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Summertime just feels like the time to try a good salad. I adore Asian-inspired salads so this Asian Noodle Salad is really a little outpouring of that love. In my book, for a salad to be good, there’s got to be layers of flavor–crunch and sweetness and frankly, a good deal of “good” for you. It is a salad after all and I am a dietitian.

Now the first time I made this dressing it was just, ok. Nothing to write home about and everyone agreed it was missing something. What was it missing? With some more experimentation I realized definitely fresh minced ginger, garlic and after looking at many many recipes, oyster sauce. Well what is this oyster sauce you ask and why is it important to this recipe? I certainly didn’t have any on hand.

For one Oyster sauce has a rich flavor profile–it’s a thick sauce–sweet, salty, earthy yet not fishy despite being made with oysters, that adds incredible depth to a recipe. It’s a staple in many asian-inspired dishes and not one to nix from a recipe. How have I not experimented with this yet? Now the ingredients in most Oyster sauces are not great and made me cringe (maybe this is why)–MSG, caramel coloring, modified corn starch. Nope, no thank you to those. I’m actually allergic to MSG, it makes me sick. I ended up buying this brand before I found an even better one. I liked the ingredients in this one best of all and next time I’ll order this one in spite of the price.

 

ASIAN NOODLE SALAD

 

INGREDIENTS

1 Bag Cruciferous Crunch Salad from Trader Joes (a coleslaw mix would do or you can make your own by finely chopping broccoli stems, cabbage, kale and brussel sprouts.

3 Clementines, peeled and wedged

Package of Ramen Noodles (I opened a package of ramen soup from Trader Joes and tossed the flavor packet) there’s even gluten-free ramen options if you need it.

1 C Cooked Edamame

1/2 C Chopped Cucumber

1 Avocado diced

1/2 C Cashews or Peanuts

1/2 C Slivered Almonds

2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds

1/2 C Sliced Green Onions

1/2 C Sugar Pea Pods

Asian Honey Vinaigrette

ASIAN HONEY VINAIGRETTE

1/2 C Avocado Oil

1/4 C Rice Wine Vinegar

1/3 C Low Sodium Soy Sauce

1/4 C Raw Local Honey

1/4 C Oyster Sauce

2 Tbsp Sesame Oil

3 Tbsp Chopped Fresh Ginger

2 Cloves of Garlic, finely minced

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add the crunched up ramen noodles, slivered almonds, cashews and sesame seeds.

Roast for 5-7 minutes until fragrant and starting to lightly brown. Watch them so they don’t burn which is easy to do with littles under foot.

Boil edamame on the stove for 5 minutes until tender, drain and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, add cruciferous crunch, pea pods, finely chopped green onions, clementine wedges, chopped cucumbers, edamame and avocado.

Take your nut/noodle mixture out of the oven, it should be fragrant and lightly toasted. Set aside to cool. Now mix ingredients to make your vinaigrette. Finely chop the fresh ginger and garlic and add to a mixing bowl or dressing bottle. Measure out the avocado oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey and sesame oil, whisk or shake to combine. I personally love the dressing bottle because it is so easy to mix and store your homemade dressing.

Dress your salad if you are serving it immediately or keep the lettuce/veggie mix separate from the noodle/nut mix and dressing. If I’m making this for myself, I keep the toasted nut/noodle mixture in a sealed glass container on the counter and the lettuce/veggie mix in the refrigerator. A quick drizzle of dressing and you’ve got a restaurant-worthy meal. This is one easy side dish to bring to a picnic or gathering and it’s delicious! I hope you enjoy this recipe and pictures by Ruth Eileen Photography. Head now to my friends posts below to get some more great salad recipes.