On a recent trip to California’s wine country we decided to have a picnic during a bike ride and stopped by the Dry Creek General Store in Healsburg to pick up some sandwiches and were absolutely blown away.  It was a  foodie’s dream and everything looked delicious.

We settled on some sandwiches and as a side got the kale Caesar salad.  We made the mistake of getting a small 1/2 pint of it, and we both wished we could have had more.

Back home, we’ve tried duplicating the recipe with a modest success using our “eggless Caesar salad dressing” and home-made croutons made from our Tuscan bread. Hold off on adding the Parmesan to the dressing when you use it in the Kale salad…directions explain why.

The Dressing:

1. 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2. 2 teaspoon anchovy paste
3. 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
4. 6 or 8 drops of Tabasco sauce
5. 1 large garlic clove, crushed
6. Ground pepper
7. 1 tablespoon  fresh lemon juice
8. ½ cup of olive oil
9. 4 oz. grated parmesan cheese (omit this ingredient for now if using in the Kale salad)

 Direction for Dressing:

1. Put first 6 ingredients in the food processor and process until it makes a paste.
2. Between each addition, fold in dressing with a small spatula.
3. Add the lemon juice & process.
4. Add the olive oil & process.
5. Add the grated parmesan & process.

Notes:  Better if made beforehand to let the flavors blend.

Directions for croutons:

I used our Tuscan bread to make the croutons.  Cut them into small squares, lightly oiled the pan with olive oil, and put the croutons to bake in a 250 degree oven for about 25 minutes.  Turned off the oven, and “Voilà!” the little rather stale day old pieces of Tuscan bread became croutons!

Ingredients for the salad:

1. 1/2 lb. kale, washed, and cut in narrow ribbons
2. 1/2 cup eggless Caesar salad dressing
3. 1 cup croutons, “smashed”
4. 4 oz. coarsely grated Parmesan cheese

Directions for the salad:

1. Coarsely grind the Parmesan cheese in a food processor.
2. Smash the croutons so that they are in small pieces.
3. Toss the kale, the Parmesan, the croutons, and the dressing together and serve.