Annie, next time break up the rice noodles and drop them in boiling water. As soon as they soften, remove and drain. Or you could fry them. Just pass them quickly through hot oil. They puff right up. I bet they'd be good in the salad fried and crunchy.

You can also make your own ramen, of course, but probably not worth your effort, especially with your GFs.

Here you can't buy ramen but for in a brick of about 10 packages....and that's all I use them for is that recipe.
But the deal with them in the recipe is they are sweet and crisp like croutons when youf irst add them.....and then soften after a few hours. I would think something small in the way of pasta would work....ramen noodles are wheat.
Also I have used sunflower seeds in place or in addition to the almonds.
Glad it worked for you....sort of. LOL!

I would send you some of my ramen....but don't think it's worth the postage for $.69 worth of noodles!

LindaC, they'll come back eventually and I have LOTS of bok choi, although Elery is threatening to use some of it for kim chee. Thanks for thinking of me, though. (grin)

Ashley says she thinks she has a couple of packages in the back of her cupboard, but she doesn't know how old it is. Does ramen even get stale?

Annie

Ramen shouldn't get stale, so long as the packaging doesn't degrade.

The rice noodles flash fried could be the crispy that softens that Linda said.

Thrive market carries Lotus rice ramen and it looks like they might have it in stock. https://thrivemarket.com/p/lotus-foods-forbidden-rice-ramen-organic

Thanks, plllog!

Annie

Annie: My grandson was needing a Ramen fix and his mother couldn't find any at the grocery, but located them at the Dollar Store. Do you have one near?

There are a couple of dollar stores here, Dollar General and Family. I've been trying to avoid going to stores as much as possible, but I never thought of them at all, I might have to venture in....

A ramen fix? (grin) Sounds like my youngest granddaughter!

Annie

Does anyone use ThriveMarket? It was on my short list back mid-March when local delivery dates were filling up. 60 bucks a year or 10 a month. I did the free 30 day trial but had trouble filling up a cart with more than just a few things that I needed at the time. Not sure I like club charges.

The lotus brand ramen is not at all like the cheap ramen. It is organic and one ingredient like the regular pasta isle. A dried noodle. Hard like macaroni. Needs cookin'. I stock them in my pantry.

Instant ramen squares are fried, then dried. Loaded with preservatives. Because they are fried, they are a bit crisp. Also note that the packet is 2 servings so double the calorie and carb and salt. (I know the season packet is tossed out for the recipe). Still, as a meal, using the seasoning, that is a boatload of salt and chemicals. Basically a bag of Doritos. As a crunchy element with greens that's no big deal really. If it gets kids to eat some greens...

For no carb I would use prosciutto bacon or pork rinds. Maybe fried shallots and garlic chips.

I was having a tough time finding them as well, when I made the salad last week. It makes a lot, so I have a yogurt container in the freezer to whip up the salad anytime.

I finally found some, Mr Noodles packages. It doesn't matter the flavour as you don't use the salt/seasoning package.

The noodles stay hard which is the crunch in the salad. I actually used some on my cold oatmeal this morning! Rolled oats soaked in milk, with sliced banana, salad topping (noodles, almonds and sesame seeds) and some coconut.

Here they are from Amazon $5.76 for 24 packages. I have a salad recipe that calls for ramen noodles but they are sauteed in butter along with some pecans. Here’s the recipe just in case you buy that case of noodles and are looking for ways to use them. If you choose to make the recipe, I sauté the nuts and the noodles separately to prevent burning the pecans.

sleevendog, pork rinds? Elery's son and family may or may not be visiting in a couple of weeks and they are "doing Keto". That might work for them!

Jasdip, you made the sugar/nuts/noodle mixture and put that on the oatmeal? Hmm, I tend to put a lot of "stuff" on oatmeal, like pecans or berries or unsweetened coconut, it helps the texture. I didn't think of ramen, although I do like savory oatmeal sometimes, with a sprinkle of parmesan and some butter/salt/pepper.

Annie

Keto uses pork rinds as their 'panko'. I like the Epic brand, not seasoned. I'm not keto but like mini meat balls rolled in pRinds. Cuisinart chopped.

My last Bo Saam pork shoulder had a big skin layer not trimmed. I took some of it and made Jamie's method. Rest of it is in the freezer. (Totally forgot about it)

Not been a fan recently but three great ideas in this video. The cracklings, the seasoned salt and the herbed leftover fat. Link, HERE

I did not make a full tray but ate them all immediately. Rarely buy but maybe once a year being one of my favorite savories.

Annie, yes I did. But remember the oatmeal wasn't hot. I like soaking rolled oats (the big flakes) in milk and adding fruit and nuts to it. Often thawed frozen fruit, apples, banana, chopped walnuts and coconut, brown sugar and cinnamon.

I did use the salad topping and it was a nice crunch. The noodles didn't add flavour, just crunch, which I love.

Annie: Dollar General is where they were found.

Jasdip: How long do you soak the oatmeal?

Lizbeth, just in milk. As if it were cereal. Sometimes I put chia seeds in the bowl, add milk, then the oatmeal and let sit. The oatmeal often soaks up a lot of the milk, so I add more when I'm ready to eat, along with all the extras added to it.

Re: rice noodles, you don't have to boil them, I believe, just pour boiling water over them and let them stand for a few minutes until soft...?

Carol, that's why I thought they would soften in the dressing, but they didn't...

Thanks, Lizbeth, it's always good to know where I might get an "emergency" packet or two of ramen!

sleevendog, I'll ask Elery if he'd like to make some homemade pork rinds...

Jasdip, I've not tried the cold overnight oats yet, it took me years to get past the gloppy oatmeal texture grandma used to make, LOL. How is the texture of the cold overnight oats?

Annie

Annie, I don't soak them overnight. Just a few minutes to soften, as I use the large flakes, not the quick 1-minute oatmeal.

I've never tried steel-cut oatmeal, because of the overnight soaking. Apparently those are even better, health-wise.

I've often made the cold oats, fruit & nut mixture, a.k.a. muesli a day ahead, and the starch in the oats doesn't get gluey like it does when cooked.