Asian Chopped Salad with Roasted Shrimp

I love a chopped salad.  I frequently dream about new combinations for chopped salads.  Something about everything being chopped so finely so that you get a bite of each ingredient makes chopped salads a winner.  This salad is a hodge podge of recipes I found online trying to recreate my favorite salad at Leon's Oyster Shop, the Siam Salad.  If you ever eat at Leon's try the Siam Salad it is incredible.  

This salad is a bit different but has several of the same components like crunchy cabbage and lots of fresh herbs.  It is not heavy at all and the perfect light Summer Salad.  This is a great make ahead meal.  The chopped salad gets better the longer it sits.  I actually made the salad and roasted the shrimp earlier in the day since we had soccer practice.  It was easy to come home and it all was ready. We enjoyed it slightly chilled but you could reheat your shrimp if you prefer.

 I usually saute our shrimp but for this recipe I roasted them and they turned out great.  You could also serve this with shredded chicken if you prefer.  I added in the Ramen for a bit of crunch but the Ramen does get soggy (still good) the longer the salad sits, so you could omit the Ramen if you want.  The flavors in this are so fresh and vibrant and both kids loved it which is always an added bonus.

Enjoy!

|| A S I A N  C H O P P E D  S A L A D   W I T H    S H R I M P  ||

adapted via Cooking Classy and Camile Styles

Ingredients 

• 3 cups shredded green cabbage( I used one bag of the shredded cabbage)
• 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
• 1 cup sliced carrots (I used the kind in the bag in match stick slices)
• 4 green onions, sliced (about 1/2 cup) 
• 2 3oz ramen packages
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup fresh mint sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro sliced
• 1/4 cup basil sliced
• 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
• juice of one lime

Dressing
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce 
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp dried ginger
• Salt to taste

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss Shrimp with olive oil and salt and pepper.  Place on baking sheet and cook about 15 minutes or until not translucent.
• After the shrimp is cooked remove from oven.  Crumble ramen into small pieces and place on baking sheet along with almonds, spread into an even layer. Bake in preheated oven until golden, tossing once halfway through baking, about 6 - 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• In a mixing bowl whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until well blended while seasoning with salt to taste, set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl add green cabbage, purple cabbage, carrots, green onions, mint, basil, and cilantro. Drizzle lime juice over the lettuce mix and stir.  Add in ramen and almonds and pour dressing over the entire bowl.  Toss and serve!