Food Mamma

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moderne sushi and bbq

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Since moving to Chestermere over nine years ago, we have seen the city grow. We saw the food scene grow with the addition of a few pizza places, family restaurants, fast food joints and coffee shops. One thing that was missing though was sushi. Until now.

Moderne Sushi and BBQ opened last month, making all the sushi lovers ecstatic. I checked out the new restaurant a couple weeks ago with the kids and was so happy that I did.

Moderne is quite large taking up the whole space left behind by the Bargain Shop. It has been renovated into a very beautiful restaurant with great light fixtures and lots of seating.

For me, two things make a restaurant worth going back to – the service and the food. The service was incredible! The staff were super friendly and very accommodating, making sure that both kids were happy and comfortable.

The food was great! We tried the salmon and the scallops, both of which were fresh and delicious.

We tried a number of rolls and they were all good! The ingredients were fresh and the cooked items were perfect. Both kids ate very well.

Overall, I was very impressed with the restaurant. We didn’t try the Korean bbq that they offered but it gives us a good excuse to go back. This place is definitely worth checking out.

Moderne Sushi & BBQ Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

#onmypath giveaway

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It’s February, a time when many people may have broken their New Year’s resolutions. Sometimes it’s hard to stick with it, no matter how great your intentions are. We tried something easy this year, incorporating smoothies as part of our daily routine and getting more fruits and veggies into us.

Nature’s Path wants to help you stay on a healthy path by two amazing giveaways!

The first way is a chance to win granola for a year. They want to know what’s on your path for 2016 by posting on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using both hashtags: #OnMyPath and #GranolaForAYear. The prize includes everything you need to get back on a healthy path including: Nature’s Path granola and organic breakfast foods for a year, DIY Vegan, by Nicole Axworthy & Lisa Pitman – recipe book including more than 100 ways to create an awesome plant-based pantry and Un-Junk Your Diet by Desiree Nielsen, R.D. – how to shop, cook and eat to feel better forever. This contest closes on February 28, 2016.

The second way is right on this blog. There are a few ways to win (see below). The Nature’s Path #OnMyWay giveaway includes:

An assortment of Nature’s Path delicious organic & non-GMO granolas including Nature’s Path Coconut Chia Granola made with wholesome clusters whole-grain rolled oats, omega-rich chia seeds, and coconut flakes. Plus each serving is naturally packed with 6 grams of plant protein and 5 grams of fibre!
Free product vouchers
A printed copy of the new Nature’s Path 7 Days of Healthy Recipes & Lifestyle Tips Ebook

I received a box of these goodies and they are delicious. Especially good on top of my smoothies – they provide the perfect crunch!

Contest closes February 24th. Contest is open to Canadian and US residents only. US or Canadian shipping address must be provided. An email will be sent to the winner. The winner will have 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

All prizes will be shipping after March 1, 2016. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

pineapple shrimp

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I have been wanting to go to Hawaii for years. With a big birthday coming up next month, I decided that this was the year we were going, no matter how much hubby was resisting. I can’t wait!

I made this pineapple shrimp dish to get us into the tropical spirit. It’s a perfect balance of sweet and heat and super tasty. This dish comes together super quick and goes great with rice or all on it’s own. Make it even more festive by serving it in a pineapple bowl!

Pineapple Shrimp

1/4 cup pineapple, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 green onion, chopped,
1 pound shrimp
2 TB hoisin sauce
2 TB soya sauce
1 tsp sriracha, or as needed
cilantro
vegetable oil
sesame oil

Add some vegetable and sesame oil to a hot pan. Add the garlic, onions and shrimp. After a minute, add the pineapple and sauces and cook until shrimp are opaque. Sprinkle with cilantro and enjoy.

nutella pot de creme

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Valentine’s Day is this weekend, and as fun as it is to go out, sometimes it’s nice to have a quiet meal at home…or, a loud and crazy if you have the kids at home with you.

