where have all the cowboys gone?

Chivalry is dead. I don't care what anyone else says. It surprised even cynical-old-me, though. I was plodding home from Whole foods, fully laden with goods - I would have thought I looked more like a pack-horse, and maybe that confusion led to the situation. As I came to an intersection (mind you, I'm walking with a bag of groceries on my back and one in each hand = 3 heavy bags), some jerk in a pickup truck from a neighboring state I won't name felt like I was in the way of his car proceeding through the stop sign. Not only did he barely stop, but he also felt the need to start going before I was completely through the crosswalk (in which I had the right of way as a heavily-burdened pedestrian/packhorse), and then he needed to yell something stupid out of his window at me. Evidently, I'm the jerk for crossing the street. I'll spare your tender eyes from my response to him.

Anyway, I finally made it home and put away all my fun finds, so I will tell you about my menu for this week, as well as a quick review of the rest of Vegan Express while I drink my fourth glass of water (it's kind of hot out in Philadelphia today).

The second half of the book is also great. I'm still working my way up to serving "complete meals," as in including side dishes and starters and possibly dessert, so the second half is not currently as useful to me as the first part. When it's all said and done, the best part of the book, for me, is currently the middle - chapters 2-6. There are some things in my life that may change soon and allow me the time to start experimenting with those smaller dishes though...although I can't honestly say that dessert will be a regular occurrence. My husband and I keep our boyish/girlish figures by designating dessert as a "sometimes food."

I found this week's menu in Chapter 4 - Pasta and Noodles, East to West; Chapter 5 - Pizzas, Big Quesadillas, and Wraps; and Chapter 6 - Salads with Substance. I glanced through Chapter 7 - Salads and Veggies on the Side, but really didn't bother with chapter 8 - sauces and salad dressings, or chapter 9 - Sweet Finales, because I don't eat a lot of salads, and when I do, a simple vinaigrette will do (as in putting vinegar and oil in a container, shaking it, and pouring it). As I mentioned, dessert is an occasional thing, and I didn't want to tempt myself.

I'm having a happy and productive day. I'm hoping it will become more productive and a little more creative later, and I do expect to finally make the chickpea dish tonight, so I will probably fill in more details later tonight, after dinner. I still have a lot to do outside before it starts raining, so for now, here is this week's menu (yes, in my world, the week starts on Friday) and once again, they are all from Vegan Express, except the Fiesta Quesadillas - I can't get into vegan cheese.

1. Curried Chickpeas with Chutney Bulghur
2. Seitan Chow Fun
3. Pizza More-than-Margherita
4. Fiesta Quesadillas
5. Spinach, Artichoke, and Chickpea Salad
6. Seitan and Polenta Skillet with Fresh Greens