Oriental Noodle Salad

I love the crunch of the Ramen noodles.   This is an easy salad to make for parties and always goes fast!

Ingredients:
1 pkgs. beef flavored Ramen soup mix
1 lb. pkg. pre-chopped cabbage cole slaw mix
1 C sunflower seeds
1 C toasted slivered almonds
1 T vegetable oil
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C white vinegar
1 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste

Break uncooked noodles into a large bowl (set aside seasoning packets for dressing).   Toss with cabbage cole slaw mix, sunflower seeds and almonds.  

For dressing: mix vegetable oil, sugar vinegar, onion powder, Ramen seasoning packets, and salt and pepper.  Shake or stir until sugar and seasoning mix dissolve.

At least one hour prior to serving, pour dressing over noodles, mixing well.  This gives the noodles time to absorb the dressing.   Refrigerate.

Broccoli Salad

This is a perennial favorite at all family gatherings.   I like to make this up ahead of time and put all the ingredients in a gallon ziploc bag.  This makes it really easy to toss.  Right before serving, I put in the bowl (looks very nice in a glass bowl, since it is so colorful) and then pour the dressing over and toss. 

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1 C (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
1.5 oz real bacon bits
2-3 oz dried cranberries or cherries
1/4 C dried sunflower seeds
1/2 C sugar
1 C mayonnaise
2 T apple cider vinegar

In a small shaker (I love to use my Tupperware Quick Shake Container), combine sugar, mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar; mix until the sugar dissolves and mixture is smooth.   Refrigerate until time to serve.  I find that it is best to refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Place broccoli, red onion, cheese, bacon, cherries and sunflower seeds in a salad bowl (or gallon ziploc bag).  Refrigerate.

Just before serving pour enough dressing over salad to coat and toss; be sure to shake the dressing first to ensure that it remains mixed.  I generally have about 1/4 c dressing left.