Thai Ramen Chopped Salad

An recipe made from pantry and fridge staples. Pretty enough for company, healthy enough to get some veggies into your family, cheap enough to fit into your budget. Can be used as a side dish or a main meal salad.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 2 (3 ounce) packages  chicken-flavored ramen noodles
• 8  ounces  cooked chicken breasts (shredded or chopped)
• 2 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, undrained
• 1  red pepper
• 2  carrots
• 1⁄2 head romaine lettuce
• 1 (2 1/4ounce) can pitted black olives, undrained
• 3  green onions, chopped
• 1 1⁄2 cups salted peanuts
• 1  teaspoon dry mustard
• 2  teaspoons  sesame oil (to taste)
• 1 (20 count) package  egg roll wraps (optional)

Directions

1. Break up ramen noodles while they are still in the package a bit. Open the packages and fish out the flavor packets. Cook the ramen noodles per package directions, use 1 package of seasoning in the cooking water, save the other package, cool noodles 5 minutes, put in big salad bowl.
2. Shred or chop the two chicken breast, put aside in big salad bowl.
3. Peel and shred the carrots, add to salad bowl.
4. Chop half the red pepper into nice, small cubes, put into the salad bowl set the other half aside.
5. Chop the green onions, add to salad bowl.
6. Finely chop the Romaine lettuce, add to salad bowl.
7. Drain the black olives, keep the juice aside, add the olives sliced into rings to salad bowl.
8. Drain 1 can mandarin oranges, add to salad bowl.
9. Toss everything in salad bowl, admire the nice colors.
10. Get out the food processor.
11. Put liquid from black olives into food processor bowl, followed by the other undrained can of mandarin oranges, oranges and liquid, into the food processor bowl.
12. Add the second chicken flavor packet from the ramen noodles.
13. Now add ¾ cups of peanuts, the other half of the red pepper, chopped up a bit to make it easier to process, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 2 teaspoons, or more, if you like it, sesame oil.
14. Turn on the food processor and blend well. You are making salad dressing. Assess the consistency, add a bit of water if you would like it thinner. Process again. Set aside.
15. You should still have 3/4 cup peanuts you haven’t used yet, chop them, but don’t add to salad until just before serving.
16. You may also have the optional egg roll wrappers, these can be used to make your final salad classier, but aren’t necessary.
17. If you do want to use them, separate the package in half, cut half the package into thin strips. Heat oil in a deep pan and fry the strips until browned and done, drain on paper towels.
18. While you are at it, take the other half of the package of eggroll wrappers you didn’t use, cut each in half, deep fry and drain, sprinkle with either powdered sugar, or cinnamon sugar and use as a dessert with your salad.
19. Just before serving, Toss your salad with your dressing, sprinkle with chopped peanuts. If you did make the optional fried eggroll wrapper crunchies, put them on top of your salad as a crispy, decorative condiment, and eat the sugared ones as a dessert.
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