Food Mamma

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breakfast

oeb breakfast co.

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I’ve been wanting to check out OEB Breakfast Co. for a while now and I finally got an opportunity a couple of weeks ago. I had attempted once before but the over one hour wait was not going to work for my little guy. This time, I met a friend early on a weekday and we were seated within a few minutes. Definitely the best time to go.

Opened almost four years ago, this cute little place is located conveniently on Edmonton Trail. The menu is extensive and it was so hard to decide what to have. I had heard many things about their Box’d breakfasts and thought I’d give one of those a try.  I went with A-Lott A-Lox -poached eggs, herb potatoes, Quebec curds, cured salmon, fresh dill, Spanish capers, brown butter hollandaise – all served in a little takeout box.

The food was so good! The eggs were cooked perfectly and the soft yolk oozed over the herb potatoes and cheese curds. The salmon was fresh and the hollandaise was perfect.

My friend had the vegetarian option and the eggs sprinkled with paprika and sitting on top of avocado and tomatoes looked so delicious.

There are still so many menu items to try, I can’t wait for my next visit. Breakfast anyone?

OEB Breakfast Co. on Urbanspoon

fibre 1 almond & cluster delight cereal…and a box for you!

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Having an energetic four year old means I need to ensure he has the proper breakfast to keep him going during the day. As much as I try and tempt him with eggs, his first choice is always cereal. I always try to look for cereal that is nutritious but will get him excited. With 40% of your daily-recommended intake of fibre in one bowl, I was happy to find that the new Fibre 1 Almond & Cluster Delight Cereal kept both him and his mamma happy.

The sweet cereal was tasty and filling and the flakes had quite the crunch. My favourite were the almond-filled clusters and the slivered almonds – I am a bit of a nut freak. It was perfect with milk but also great to take on the go for a quick snack for Q…and me!

Want to try a box for yourself? Head on over to the Life Made Delicious Facebook page where, until June 25th, you can order a coupon for a free box. If you prefer, you can choose a coupon for one box of Honey Nut Cheerios Hearty Oat Crunch. The coupon will be redeemable for one day only, July 16th.  While you’re on their Facebook page, be sure to check out the other great products that they have launched such as Nature Valley, Fibre 1 bars, Golden Grahams OR Cinnamon Toast Crunch treats. The coupon for these tasty treat can be redeemed on July 23rd.

Disclosure – I am participating in the Fibre
1 Almond & Cluster Delight Cereal blogger campaign by Mom Central
Canada on behalf of General Mills. I received compensation as a thank
you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on
this blog are my own.

meyer lemon curd

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Every time I bring home some meyer lemons, I always think I’m going to make some curd and then never get around to it. This time, I was determined to make it happen and I’m so glad I did!

Lemon curd is made by combining lemon juice with butter, eggs and sugar and cooking it into a custard. This tangy and sweet curd is bright, both in taste and colour, I used a recipe by Ina Garten and it was super easy to make. The result was a curd that was luscious and creamy.


Light and refreshing, the curd is perfect with fruit, spread on toast or even served with a slice of some peppercorn shortbread.

Meyer Lemon Curd
From Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa

3 lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
4 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Using a carrot peeler, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.

Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.

Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. The lemon curd will thicken at about 170 degrees F, or just below simmer. Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate.

kashi and heart health month

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With Valentine’s Day being in February, it seems appropriate that it is Heart Health Month. 

Kashi has a new addition to its family of natural foods – Blueberry Oat Clusters and Flakes, just in time for Heart Health Month. Each cup of this cereal contains 6 grams of protein and offers 45
percent of the daily amount of fibre shown to help lower cholesterol. 

Q loved the blueberry taste and I liked having both the flakes and the clusters – you don’t have to choose!

