Good Food & Great Friends

This last weekend our good friends - Jeff, Cara-Leigh, and Hudson - came to BC, Canada to visit us on the Okanagan! We had such a fun time, lots of laughs...and some great meals from my all-time favourite cookbook - REBAR. (The restaurant in Victoria, BC is AMAZING, also a family favourite). Below are not any recipes from Rebar, however it was Jeff's birthday meal and it was incredible too...one of Care's recipes that I love :)

FISH TACOS!



Start with homemade tortillas from the Rebar cookbook




My Oh Mahi, That's a Good Fish Taco


1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 jalapeño chile, seeded and finely chopped
1 small red onion, one-quarter finely chopped, the remainder thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, grated or finely chopped
One can black beans (15 ounces), rinsed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
Juice of 2 limes, plus 2 teaspoons grated peel
1/2 head red cabbage, shredded
1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro (a generous handful)
4 mahi mahi fillets -or use any white fish (I use tilapia)
8 corn taco shells
8 flour tortillas
1 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
 

In a medium skillet, heat 1tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add the jalapeño, chopped red onion and garlic and cook for 4 minutes. In a small bowl, mash the black beans with the cumin and season with salt and pepper; add jalapeno mixture. cover.
In a large bowl, combine 2 tablespoons oil with the honey, hot sauce and lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Add the sliced onion, cabbage and cilantro; toss.
Pre-heat a grill or grill pan to medium. Coat the fish with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the lime peel. Cover and grill the fish, turning once, for 8 minutes.
Warm the taco shells and tortillas on the grill. Spread a few spoonfuls of mashed beans (stir 1 to 2 tablespoons hot water into the beans if too thick) on the outside of the tacos, and wrap a tortilla around each one, pressing to adhere.
Flake half a piece of fish into each taco shell and top with some cabbage slaw. Serve 2 tacos per person, with the crème fraîche and extra slaw on the side.
 


I think my favourite part is the red cabbage slaw. Amazing. We also attempted homemade crème fraîche...however next time it will be wise to start it 48 hrs in advance ;)

Birthday Cake



The Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Yogurt Cake....a family favourite!! Try it with a blueberry sauce on top. (I use a lot less sugar in the syrup).


One afternoon Care and I decided to go take some fun photos. She was experimenting with her new camera and I with my new LENS!! the 50mm f1.2 ! I LOVE it!