If you’ve had De Leon salsas or tortillas, you might understand why this is a highlight of my week, if not my life.

Of course, with authentic Mexican food, vegetarians must be careful, but there’s no reason to deny yourself a damn good meal.

To help, here are the things that are vegetarian-friendly, according to Mario of De Leon Foods:

Burrito (pictured) with any combination of whole beans (black or pinto), rice, cheese and savory vegetables (onion, zucchini, tomato, yellow squash).

Chile relleno: Delicious, but you might need to skip a meal afterward.

Mario or his employees also will gladly serve you a bowl of rice and beans, or dress up a quesadilla with any of the ingredients above.

Garnish liberally with the roja or verde salsas, onions and cilantro. Wash it all down with a Mexican Coke other imported sodas, or one of the rotating aquas frescas: horchata (cinnamon rice milk), sandia (watermelon), melon (canteloupe) or jamaica (hibiscus).

Warning: If you bring meat-eating friends, they’re likely to be overwhelmed by the choices. Steer them toward the tacos on my friends’ advice. Also, the place is liable to be busy at the lunch hour.

The family also has a grocery on the North Side.

If you need some practice, here’s a clip from Jim Gaffigan.

Now, I hear the Globe has a reputation for great burgers. For vegetarians, however, the highlight comes from the beer taps. Microbrew pitchers for $8.50 produce about 3.5 pints.

If you must eat, the grilled vegetable sandwich (pictured) is a good enough avenue to the delicious waffle-cut fries, but don’t expect too much from that adjective in front of “vegetable.” The vegetarian enchiladas, with some good kick, are a better bet.

The meat-free pasta dishes looked rather good, if heavy, and a friend of mine stands by the salads. Finally, you can substitute Gardenburger patties for most of the burgers if you feel like throwing down $9 for something you can make at home in the microwave.

Verdict: Great compromise when you’re with meat eaters; centrally located; nothing to get too excited about.

It was also a huge success, because:

• The burger held together.
• It tasted delicious.
• Even my girlfriend agreed.

Ingredients:

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained but not rinsed
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, softened
• 1/4 cup yellow or red onion
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• dash of chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tbs olive oil

Directions:

1. Saute the chopped vegetables and sun-dried tomatoes in half of the olive oil until soft and golden; set aside.
2. Meanwhile, pulverize the garbanzo beans in a food processor until the texture is fairly smooth.
3. Run the cooked vegetables through the food processor and combine into a large mixing bowl with the garbanzos.
4. Add the spices and give a few quick turns with a spoon.
5. Add the egg and mix firmly, gradually adding the bread crumbs until moist yet firm.
6. Form three large patties or four smaller ones.
7. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and cook each patty about three minutes on each side until golden brown.
8. Throw the patties on the grill or put them in a pre-heated oven for about five minutes to heat through. Note: If using a grill, I found it helpful to use a special basket like this as insurance against crumbling.
9. Toast and dress your bun as desired.

It’s over. I didn’t cave. And at approximately 12:03 a.m. this morning, I celebrated.

Keep checking 7vs7 central for video of that wonderful moment; the final standings are up there now.

The photo shows the results of my latest grocery list. You will find no peanuts, rice, broccoli, spinach, eggs, oranges or white wine in it.

Friday eats:

Breakfast: Fried eggs over rice and spinach, orange juice, orange

Lunch: Spinach salad with hard-boiled egg, orange pieces, rice

Dinner: peanuts and steamed spinach over rice

Today:

One small bowl of rice with steamed spinach and broccoli in peanut sauce

Links to leavers

• Remi
• Geneva
• Becky
• Mark

The blood, sweat, tears and repetition finally got to five more 7vs7 challengers.

Watch a video of Remi, Mark, Geneva and Becky falling at the hands of a trained assassin. Monkey steals the peach!’

And I’ve just gotten authoritative confirmation that Mariah — yes, Mariah! — fell by the wayside two days ago. My source? The lovely and talented Mariko.

Paul, it’s just you and me. Let’s see where this takes us.

Thursday foraging

Breakfast: Hard-boiled eggs and oranges

Lunch: Steamed broccoli and spinach over rice in peanut sauce

Snacks: Oranges, orange juice, peanuts

Dinner: Rice, peanuts and oranges (I was stuck in a late meeting)

Soundtrack: Supertramp

Event: Boozeday Marathon 2008

Weapon of choice: Beer, the lighter the better

Meanwhile, here’s what I stuffed in my maw on Day Three of 7vs7:

Breakfast:

Scrambled eggs with spinach
2 oranges

Lunch:
Spinach salad with orange, peanuts and hard-boiled egg

Snacks:
Lots of peanuts, orange slices

Dinner:
Steamed broccoli and spinach in orange-white wine reduction over brown rice

Breakfast:
Rice bowl with peanut butter and orange pieces

Lunch:
Steamed spinach and broccoli in peanut sauce over brown rice

Snacks:
Spinach leaf wraps with peanuts and orange pieces
Orange slices

Dinner:
Spinach salad with hard-boiled egg and steamed broccoli and fresh-squeezed orange juice and white wine dressing