Dinner was going to utilize the eggplant cutlets from our Eggplant Parmesan the other night. We wanted to make some kind of sandwich, but switch it up a little from the parm version. A sandwich is a great way to re-purpose leftovers! I was in the area so stopped by Joe Leone’s- our local Italian Market we love so much. I was on a roll trying to be good the last couple times I was there (all under $15 trips!). I tried to keep my stretch going, I was so very close… $20.02! Darn two cents! Haha. Anyway, I knew we had some bagged kale we should eat too so I decided on a side Kale Caesar using this Caesar Dressing we love to make and it is sooo easy to make in a snap there really is no excuse not to eat it more often and every time we make it we wonder why we don’t. It is so easy and delicious honestly, there’s really no need to make it more complicated. Keep it simple! This is the recipe for our go-to Easy Caesar Dressing. http://theflaggeship.com/recipes/recipe/easy-caesar-dressing/
Easy Caesar ready to go!
This dressing was a perfect amount for two nice-sized side kale salads (you know we never skimp on portions so don’t worry) If you are using romaine, it’d stretch a little further. As I mentioned, this particular night we were serving it on the side of a delicious sandwich we made using leftover homemade eggplant cutlets and some fresh quality ingredients from Joe Leone’s. So, the sandwich is a great way to re-purpose leftovers and even better when you use other ingredients you have on hand for a side! For the salad itself… we really kept it simple and cut up and toasted some leftover garlic bread as croutons… yup, MORE garlic! So, between the pre-washed bag of kale and croutons, this really was an extra easy Caesar. Still super delicious. No need to overthink or over-complicate it. Because it is a little heartier, the Kale Caesar also lends itself beautifully to a main course with the addition of a protein. Our favorites are Salmon, Steak, or Shrimp (sorry Chicken, you are okay too).
You already know how dearly we regard garlic, both for it’s flavor and for it’s health benefits! The more you read about kale the more it makes sense to add it to your diet regularly. By using it in the salad, it’s a good change of pace from our typical sauteed kale. Which by the way, we LOVE, but sometimes change is good! Again, the kale tends to need more dressing than a leaf of lettuce would due to it’s fibrous nature, but that’s all good when you can bathe it in this Caesar Dressing!
sandwich before melting
The sandwich was just as easy to make. We layered the eggplant, a little fresh mozzarella (because it is really hard to go to Joe’s and not get it!), some chopped up sauteed broccoli rabe, and fresh jersey tomatoes on the slightly toasted fresh semolina loaf and then heated the sandwich for a few minutes to get the cheese nice and melty.
sandwich close-up
Yummm… a sandwich is a great way to re-purpose leftovers, not to mention, delicious!
Cheers!