Dylan's Shrimp & Ramen Salad with Sriracha & Ranch Dressing

A friend of mine approached me a few weeks ago with an idea. A deliciously, interesting idea. As he explained it to me, he was eating chicken tenders with ranch dressing. Then, the epiphany occurred. He mixed Sriracha into the ranch dressing. He wondered if I could come up with a dish which included the spicy dressing.  Challenge accepted!  Instead of a pasta salad with noodles, this is the Asian version made with Ramen noodles and all sorts of textures and flavors.  

For the salad:

3 packages of shrimp flavored Ramen noodles (seasoning packets reserved)

1 cup tiny frozen green peas, thawed

1/2 cup julienned carrots

3 green onions, ends trimmed, thinly sliced

1 cup diced cooked shrimp

1/3 cup diced water chestnuts

2 t. black sesame seeds, divided

1/4 cup slivered almonds

For the dressing:

1 cup Ranch dressing

1/4 cup Sriracha (if you'd like it spicier, 1/2 cup Ranch  - 1/2 cup Sriracha)

2 t. rice wine vinegar

2 - 3 of the seasoning packets (start with 2, taste and decide whether you want to add the third one)

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.

Boil the Ramen according to package directions. It's helpful if you break the noodles into sections before adding to the water. When the noodles are cooked, pour into a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients (remember only 1 t. of the sesame seeds) and stir to combine.

Slowly pour dressing over salad and mix well until the salad is coated well with the dressing.  Refrigerate until ready to serve then top with remaining 1 t. of sesame seeds.