Pulled Jackfruit (Vegan)

Pulled Jackfruit stacked on corn tortillas, with vegan yogurt;
purple cabbage slaw; cherry tomatoes; avocados
served along side sweet corn and grapes.

Recipe from LazyCatKitchen

Husband-Tested in Alice's Kitchen

Makes 8-10 servings

This dinner made the husband VERY happy.  I loved it too.  It is not something to serve on a first date unless you plan to hose each other down afterwards.  Anyway, this tastes fabulous. It is so interesting to me that when prepared like this, jackfruit tastes amazingly like a pulled pork.  But no little piggy was harmed in the making of this dish. 

The thing is, this jackfruit recipe can be and should be prepared the day before you plan to serve to get optimal flavor.  The recipe below is for the jackfruit portion with suggestions about what to serve it with.  Be sure to purchase jackfruit in brine and not syrup.  I buy cans of jackfruit in brine at Trader Joe's.  

4 Tablespoons olive oil

1 medium red onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 pinch ground cinnamon

2-3 pinches ground cloves

1 teaspoon sambal oelek (This is Indonesian chili paste that we think tastes amazing.  It can be found in the Asian section of a supermarket.  It comes in a jar.  It keeps for a long time in the fridge once open. You can substitute chili powder, if need be.)

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

2 (20 ounce) cans jackfruit in brine

4 Tablespoons soy sauce

3 Tablespoons maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon white or black pepper

2 teaspoons liquid smoke

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

For the best flavor, prepare this a day in advance.  Drain and rinse the jackfruit.  (The jackfruit pieces will be triangular in shape.  The pointy part of the triangle is part of the core, perfectly edible.  You can mince this if you wish, but I don't bother.  I just pull the triangles apart into shreds.  The jackfruit will become quite tender like pulled pork once it's cooked. There are also little round seed-like pieces as well.  We eat them too.)  Shred the jackfruit pieces after rinsing in water.  Set aside.  

Heat the olive oil in a medium, heavy bottomed pan.  Saute the onion until softened and lightly caramelized.  Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, cinnamon, cloves to the onion mixture.  Saute for a minute or so.  Mix in the tomato and chili paste.  Now add the prepared jackfruit along with the soy sauce, maple syrup, liquid smoke, and apple cider vinegar.  Stir well.  Season with the pepper.  Simmer the mixture gently for another 10-15 minutes.  (If it gets too dry, you can add a couple of tablespoons of water.)  Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.  Place the jackfruit mixture in the fridge overnight.

Just before you are ready to assemble the tacos/sandwiches, preheat the oven to 390F.  Spread the jackfruit mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a little browned.  

Serving suggestions:  Corn tortillas or whole-wheat flour tortillas or whole-grain hamburger buns; vegan or dairy yogurt or sour cream; purple cabbage slaw* (directions below); tomatoes; avocado chunks; Quick Pickled Red Onions; salsa; lettuces; lime wedges; cilantro; Homemade Guacamole

*Purple Cabbage Slaw:  Shred some purple cabbage into a large bowl.  Squeeze the juice of one lime over the cabbage.  Sprinkle with salt, to taste.  Massage the cabbage for about 1 minute.  It will become more limp and tender.  Add some minced cilantro, if you wish.  Set this aside or chill in the fridge until ready to serve on the tacos.

Hot & Sour Soup (Instant Pot Recipe)

(Instant Pot/Vegetarian)

Makes 8 servings

Recipe from simplyvegetarian777.com 

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

I don’t mind chopping and measuring out ingredients if the end result is great.  This company-worthy soup is totally worth any effort.  It may seem daunting, but it’s actually very easy in the Instant Pot once the ingredients are prepped. When the ingredients are ready, the soup will come together quickly. It tastes great the next day, so perfect for guests.

Broth Ingredients

(Broth can be made in advance.)

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 Tablespoon grated ginger

¼ cup brown rice vinegar or rice vinegar

4 Tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

1 teaspoon red chili paste or sambal oelek

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

Vegetable Ingredients

7 scallions, sliced diagonally

1 large carrot, thinly sliced or julienned

2 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced

10 button mushrooms, thinly sliced (baby bellas or shiitake mushrooms may be used)

5 oz. can of bamboo shoots, drained and thinly sliced

1 cup extra firm tofu, drained, pressed and cut into small cubes

Other Ingredients

3 Tablespoons corn starch

3 Tablespoons water

1-3 large eggs, beaten (I used 2 eggs.)

