Jackfruit is taking over the markets! Many vegans, vegetarians, and even meat lovers have turned to jackfruit as an alternative to meat! Grown in tropical places, this fruit has a consistency similar to chicken or pork. Great for BBQ tacos! Now you may be wondering how a fruit could even compare to BBQ pulled pork tacos. Well, jackfruit has a neutral flavor that often takes the flavoring of any sauces or seasonings you pair with it, like BBQ sauce! Another benefit of jackfruit is that it is very nutritious. Unlike meats, it contains no saturated fat or cholesterol. It is also low in sodium and low in calories. Jackfruit is a great source of fiber too. You must be thinking, this sounds amazing there has to be a con. Well, the only con is that jackfruit does not contain the same amount of protein as other meat sources. In 2oz of jackfruit, there is 1 gram of protein, whereas in that same amount of chicken there are 21 grams of protein. It is important to note that the seeds of the fruit contain the greatest amount of protein. However, jackfruit pairs well with grains, like quinoa, and brown rice, which can provide additional protein to your meal making it an overall healthy and nutritious meat alternative.
Ripe jackfruit is often eaten like other fruits, or frozen and ate as a dessert. Young, unripe jackfruit is used as the meat alternative. It can be found canned and also in pouches in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Unripe jackfruit is great for tacos, burritos, curries, bowls, or stir-fries. Make sure to rinse the young jackfruit before using it. Often times it is packed with water and salt to preserve the freshness of the fruit. From here you can do almost anything with it! Cuisine for Healing has perfected our recipe for jackfruit BBQ tacos. Try this recipe next time you want to try an alternative to meat.
Cuisine for Healing Jackfruit Tacos
Ingredients
- 5 cups jackfruit, 14oz can
- 1⁄3 cup BBQ sauce
- 1⁄2 cup red cabbage, shredded
- 1⁄2 cup green cabbage, shredded
- 1⁄4 cup pineapple, diced
- 1⁄4 cup lime juice
- 1⁄4 cup carrots, shredded
- 1⁄4 cup green onions, diced
- 6 corn tortillas
Cilantro Lime Rice
- 1⁄2 dry brown rice
- 1⁄2 dry quinoa
- 1⁄3 cup lime juice
- 1⁄3 cup cilantro
- 2 tsp cumin
Directions
- Shred jackfruit, rinse and drain well, pat dry with a paper towel. Lay on a tray and bake for 5 minutes to dry out the jackfruit. Mix with BBQ sauce
- Prepare the pineapple slaw, shred cabbages and carrots, finely dice pineapple and mix together, add lime juice to taste.
- Make quinoa/ rice mix coat mix with cilantro lime dressing.
- Plate the jackfruit in the tortillas, place the slaw in a 4 oz cup, and plate the rice/quinoa mix on the side.
Resource: https://www.today.com/food/what-jackfruit-how-eat-it-bbq-pulled-pork-recipe-t106938
