SWEET & CRUNCHY ASIAN CABBAGE SALAD

Happy Tuesday people! 

 I love football, and I figured it was time to start sharing with you some great recipes for football parties or tailgates. Now, before you raise your eyebrows at the thought of a cabbage salad going with football food, let me plead my case.

Most of tailgating food is really heavy and unhealthy, and a bright, fresh salad is perfect for breaking all that up. It's essentially an Asian version of coleslaw, and is insanely addictive. My mom makes a version of this salad every year for Thanksgiving, and I tried my best to recreate it without actually having a recipe. Here it is!

What you'll need:

Base:

Two  14 oz Bags Dole Cabbage/Coleslaw Mix 

One 11oz tin of mandarin oranges- segments separated from the juice.

Topping:

1 Package ramen noodles (not seasoning)

1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds

2 Tablespoons sesame seeds

1 Tablespoon butter

Dressing:

1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil 

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons stone ground mustard 

1 tablespoon mandarin orange juice

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

How to make it happen:

Step 1: Take your ramen noodles and crush them up in a bowl with your almonds and sesame seeds.

Step 2: Melt your butter in a frying pan and once sizzling, cook up your ramen mixture until golden brown.

Step 3: Whisk together all the ingredients of your dressing and put in the fridge to cool.

Step 4: Toss together your cabbage mixture with the mandarin orange segments.

Step 5: Right before serving, whisk together your dressing and toss in with the salad. Finish with ramen topping and serve immediately!

I made this a few weeks ago for a bbq with some family and friends and every single person had multiple servings (insert horn tooting here). It's tangy and sweet and a little salty, crunchy and just plain wonderful. 

Like I said, seriously great for a tailgate. I stake my reputation on it, folks.

What unusual dish do you make for your tailgates?

If you don't have one, make this yours!

xo, lp