Hola desde Mexico mis amigos!!!

When my husband and I began serious discussions about family planning, we decided early on that he should take a parental leave for a few months as I would not qualify (oh the joys of being self employed!) and that we should take a month long(ish) trip somewhere warm in the fall / early winter.

As my pregnancy progressed and we took our last trip together as a twosome, we decided our first family trip would be to San Jose del Cabo in California Baja Sur, Mexico. We chose the Baja for a few reasons; 1) you can get a semi-direct flight right from our hometown via Westjet, 2) it’s a relatively quick flight (~5hrs total) and we wanted to test out flying with a baby before committing to a transpacific or transatlantic destination, and 3) the Baja is amazing!

Our stay in San Jose has been a dream, our little Airbnb condo was perfect and we’ve spent our days soaking up the sun, playing with our little babe, filming some new classes for my online studio and eating great food! Normally when we take a trip, seeking out local holes in the wall for amazing, delicious, authentic meals is our go to – but given that Séamus is only 5 months and we decided to not rent a car, our exploration radius on this trip was intentionally small. Rather than that be a barrier, when life hands you limes you make fresh lime soda, am I right?!?

So we shopped at the local market every few days, enjoying all the fresh local ingredients and challenging ourselves to try some new twists to old favourites (full disclosure – we eat various forms tacos, burritos, fajitas and nachos at home on the reg)! By far the following fish taco and fresh cilantro slaw recipe, found on feasting at home was our favourite and I just had to share it :) I’ve also added an easy fresh lime soda and fresh salsa recipe for those who want the full experience.

One month down of Wes’ parental leave, 5 months to go, I’m looking so forward to making lots more delicious meals together and enjoying our new little family… not necessarily looking forward to getting back to Cranbrook and being hit on the head with winter :(

I’ll definitely cherish these memories for some time to come and it’ll be great to share the new Baja themed yoga classes with you all when they hit the site!! Meanwhile, maybe queue up a energy filled vinyasa class and work up an appetite for this tasty meal.

Fresh Lime Soda (per glass)

Ingredients

• 1/2 lime
• 1 can club soda

Instructions

Squeeze juice lime into glass, don’t be scared to get pulp into the cup, add soda water… done!

Fish Taco with Cilantro Lime Cabbage Slaw

(via feasting at home, Chef Sylvia Fountaine)

Ingredients

Meat

• 1–2 lbs grillable white fish ( tilapia, red snapper, mahi-mahi), or
• 1 pound extra firm tofu for our veg/vegan homies

(We also had some leftover rub and slaw and tried it with thinly sliced strips of beef – super tasty as well!)

Spice Rub:

• 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (or sub cayenne and a little smoked paprika)
• for more smoky flavor, add ½  teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)

Cabbage Slaw:

• 1 pound thinly sliced or shredded cabbage ( green and purple is nice)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion, more to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro ( packed), ½ of a large bunch
• 1/4 – 1/2 of a jalapeño, finely chopped, more to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, more to taste
• 2 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. ( See notes for oven or stovetop version)

Rinse and pat dry fish. ( For tofu, read notes below) In a small bowl, stir fish rub spices together. Sprinkle all sides of fish lightly with the spice rub (you most likely will not need all). Set aside.

Place the shredded cabbage in a medium bowl. Toss with the salt. Add the onions, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, olive oil and toss well. Adjust lime, salt, and jalapeño, adding more to taste–you want this to taste tangy and flavourful.

Grease the grill  well before placing fish on it. Turn heat to medium. Grill each side a few minutes, letting grill marks develop and use a metal spatula to flip. Cook until the desired doneness and squeeze with a little lime juice.

Side notes:

If using tofu, place block of tofu on paper towels and press down gently to release more liquid, patting dry. Cut into 1 inch thick,  3 inch long strips for easier grilling. Coat strips lightly with spice rub, grill on well greased grill or pan-sear the tofu, until crispy, in a little olive oil.

Pan-Sear: This is the easiest and quickest way to cook this recipe. Heat up a skillet coated with oil, and pan sear the spice coated fish or tofu,  until golden, crispy and cooked through. Squeeze with lime.

To Bake : If cooking for both vegans and non vegans, you could also place both tofu and fish on a sheet pan in a 400F oven and bake. Coat them both with spices and spray with olive oil.  ( Or mix a little olive oil into the spice mix to create a “paste”, then lather all sides up and bake. The tofu will most likely take longer than the fish to get crispy. Plan on 10-15 minutes for the fish and 20-30 mins for the tofu. Place tortillas right on the oven rack to heat up for the last 5-7 minutes of cooking.

Fresh Salsa (aka: Pica de Gallo)

Ingredients

• 2 fresh Roma tomato
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Onion
• 1 large clove fresh garlic
• 1/2 – 1 chopped fresh jalapeño
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Freshly squeezed lime juice (from 1 lime)
• Pinch of salt (to taste)

Instructions

Finely dice tomato, add chopped onion, garlic, jalapeño, cilantro together in mixing bowl. Add lime juice and salt, mix together. Fresh salsa gets better if allowed to marinate, place in fridge for 2 hours before eating.