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cvm2002

introduction

why not a cookbook about real food?

well, this is about real food. you¹d just be surprised to know that it can be found mere blocks from your house or apartment, almost any where in the country, almost any time of day.

but why? i grew up on the east coast and then spent the last ten years in downtown toronto. living the life of the not-so-rich and not-quite-famous artist, money and time battle it out for what rules my world. it is the great paradox. too poor to do my groceries at the cornerstore. too slack and caught up in my own time constrained bubble to go to a value-priced, helpful, shopping cart laden grocery store. so, accepting my reality, and the political correctness of my almost-vegetarian palette, I have set out to bring some style and class to this much maligned way of feeding oneself.

but why? it is a way of life for some of us, give in to it, embrace it. you can eat healthy, quite well and not too expensively, from your local cornerstore. i will refer to the illustrious cornerstore by cs from here on in. why? because i'm lazy.

your cornerstore

your cornerstore is probably much like all the others. however, differences do exist from one neighborhood to another. try finding olive oil in chinatown or even a rotten plum tomato in the burbs. the produce and freshness vary, but if you look really hard at those shelves, you might find everything you need to keep you healthy and able to entertain at a moments notice. I will mention certain brand names and favorites that may not be available to you where you are, but as I live in the center of the universe, this is of no real concern to me.

the four food groups back to top

there can be found in your local cornerstore, four distinct food groups. they are as follows:

dry goods
cold goods
fresh goods
& crap.

dry goods: canned beans, lentils, artichoke hearts, jars of pickles, hot peppers, tomato sauce, salsa, tuna, salmon, boxes of pasta, cereal, bags of rice, bottles of oil, salad dressing, vinegar and mayonnaise, sugar, flour and spices.

cold goods: deli meats, butter, icecream, cottage cheese, sourcream, milk (though if you are lucky they have tetra pacs of soya milk, mine does, a surgeon waits by the door to remove the arm and leg of the lactose intolerant) eggs, pate, frozen vegetables, dips and sometimes hummus.

fresh goods: this can range from a lowly bag of potatoes to bananas, apples, lemons, avocados, carrots, seasonal berries and the browning, overpriced (even for a cs) head of iceberg lettuce.

this brings us to the cornerstone of cornerstores;

crap: this would be the chips, chocolate, poptarts and t.v. dinners. these should only be consumed after a 'break-up' or 2am (depending on when last call is in your area).

warnings back to top

it¹s expensive! you know that, yet you trundle home every day from work or the corner you are busking on, to stop in and fill your boots and plastic bags with overpriced, dusty goodies. live with it.

msg and the gang if you want to avoid the crap then pull off your movie star sunglasses and read the labels provided. you will find that not all cs goodies are created equal and it is progressively becoming the trend to resist adding these vile toxins to the goods much as it is no longer fashionable to douse bunny¹s eyes with shampoo and lipstick. long live thos radical freaks who petition outside of factories and head offices everywhere, changing the norm for lay-abouts like you and me.

low life shelf life if you have yet to see the expiry date and are asking yourself "hmmm, I don't know if this is still good". it probably isn't. nothing is worth puking for three days. but if the actual expiry date is what worries you, remember that this is when the real grocery stores are supposed to remove them from the shelves in order to replace it with new and exciting goodies with new and exciting contests on the labels that are actually still valid and relevant to the participant and season. but do watch out for left over stock from the holiday before, just let the dust levels be your guide.

kudos for cornerstores back to top

it's close and its open. period.
(plus unlimited free plastic bags for scooping dog poop!)

needs back to top

even if you live in a warehouse or a one room bachelor, all of these recipes are still available to you. a plug in kettle, toaster oven and a little microwave can furnish all of your needs. you really should get a hand blender, they rock my world. however, in a pinch a potato masher will do just fine. this is all pretty basic one bowl/pot stuff, if you are too lazy to go grocery shopping it's unlikely your dishes are getting the attention they deserve, so let's keep them to a minimum. a basic cheese grater. the all purpose bottle of shakey shakey, wakey wakey - lea & perrons nothing fixes up a can of beans or a bland soup like this stuff (Annies and The Wizard make vegan versions). always keep fresh garlic on hand I now keep mine in a ziplock baggie in the fridge it keeps me from unintentionally supplying the roaches with fine italian dining. you can use jarred garlic if thats all there is available. bananas (one of the few fruits available at the cs) can stay on the warmest shelf of the fridge too. they may go brown, but its only skin deep, and ups their nutritional value. that's deeep.

the cockroach factor and urban living tend to go hand in multiple legs. this means that almost all of your meager on hand foodstuffs should be kept in the fridge. besides it keeps the counters clear for beer and wine, eh?.

did you know? back to top

I could have used V8!

did you know that a large can of V8 juice makes the most amazing soup base? sauté a bit of garlic and onion, maybe some wilting celery. heat on the stove or microwave then add almost anything from noodles to rice and you have a lovely, vitamin rich lunch.

hold on to the mayo

kraft ain¹t just whistling dixie when they say add Miracle Whip to just about anything. or one of it's no name pals, often called 'whipped dresing'. it's a tangy and b vitamin rich additive to pasta sauces and vegee dips that can¹t be beat for it¹s versatility and creamy texture.