Insert the inner pot inside your Instant Pot and plug it in.  Place all the Broth Ingredients into the inner pot.  Stir well.  Close the lid and set the valve to Sealing. Pressure cook on High for 2 minutes.  Once the time goes off, use the Quick Pressure Release.  When the pin has dropped, open the lid.  The broth is now ready to use or to store for later.  Add the Vegetable Ingredients to the broth.  Stir well.  Cover with a lid.  Cook on High Sauté mode for 3 minutes.  Once the timer goes off, remove the lid and stir.  In a small bowl, combine the corn starch and 3 Tablespoons water to make a slurry.  This will thicken the soup a bit.  Add the slurry to the soup and stir well.  Drizzle the beaten eggs in a stream far above the pot.  Keep stirring the soup with a spoon or single chopstick in a stirring motion.  This will help in making the popular egg ribbon or thread in the soup.  Set the Instant Pot on High Sauté mode and cook for an additional 3 minutes. 

Now the soup is ready to serve.  You can add a garnish of more sesame oil and scallions.  You can make it more sour by adding more rice vinegar. You can make it more spicy by adding more chili paste.  You can add more vegetables of your choice, if you wish.  You can omit the eggs to make this vegan.

Nutritional Information: (1 of 8 servings) 139 calories; 8 g fat (1 sat fat; 0 trans-fat; 6 g unsaturated fat); 70 mg cholesterol; 1221 mg sodium; 3 g fiber; 4 g sugars; 8 g protein

Sweet & Spicy Miso Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Sambal Tahini Mayo (Vegan)

Recipe from PickUpLimes

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Makes 2-3 servings

Well, this just knocked our socks off!  Wowza!  I’m excited to find another fabulous recipe using sweet potatoes.  Make this now!!

Sweet Potatoes

3 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed

1 Tablespoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons miso paste

2 teaspoons sambal oelek

2 teaspoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

Spicy Sambal Tahini Mayo

1 Tablespoon vegan mayo

1 Tablespoon tahini

2 teaspoons water

1 teaspoon sambal oelek

1 teaspoon sodium reduced soy sauce or tamari sauce

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Keep the skin on the potatoes for extra crispiness and fiber, if desired.  Otherwise, peel the potatoes.  (I keep the skin on.). Wash and cut the sweet potatoes into wedges.

To a large bowl or pie plate, combine the sesame oil, miso paste, sambal, maple syrup, and ginger.  Use a fork to mash and mix to combine.  Add the sweet potato wedges and toss to coat. 

Transfer the coated sweet potatoes to a parchment lined baking sheet.  Roast at 350F for 35-40 minutes or until for tender and golden on the edges.  Tip:  once the potatoes are baked, you can crisp them up a bit more by turning on the broiler and broiling them for 1-2 minutes.

While the potatoes are roasting, make the mayo.  Add all the mayo ingredients to a small bowl and mix to combine.  You can serve the sweet potatoes drizzled with the mayo or you can serve the mayo as a dipping sauce.

You can store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.  They are best reheated in the oven.  You can also roast other vegetables such as bell peppers, carrots or zucchini for this recipe.

Apple, Green Onion, and Jalapeño Salsa

Recipe from Bon Appétit December 2004
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

I have to say that my husband and friends absolutely loved this salsa, especially with the Cumin-Scented Beet Latkes. (Recipe on this blog.) It’s cool and crisp with a sweet sour taste, perfect with earthy beets. I think this would be delicious with a pork dish too.

1 1/2 pounds Fuji apples, peeled, halved, cored (I used Pink Lady apples because they were available.)
1/2 cup minced green onions
2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño chilies (I didn’t have any jalapenos, so I used 1 scant teaspoon of Sambel Oelek, which is found in the Asian section of Lost River Market & Deli. It comes in a jar.)
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
4 teaspoons (packed) finely grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons honey

Coarsely grate apples into strainer set over large bowl. Press and turn apples to drain off excess juices. Transfer apples to medium bowl; stir in green onions and chilies. Whisk lemon juice, honey, and lemon peel in small bowl to blend; mix into apples. Season salsa to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)