E-Verse fellow-traveler Patrick cooks up some cool salads to slim down with this summer. Their time has come. Presenting, Meatball Salads!
Meatball Salad

1 lb. Ground pork
1 lb. Ground beef
2 eggs
¼ cup of Parmesan cheese
¼ cup breadcrumbs
½ pound of Romaine Lettuce leaves
fresh mozzarella cheese

Meatballs

Season the meat with salt and pepper and combine the eggs, cheese, and breadcrumbs in a large bowl, adding fresh whole leaves of basil, thyme, oregano, and mint.  Keep the leaves whole as this is the portion of the salad “within” the meatball.  Form the mixture into balls and sautee in olive oil until browned.  Drain the meatballs and place on a cookie sheet, baking them in an oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Salad Dressing

Rough chop 2 tomatoes, 3 shallots, and 1 red pepper and add to a food processor.  Add salt and pepper and 1 clove of garlic, and slowly add in 4 Tbl. Extra virgin olive oil and 4 Tbl. Balsamic vinegar.
Combining

Place two Romaine lettuce leaves on top each other, facing the same way, so they form a boat.  Add 2-3 meatballs, salad dressing, more whole leaves of basil and mint and slices of fresh mozzarella.  Cut up or eat like a wrap.

Serves 5-6

Dirty Jersey 3AM Meatball Salad

1 pkg. Of pre-made meatballs
1 jar of Prego (It’s in there!) spaghetti gravy
1 head of iceberg lettuce

Heat the meatballs and sauce in a pot until warm.
Slice the lettuce head in half and hollow out a hole in the half.
Dump the sauce and meatballs into each hollowed out lettuce half.
Top with store-bought Parmesan cheese.

Serves 2, or 1 Ernie