Kashi wants you to try a box for yourself.  Enter below for your chance to win!

chocolate zucchini bread

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We were lucky to get some home grown zucchini from hubby’s co-worker this year. The possibilities of things to make with them were endless – bread, fritters, pasta…What I really wanted though was chocolate zucchini bread.  I searched for a recipe but most called for canola oil, which we had totally run out of.  I was happy when I found a recipe from Tara from seven spoons.  I loved that the recipe called for so much zucchini – what a great vehicle for eating your veggies!  Q has become a little nut monster lately so he got to pick what we used.  His nut of choice for the bread – pecans.  This bread was so good, it didn’t last long at all.  It was amazing with a tall glass of milk. Q loved it and I was happy for him to have seconds because of all the greens that were baked in. The last batch of the zucchini went into two more loaves today.  So good!  Thanks T for the zucchini and thanks Tara for the great recipe.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
adapted from seven spoons

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups shredded zucchini

Preheat an oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease two loaf pans.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the nuts and chocolate. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil and buttermilk. Add the eggs, sugar and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Stir in the zucchini.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stir until combined, taking care not over mix. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans and bake, rotating once, until a cake tester inserted into the loaf comes out almost clean, which should be around 50 minutes. Cool loaves in their pans on a rack for 20 minutes.

egg boats

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Hard to believe my sister is getting married in two weeks! With her and her fiance living in two different countries, it’ll be nice for them to finally be together.

Before my sister and her fiance headed out of town for one last adventure before their wedding, we had a little family breakfast as a send off.  We had lots of sweets – pain au chocolat, tres leches cake, chocolate chip cookies.  We also had fresh fruit, turkey bacon, chicken sausages, hashbrowns, samosas…and egg boats!

I was going to do my usual frittata.  Always a hit and super easy, it’s one of my go-to breakfasts.  I came across this egg boat though on Pinterest and knew I had to change it up.

This recipe comes from the site Spoon Fork Bacon.  I loved the idea of the eggs baked into the bread with all those veggies.  The result was a very tasty breakfast and something a little different.

Instead of using mini baguettes, we used two long ones to feed the crowd.  I kind of wish I did one more to enjoy for breakfast the next day. This recipe is definitely a keeper!

Egg Boats
Adapted from Spoon Fork Bacon

1 long baguette
6 eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated cheddar
2 green onions, sliced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut a deep “V” through the top of the baguette until about a 1/2 inch to the bottom. Partially unstuff the baguettes.

Place the eggs and cream into a mixing bowl and lightly beat together. Whisk in the remaining ingredients and lightly season with salt and pepper.

Pour the mixture into the baguette boat and place onto a baking sheet.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown, puffed and set in the center.

Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, cut and serve.

stampede breakfast with pancakes and beans

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It’s Stampede time in our beautiful city of Calgary, which means an abundance of pancakes, cowboy hats and country music.  For 10 days, people come together to celebrate “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth“.

This past weekend, we attended the Ismaili Muslim Community Stampede Breakfast.  Feeding nearly 5000, this is the 14th year of the annual breakfast.  This year, the community partnered with the United Way of Calgary, and the Ismaili float was decorated to highlight the importance of high school completion for overall lifetime success

It was so great to have friends and co-workers join us at this event.  Everyone enjoyed the pancakes, eggs and bharazi – an East African dish of pigeon peas in coconut curry.  Since so many requested the recipe, I called up my aunt who is on the catering committee and she shared the recipe which is below.  She is a genius at cooking and she was able to rattle the recipe off in seconds.

Bharazi (Pigeon Peas in Coconut Curry)

1 can of pigeon peas, drained
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp green chilis, blended
1/4 tsp garlic
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 can of coconut milk
1/4 can of evaporated milk
cilantro
salt

Cook the onion in oil until softened.  Add the tomatoes, spices and milk and cook until mixture starts boiling.  Add peas and cook until curry thickens.  Finish the dish off with a generous amount of cilantro.

a delicious way to start the morning: fried egg sandwich from cafe mauro

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We’re less than a month away from our big office move.  I know many of my co-workers will miss Cafe Mauro, which is located in the lobby of our building.  Everyone raves about Sal’s sandwiches – the bocconcini sandwich served on top of focaccia or the chicken parmesan on toasted baguette.  My favorite meal though at Cafe Mauro is breakfast; in particular the Fried Egg Sandwich.

Nestled between two pieces of toasted and buttered sourdough bread are juicy tomatoes, the fried egg and provolone cheese.  Its a simple sandwich but so delicious, and a great way to start the day.

Caffe Mauro on Urbanspoon