Easy Summer Salad & Dreaming Tree Wine | The Perfect Pairing

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Happy Tuesday loves! Now that Summer has arrived, it’s time for concerts on the square, picnics, beach events, and much, much more! What goes best with a picnic or fun event with friends?! Wine, of course, and along with wine, you need a great appetizer that you can share with others! Today, I’ll be sharing one of my favorite summer salad that’s not too heavy and super easy to make, plus, the perfect wine to pair it with!

The Recipe: Ramen Noodle Salad  

My aunt used to make this all of the time for any gathering and it’s one of my favorite side dishes/appetizers! Plus, it’s super easy to make!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Resting Time: 1 hour
Serves 10-12 people

What you’ll need:

• 2 – 12oz bags of broccoli slaw
• 2 – 3oz packages of ramen noodles broken into small pieces (any flavor – I prefer chicken or oriental) and reserve seasoning packet
• ½ cup chopped green onions (about 6 green onions)
• 1 cup sunflower seeds (salted or unsalted)
• ½ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup sugar
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons rice vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions:

1. Combine bags of broccoli slaw, ramen noodle pieces, green onions, and sunflower seeds in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together canola or vegetable oil, sugar, apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar, reserved seasoning packets, and red pepper (optional).
3. Pour vinegar mixture over broccoli slaw mixture and toss well.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in fridge for one hour before serving to allow flavors to combine and noodles to soften.
5. Serve! I like to let mine sit for 2-3 hours so the noodles are a little crispy still, but not too hard.

Dreaming Tree Wines

Dave Matthews collaborated with an award-winning wine maker to create this line of wines. I don’t know about you all, but nothing goes better with a light salad that a yummy wine! This ramen salad goes great with both red and white wine! I love the Dreaming Tree Crush Red Wine! It’s a Merlot and Zinfandel blend and so good! I wasn’t always a red wine fan until a few years ago, and now I love it so much! I still like whites, but my once sweet tooth is now gone and I prefer more of a semi-sweet to dry wine. The Dreaming Tree Sauvignon Blanc is the white I would pair with this salad. It’s crisp and clean, and not too sweet!

You can find The Dreaming Tree wines at your local grocery, drug or supercenter stores. A little trick – just go to their website and locate their wines Dreaming Tree

Do you have any favorite bites that you like to share at your summer picnics and get-togethers? What’s your favorite wine to pair it with? Are you more of a red or a white wine fan? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading babes,