I actually did a little dance when I realized that I had all the ingredients to make one of my favorite salads. This Edamame Crunch Salad is like ASMR for your mouth - so much crunch and jaunty flavor. It's also good for you. Protein, fiber, folate, vitamin K and vitamin C. It gets better the longer it sits, which makes it a terrific prep-ahead meal.
To ramen or not to ramen. I do use broken uncooked plain ramen noodles because the crunch is great and I like to get a balance of carbs in most meals. I like the Korean brand Samyang- but any plain uncooked ramen noodle you find will work. But isn't Top Ramen eww? You can usually find alternatives to Top Ramen at your grocer in the Asian foods section if you look. Or sub-in Chinese crunchy noodles or add another nut, say cashew. The crunch is what is important.
"This salad goes beautifully with grilled salmon, tuna or white fish. Rub the fish with a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, and brown sugar before grilling- delicious."
Notes: Oil is grape seed. Soy sauce is low-sodium.
EDAMAME CRUNCH SALAD
Ingredients: 1/3 head green cabbage, 1/2 orange bell pepper, 2 cups cooked edamame, 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, 1 stalk celery, 1/3 cup shaved almonds, 4 green onions, 1 cup broken uncooked ramen noodles. Dressing: 1/3 cup neutral oil, 1 tbsp. rice vinegar, 1 tbsp. soy sauce, 1/2 tsp. sesame oil, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, 2 tsp. honey.
Serves 4.
1. Make dressing: Whisk all ingredients together or shake up in a jar. Pour into the bottom of a large bowl.
2. Prep veggies: Slice cabbage and bell pepper thinly so that they are roughly the same size, like matchsticks. Chop celery, green onion and cilantro. Add veggies to bowl.
3. Break ramen noodles into the bowl, add almonds and cooked edamame. Toss everything with the dressing underneath. Let salad sit at room temperature for 30 minutes if eating same day, or cover and refrigerate until eating.