give peas a chance

canned vegetables seem like a soggy alternative to the good stuff but they can be used to your advantage. an omelet, for instance, can get jazzed up with a well-drained can of asparagus. yes, there is a use for it. as well, canned potatoes (sweet or white) can be mashed and nuked in minutes. kidney beans, chick peas and pineapple are all none the worse for being canned, and much easier to use.

all dressed up and ready to go

your favorite salad dressing (mine is sundried tomato & oregano) can be tossed with cooked pasta, grate cheese over top and voila! none of the work, all of the flavour. Italian with chick peas and any veg at hand makes for a protien rich lunch.

save yourself, stop the pop

diabetese type 2 is on the rise, and you are probably drinking too much sugar. 8 tablespoons in a can, how gross. if you simply ust have bubbly bevvies, try club soda with a shot of lime cordial. much less sugar, no caffeine, and very refreshing. they also sell herbal tea in your cornerstore, why not buy it? just add hot water and drink all you like. no sugar and no caffeine. stop spending three bux on bottles of crappy food colouring or equally overpriced and over sweetened juice that is manufactured by the same companies anyways. they know you are hooked on sugar and try to trick you by offering you a seemingly healthier alternative. dont buy it.

recipes to avoid disaster back to top

you can even serve this stuff to guests. i have revamped the traditional layout for recipes into a paragraph form. why? cause the other way intimidates me.

spicy black bean soup

blend two cans of black beans (mash), add a around half a jar of mild salsa and a can of tomato or v8 juice and you¹ve got one jumpin' soup. 5 minute cooking time.

sunshine in the wintertime soup

blend one can of sweet potatoes, one can of carrots (any shape), a can of pumpkin can sometimes be found, one can of chicken broth or vegetable bouillon cube with a cup of hot water. add salt & pepper, heat and top with dried parsley.

sherlock's pie

cook a package of stove top stuffing (i.e: follow the directions on the box), mix with one egg and press mixture firmly into a casserole dish or cake pan. mash a can of sweet potatoes (or white) with butter and parsley flakes, put this on top of stuffing. bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 350. top with canned gravy. pure comfort!

'the dressing'

this dressing can be tossed on anything; salad, veggies, beans, pasta or all of thee above. cold or hot. *1/2 cup vinegar (apple cider preferred) 1/2 cup oil (olive or peanut or canola oil) 1/2 tsp of mustard, salt and pepper, 1/2 clove minced garlic, shake well

*optional - substitute the 1/2 cup of vinegar with 1/4 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup of any leftover juice on hand (lemon, mango, orange) very zippy!

chickee bean salad

mix together one drained can of chick peas, one can of beans (black bean, pinto or mixed), one can of niblet corn and 1/2 cup or more of "the dressing". add parsley or any herb on hand. let sit for an hour and serve chilled.

-

artsy fartsy dip

drain one can of artichoke hearts, add two tablespoons of mayonnaise and a few good shakes of parmesan cheese (optional), half a clove of minced garlic, cayenne pepper or chopped hot pepper rings. you can add a tablespoon or two of sourcream to stretch it out (skip the parmesan). blend and heat in microwave or oven for a short while. serve warm with pita. or have it cold with plain corn chips.

not just for weddings

do you know how to cook rice or don¹t you? do exactly what you are told, its not that hard, it just requires a little faith. I use mr. goudas and he's never let me down.

1 level cup of rice
2 full cups of water
1 tablespoon margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt

in a pot, lid off, heat on high stir a little until it comes to a good boil stop turn heat down to lowest setting cover and forget about it for 15 minutes stop do not, i repeat, do not lift the lid and stir wait the fifteen minutes then toss lightly and serve. skip the rice and sauce mixes, they are choked full of msg. besides, rice keeps better when it plain.

all day pub style breakfast

why leave the house with that disfiguring hangover when you can have those satisfying greasy eats in the privacy of your own home.

two eggs, any way ya like em.
two pieces of toast or if you have them,
toast a cut bagel in the oven on broil (they don¹t fit in my toaster anyway and that way you can do four at a time)
half a can of baked beans, with a wee bit of lea & perrons (classy bacon alternative)
and for the crowning glory, two thick slices of fried tomato.

here's the rub. tomatoes found in cornerstores often tend to be the pale, utterly devoid of flavour variety. something in frying them for a couple of seconds on either side, brings out the flavour and tomato-ness in these pallid plums. you can use the same pan that you cook the eggs in. feeling industrious, you can always drain a can of those little white potatoes and roast them in the oven along side the bagels for that home fry thang in half the time.

puddin'

damn, this is good fer you, and no added sugar.
blend 3 bananas with 1/2 cup of soya milk (or the other stuff) and a wee bit of vanilla. chill and serve. in the winter you can warm it on the stove, stirring constantly for a couple of minutes then grate a bit of a plain chocolate bar on top. or add a small box of raisins and cinnamon. or add some some semi-stale nuts that you can revive by heating them in a pan for a minute. this is a way more likely alternative for using up bananas that are over ripe than the ludicrous idea of you getting around to baking banana bread.

festive traditions

pb&j (peanut butter and jelly) just a little too white trash for you? five bucks for jam seem ridiculous? got a craving for healthy comfort? one of my faves is to grab a can of the perrenial Oceanspray cranberry sauce (with whole berries is best) and use it like a jam substitute. cheaper, a little lower in sugar and definitely sassier in taste.

bon appetit!

order back to top

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