u s e y o u r h a n d s

Wheatberry Green Salad

1 cup uncooked wheatberries
1 cup rough-chopped grape tomatoes
2 huge handfuls of robust greens (kale, beet greens, etc.)
1/4 cup Annie’s Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
1 to 1 1/2 cups of sauteed seitan, cubed

In a big bowl, prepare a big bowl of washed, uncooked greens. Cook up your friends the wheatberries. You’ll know they’re done when they are tender, but not mushy. Drain the wheatberries then toss them on top of your greens. Add in your diced toms. Pour over the vinaigrette. Do nothing for a little bit.

In the meantime, toss some (preferably fresh) seitan in a mix of flour with a generous dash of salt, pepper and some italian seasoning mix (with basil, marjoram, oregano, maybe some rosemary.) Saute them until brown and crispy (but not too crispy) in a bit of grapeseed or canola oil. Drain!

Then, add the seitan to the salad. Add a few twists of pepper and toss the whole thing up. Eat it! Enjoy!

And eat it tomorrow. It makes a good 4-6 portions.

Now that I work out of my house, I’ve gotten really into staring out the window and checking out what’s going on in my street in Albany Park.

So much happened this morning! My really elderly across-the-street neighbor was once again taken to the hospital. My next-door neighbors got a delivery of what’s probably bogarted landscape flower flats. And this dude keeps riding down my block on a bike with a hand-truck strapped to the back like a makeshift trailer. All in half an hour!

And I wrote a tsk-tsk note to my alderman about the half-ass requirement placed on some retailers to accept plastic-bag recycling.

I am the nosy neighbor. The neighborhood busybody. And, hopefully, after I finish ripping out my front lawn, the local weirdo.

One of the goals for this freelance journey I’m on is to get more civically engaged. I just have to make sure my outlook doesn’t get terribly small.

About two months ago, I decided to leave my job, where I’ve been for nearly four years. It was more than time. I’m planning on volunteering, gardening, and freelancing (hire me!).

But today was my first day off, my first day of freedom. And on May Day!

I started the day in therapy, which was great. Then Chipotle, which rocked. Then the Homer-Hopper exhibit at the Art Institute, which I really liked, particularly the Hopper bit. Then a Cubs game, where I sat in front of a father and son playing hooky from school and work. Then my first 5k, which I ran all of and finished in 34 minutes.

It was a good, good day. Sigh.