16 oz. bag of coleslaw mix
4-5 ribs of celery, finely sliced
¼ red onion, finely sliced
¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro
2 bags of Soy Sauce flavored Ramen Noodles
½ cup sunflower seeds
1 small packet (5-6 oz.) slivered almonds
¼ cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
1 can (15 oz.) mandarin oranges in juice, drained
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Toss the bag of coleslaw mix, finely sliced celery, red onions and cilantro into a large bowl and toss to combine.
Once the oven is pre-heated, crumble the ramen noodles while still in the bag to get them into smaller pieces and then lay out on the baking sheet. (Keep the soy sauce seasoning packets!) Add the sunflower seeds and slivered almonds, evenly spreading out on the baking sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes, mixing up the crunchies about halfway through to get them evenly toasted. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
Remove the soy sauce seasoning from the packet into a smaller bowl. Add the sugar and mix the two together until combined. Slowly pour in the vegetable oil, stirring as you add to make it a nice even mixture.
When ready to serve, add the toasted crunchies to the large coleslaw bowl, stir to combine and then slowly pour on the sugary soy mixture over the top. Really stir it up to make sure everything is nice and coated. Add the drained mandarin oranges last and give it one final stir.
Serve it up at your next summer cookout or sometimes I’ll make it for meal prep on Sundays to have and enjoy for lunch throughout my busy week. Either way, this will become a family favorite very quickly!
Mmm good ole' fashioned ramen noodles. Does it get any better?
No, no it doesn't. BUT you can use the noodles in many different ways (check out my Steak Ramen recipe here) and this was a recipe I created that was inspired from my Aunt Shelly's Oriental Salad. I have no recollection of when she introduced this salad to me - possibly an open house from years ago - but regardless it was so popular! I had to put my own spin on it and added the cilantro, oranges, celery and her recipe included green onions instead of red onion but that's what makes cooking so fun, change it up any way you please!
I love making this dish for Sunday meal prep to enjoy for lunches throughout a busy work week. I will keep the soy dressing in a mason jar in the fridge, and bag up the ramen noodles and other crunchies to keep separate from the slaw mix. This will keep everything from getting soggy! When you're ready to assemble, portion out some of the coleslaw mix, add the ramen crunchies and then shake up your mason jar and portion out to dress your salad. Mmm simply scrumptious!