Nutella Pot De Creme is the perfect dessert to celebrate the day of love. It takes minutes to prepare, so you can spend the day with your loved one, and is super easy. The fancy sounding chocolate pudding is mousse-like in texture and is creamy and chocolatey. The fact that it has Nutella makes me love it even more.

These luscious desserts take a couple hours to set so they can easily be made in advance.You can make this in large bowl or make individual desserts by placing them in glasses. Makes it look a little more fancy. Top it with a dollop of whipped cream and you’ve got yourself something to spoil your Valentine.

I’m excited to be participating in a Valentine’s Day Blog Hop with some of my favourite foodies. Check out posts by: Merry About Town, Bakerbeans, Dish N The Kitchen and Edible Life in YYC.

Nutella Pot de Creme

1 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup Nutella
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 cup whipping cream

1 cup whipping cream
1 TB icing sugar

In a blender, combine the chocolate chips, Nutella and egg yolks and blend together. Meanwhile, heat up the whipping cream until bubbles start to form but not boiling. Add the whipping cream slowly through the lid of the blender while blending on low. Once combined, pour into some bowls or glasses and place in the fridge to set, approximately 2-3 hours.

Blend the cream and the sugar until whipped. Place a dollop on top of each pot de creme.

nutella ricotta braided pastry

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It’s World Nutella Day so I felt I needed to make you something with Nutella. Okay, fine, I made it for me, but I’m happy to share. This dessert is super simple, takes a couple minutes to put together and bakes for around 15 minutes.

I love the versatility of puff pastry so it’s something I usually have around. I took the pastry and made cuts on two sides so that it could be braided.  I spread about 2TB of Nutella in the middle and topped with about 4 TB of ricotta on top. Braid the pastry, brush with egg whites and top with nuts. Easy peasy. Just put the prepared pastry in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes. Voila – you have something delicious to celebrate Nutella!

french toast waffles

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What do you do when you send hubby out for bread and he comes back with Texas Toast? Make french toast! I still had the waffle machine out so decided to put the eggy bread in the machine. Turned out to be a great idea, it was so delicious!  Perfect for a lazy weekend breakfast.

French Toast Waffles

2 eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TB sugar
1/4 cup milk
6 slices Texas Toast

Combine the eggs, cinnamon, sugar and milk. Dip the bread into the egg mixture and place into a waffle machine. Sprinkle with icing sugar and enjoy!

a spicy touch and chana wagharia

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I was very excited about the release of another “A Spicy Touch” cookbook. This is the food that I grew up with – Indian food with East African influences. Noorbanu Nimji’s books have been a staple in my house and of most people that I know. They are a great reference for even the most experienced home cook. I was especially excited for this new book since it was co-authored by my friend, Karen Anderson.

This book is beautiful with pictures of mouth-watering food. I especially like the pictures of the different spices and the step-by-step instructions. The pictures help make it easy to know what to look for in the grocery store. The book is hard cover and would make an excellent gift for any foodie!

I love how this fourth book incorporates stories and tips – it is definitely my favourite of the series! Check out the website for more info.

This recipe for Chana Wagharia was super easy to make and was a hit with all the boys. I was happy that I had most of the items in the pantry and took less than 30 minutes to make.

Chana Wagharia
From A Spicy Touch

1 TB olive oil
5 – 6 curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1 Chinese eggplant, cut into bite-size cubes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp Indian chili powder
1 19oz can chick peas
1 TB Ambli Ni Chutney or 1 TB lemon juice
1 TB finely cut coriander leaves

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat and add the curry leaves and mustard seeds. Cook covered until the seeds pop – about 1 minute.

Stir in the tomato, eggplant and salt and cook on medium-low heat – adding a little water if necessary – until eggplant is almost cooked, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the cumin, turmeric, coriander, sugar and chili powder and cook for 4 to 5 minutes more or until the eggplant cubes are cooked and tender when pierced with a fork.

Stir in the chickpeas, Ambli Ni Chutney or lemon juice and simmer for another 5 minutes. The gravy should cover the chickpeas and eggplant.

Stir in the coriander leaves just before serving.