Crunchy Asian Peanut Broccoli Salad

One of the many things I love about attending Sunday services at the Idaho-Oregon Buddhist Temple in Ontario, Ore. (in addition to the wonderful, warm and welcoming people) is that on just about any given Sunday there’s a potluck lunch in the Temple basement after services. These potlucks are a sight to behold. Everyone goes all out and there’s everything from quinoa and shrimp salad to delicate mini éclairs on the buffet table. For me, as a foodie, these lunches are an opportunity to try a lot of great food and maybe pick up some new recipes.

At the lunch this past Sunday, I added a dish of my own to the potluck table. It was an Asian Peanut Broccoli Salad. It’s really simple to make and it takes about five minutes from start to finish. It’s big on taste and filled with bright colors from the broccoli and the carrots and it looks great in the bowl. It’s definitely going to become a staple in my picnic or potluck lunch recipe box.

Ingredients

1 (12 oz) package of broccoli slaw

6 green onions, sliced

1/4 cup of canola oil, plus 2 tbsps

2 tsp of sesame seeds

1 (3 oz) package of ramen noodles, crushed

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp hot chili sesame oil

1/2 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

 

1. Chop broccoli slaw into bite-sized pieces. In a large bowl, combine slaw and sliced green onions.
2. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a medium skillet and toast sesame seeds and ramen noodles until golden (save ramen seasoning for another use). Add seeds and noodles to the broccoli mixture.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and the remaining 1/4 cup of canola oil. Pour dressing over the broccoli mixture. Add chopped peanuts and red pepper flakes. Toss until coated.