavor isn’t over-bearing so it’s not like your entire meal has to consist of soy-sauce-based dishes. Another fantastic thing about it? SO EASY TO MAKE. Like… so, so easy. Ramen noodles (for what, 30 cents a pack??), cole slaw (without the dressing), mandarin oranges, and dressing. Oh! and because I can’t seem to make anything ever without upgrading a thing or two to fit my personal taste, this salad includes edamame (inspired by the gorgeous Ali at Gimme Some Oven) and my all time favorite teriyaki dressing. My mother’s dressing is awesome, it so is, but I’ve fallen madly in love with this teriyaki dressing and I just knew it would go perfectly with my mom’s ramen noodle salad. And I was right. BUT. If you don’t feel like making the dressing it’s okay because I still love you and I have a great alternative for you. Kraft has a toasted sesame Asian dressing that I discovered a few years ago (thanks to my in-laws!) and that stuff is amazing on just about anything. I including a link to it in the recipe below just in case you’ve never seen it before. (Nope not getting paid to promote that dressing, I just LOVE it.) It even comes in “light” if you wanna save a few calories without sacrificing any great flavor. So. Have I convinced you yet on this oldie-but-goodie Asian ramen noodle salad with a modern twist?? Excellent.
