Crunchy Romaine Salad

Welcome back to the All Things Southern kitchen, folks. So, here’s a news flash, y’all. Salads do not have to be boring! We’re making my Crunchy Romaine Salad today and it will put your basic lettuce and tomato salad to shame.

“Crunchy Romaine Salad”
3-6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 cup pecans or almonds, chopped
1 pkg. Ramen noodles, broken up
3 tablespoons butter
1 bunch broccoli, coarsely chopped
1 head Romaine lettuce, cleaned and torn into bite-size pieces
1 bunch green onions, chopped
Sweet and Sour Dressing: 1 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup red wine vinegar, 3 tsp. soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste — whisk together.

We’ll begin by melting three tablespoons of butter in a cast iron skillet. Then we’ll break up a package of Ramen noodles and toss them in the melted butter for about 2-3 minutes before adding our precooked and crumbled bacon and a cup of chopped pecans. Once the nuts are nice and brown, just drain ’em and set ’em aside.  (Y’all know what salad looks like. I figured I’d show y’all those fine little crunchies before they get tossed in! They’re delicious!)

Meanwhile, I’ll prepare our salad base. We’re using a head of Romaine lettuce that I’ve cleaned and torn into bite-size pieces, a head of broccoli that I’ve given a coarse chop, and a bunch of chopped green onions. We’ll add our noodles and almonds and finish with a cup of Sweet and Sour Dressing.

To whip up that dressing, we’ll take a cup of vegetable oil, a fourth cup of sugar, a half cup of red wine vinegar, and three teaspoons of soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste, and whisk it together until the oil and vinegar decide to get along. Voila! Dress your salad and enjoy! That’s my Crunchy Romaine Dressings and it’s good eating from the All Things Southern kitchen to yours~