Chinese cabbage salad

We have discovered this new kind of ramen noodle, the SmartChoice noodles from Nissin. The noodles themselves are much lower in fat than the ramen-of-college-days, and there are times when a good hot bowl of noodles (customized with your individual add-ons) just hits the spot.

So extrapolating from that discovery, I had this a-ha flash just last night that I needed (yes, needed!) to make an asian-style salad using the noodles and cabbage and various other veggies... I fell asleep last night just thinking about it!

Here's how it turned out:

I barely remembered to get a picture before sticking the leftovers in the fridge for a brown bag lunch tomorrow. It was quite yummy, though the noodles are a little crunchier than the other, fattier brands, and I couldn't really wait very long for them to soften in the dressing... But both husband and I really enjoyed the flavors, and I will throw chicken into the mix in the future for a little added protein.

Chinese Cabbage Salad
Makes 12 cups
1 package preshredded cabbage
2 packages of ramen noodles--no seasoning
2 cups of shredded carrots
1 cup green onions
1 cup radishes, chopped
1 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sliced almonds
Dressing
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
6 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
4 tsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
Salt, to taste
Mix all the vegetables together in a bowl, break up the noodles into small bits, toss with the dressing and let sit for a little while so the flavors meld well... or, as long as you can before you can't help yourself and you must take a bite! Or two.
If anyone cares, I ran the calories for the whole batch and divided by the 12 cups I ended up with and it's approximately 140 calories a cup. Not too bad, considering...