This was originally supposed to be a soba noodle salad.
The other day at work, I got really fixated on making one. I just knew it would be perfect with the various leftover veggies lurking in my crisper. I wouldn’t even have to go to the store! Major success.
Then I got home and found we had no soba noodles. Major failure.
So I went to the grocery store. AND THEY ALSO HAD NO SOBA NOODLES.
What. The. Hell.
So back home I went, dug wayyyy to the back of my (very deep) cabinet, and pulled out some ramen noodles. Cha-ching! Salads with ramen noodles are totally a thing. I know because my mom and grandma make one, and that makes them official. And also delicious. A few minutes later, I was digging into this!
So now that I’ve taken you on the little journey of how this salad came to be, let me tell you about it! Ramen noodles, obviously. Toasted to crunchy perfection! And I officially massaged my kale for the second time ever, woo hoo! Getting to be a pro at this. Then some crunchy and colorful veggies to really make you feel like you got your nutrients for the day.
And the dressing I had actually made for the roasted carrot and chickpea salad last week, but didn’t end up using it. I regretted the soy sauce as soon as I added it – it wasn’t at all what I was going for with the carrots and chickpeas. But it was perfect with these veggies! And that, my friends, is how I came to post two salads with miso dressing on consecutive weeks.
Fascinating, I know.
Anyway, this salad was so crunchy, flavorful, and fun. I know you’ll love it!
And finally, because I’m so happy it’s Friday, here’s what’s in store for the weekend: Tonight is a costume party (lifeguard/surfer themed – not sure what I’m wearing!), and tomorrow night is a wedding. I’m excited to kick off the 2013 wedding season (and thankful that this one involves no travel)! I’m also looking forward to the wedding because it’s my excuse to get my first pedicure since September, if you can believe that. I’ve been au naturale in the toe department all winter!
Anyway, in between parties and pedicures, I’m running a 5K race on Saturday morning. We’ll see how that goes! It’s my first race of the season and the first 5K road race I’ve run in a LONG time. (I did a 5K last summer, but it was a trail race – this should be easier!) I’ve been running 3 to 4 miles, 3 times a week, but no speed workouts or anything. If I can run the whole thing at about an 8:15 pace, I’ll be pretty happy. Wish me luck!
- 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 3 Tbsp white miso paste
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 bunch curly kale, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 3-4 green onions, sliced
- 1 cup frozen edamame, thawed
- 2 3-oz packets ramen noodles, flavoring packet discarded
- 1 avocado, sliced
- sesame seeds
- Prepare the dressing by blending all ingredients together.
- In a large salad bowl, pour half of the dressing over the kale. With your hands, toss the kale leaves and massage the dressing into them for about 30 seconds. Set aside while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- Break up the ramen noodles into chunks. Preheat a toaster oven or regular oven to 350. Spread crumbled ramen on a baking sheet and toast until golden, several minutes.
- Toss veggies (pepper through edamame) with kale. Top with toasted ramen, avocado, and sesame seeds and serve alongside extra dressing. (You may have some dressing leftover.)
- Enjoy!
Never thought I’d see ramen noodles in a lovely salad like this one. Glad to learn something new everyday. Thanks for this one.
Oooh this looks like a fun, Asian-inspired, perfect for a picnic salad! And why are soba noodles so difficult to find? I seriously have issues every time I want to buy them!
Apparently this salad was not meant for soba noodles! I love the idea of crunchy ramen thrown into the mix. Lovely recipe lady!
WOOOW this salad is packed with greatness! Love the crispy ramen noodles on top to add a nice crunch. Have fun at your costume party tonight!
I would never think to toast ramen noodles, but that is a fantastic idea! I am sure that the added crispy texture of the noodles was a delicious salad topper.
I love any reason to eat kale and also have to commend you on improvising with ramen noodles, That makes for one unique salad, sounds great!
Good luck on your race! I totally went and got a pedicure after my 5K a little while ago too :) BEST IDEA EVER.
I love that you still got some noodles in your salad, and I especially love that photo of all the prepped veggies. Which begs the question: when did I become such a vegetable-loving food nerd?
8:15 is a good pace! I’d love to run a 5K at that pace, I’m stuck around 8:30-9 min/mile.
I’ve got some kale in my fridge that needs massaged…he he he.
Mom made this for lunch yesterday and I really enjoyed it. The edamame and avacado give it a nice yummy mouth feel, much better than I expected from a salad. And the colors — the visual appeal alone is enough to rave about. But having those toasted ramen noodles on top gives it a crunchy and nutty flavor that’s perfect. Mmmmm. We’re having this again!
I always find it amusing to hear the story BEHIND the recipe! My train of thought can get a bit umm…twisted at times? So sometimes I feel like I have to explain or people will look at me like I’ve got two heads! Haha!
I love the crunch of ramen noodles in salad! One of my favorite dishes is “oriental slaw” that’s basically just broccoli slaw, sesame oil and vinegar, but the addition of the noodles totally makes it!
Ooh oriental slaw sounds delicious! Sounds like a great summer barbecue side!