Thursdays are throwback day, when I take a classic dish that is generally made with animal ingredients and reimagine it vegan. I tried to stick to the classic dish, here, but feel free to have fun with this. Use more or different veggies, mix in some vegan cheese, leave out the jackfruit and just use the veggies- whatever you like. I want you to have fun in the kitchen, and following rules/recipes is only so fun on it's own. I wish I could feed this to my great gran, but at least I'm serving it in her old Corningware dish, so that's got to count for something. Food is one way we keep the memories of our lost loved ones alive, and as I share this meal with my family, I'm reminded of the times my gran made this for me. Recipe1 can green jackfruit in brine, marinated overnight* 2 sheets sushi nori for marinating jackfruit* 3 cups dry Rotini, cooked according to package, but a little firm 2 ribs celery, chopped finely 6 crimini (or button) mushrooms chopped finely 1/2 yellow onion, chopped finely 2 cups frozen peas veg. oil of choice 1 cup cashews** 2.5 cups water** salt and pepper to taste 1/2- 1 cup crushed chips Preheat oven to 375 F Sauté the celery, onion, and mushrooms until they start to just get a bit browned on the edges on medium high heat, and then add jackfruit. Toss jackfruit in and stir until the flavors are all integrated. Add salt and pepper and let jackfruit get warm and coated without browning, then add peas to pan. While peas are defrosting, blend cashews and water in high speed blender until completely liquified. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the cashew and water mixture into pan and combine everything and combine well as cashew cream and veggie mixture heats up and cashew cream will begin to thicken. You don't need to fully thicken it in the pan, because it will finish in the oven. Top the casserole with crushed chips of your choosing or vegan cheese of your choice, or corn flakes smashed up, or nutritional yeast. Go crazy. Do your thing. Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes and then let cool before serving (because it's 375 degrees, you know... *Jackfruit Tuna: drain a can of jackfruit and put in a gallon ziplock bag. Seal the bag and smash the jackfruit with your hand until it's a similar texture to canned tuna. Then open the seal and, with the bag lying flat, lift the top up away from the jackfruit and insert a sheet of nori. Flip the bag over and repeat on the other side, so the jackfruit is surrounded in a nori sandwich. Press down on both sides and then refrigerate overnight. When it's time to use, just pour out jackfruit and allow the nori sheets to stick to the sides of the bag, or include them in your meal for extra flavor. This would be fun for making "tuna" sandwiches or salads. I think it still leaves some fishy taste to be desired. Maybe some kelp powder or dulse flakes would help.
**Mine turned out a little dry, so next time I'd use 1.5 cups cashews and 3-3.5 cups water
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Edited March 2017 to include Instant Pot option below.
When I was a kid, we were really poor, so corned beef and cabbage with potatoes and carrots was an affordable meal. Especially right after St. Patrick's Day, we could get it at super discount price and eat it for weeks. Now, I still like to just make cabbage, carrots, and potatoes for dinner year round, but when it's close to St. Patrick's Day, I crave that unique spice flavor of corned beef, so I decided to recreate it with pickling spices and jackfruit. This did not disappoint and I'm already looking forward to making it again!
2 cans green jackfruit, drained
1 cup water 1 tsp Better Than Bouillion 1 tsp smoked salt Liquid from one can pickled beets 1 bottlePickling Spice in cheesecloth, tea bag, or similar (I used a nut milk bag) Put on low in slow cooker for 3 hours. all together. Once it's all soft and and infused with flavor, use a potato masher to break up the big pieces of jackfruit and you have something that looks like the consistency of shredded meat. Use a slotted spoon get all the jackfruit out and spread out on a foil or parchment lined cookie sheet and toss with oil of your choice, or leave it oil free. Broil it for 10 minutes then stir and broil another 10 minutes, keeping an eye on it so it doesn't burn. Once it's browned, it's ready, so don't over burn it. Serve with boiled cabbage, potatoes, and carrots and yummy mustard.
I added more smoked salt for the broiling, but that made it super salty- which I like but you might not.
Even though I just ate a plate of this, I'm already dreaming of a sandwich made with leftovers. I wish I had some good pumpernickel bread, maybe I'll head out later.
If you want something in a big chunk form, I've made this seitan recipe before and it was a hit: Vegan Corned Beef Seitan
For another version of Corned Jackfruit, check out howFried Dandelions makes hers!
Instant Pot Method UPDATE:
I used the same recipe, although this time I used jarred pickled beets instead of canned (probably inconsequential). In Instant Pot, combine ingredients and set for MANUAL 6 minutes. I did a quick release and it was ready to broil. Way faster, and the flavor was completely in the jackfruit!
The other day, I was at the grocery store reading labels on hummus when my daughter asked, "What are those funny looking cupcakes?" Cupcakes? By the hummus? I looked to where she was pointing, and it was deviled eggs. They ARE kind of cupcake looking, and they are a classic favorite of springtime- from Easter picnics to family brunches. So, what do I do? I make them vegan, of course!
I don't eat eggs anymore, though, and I DO eat another round and delicious food- potatoes! As if potatoes weren't already the greatest thing ever, deviling them makes them pretty, delicious, and gives you a healthy analogue for an animal product.
Classic Deviled Potatoes
12 (or more in case you have some mishaps, I always make extra) baby potatoes
1/3 cup Moong Dal (link below to buy online, also found in Indian markets) 2 generous Tbs vegan mayonnaise (my favorite is Vegenaise, or make your own) pinch Kala Namak (link below to order online, also found in Indian markets) 1/2 tsp dijon mustard salt and pepper to taste Optional: 1-2 Tbsp sweet pickle relish and paprika Begin by cooking your potatoes and lentils. For the potatoes, I use my mother-in-law's trick for making boiled eggs; I cover them by at least a 1/2 inch water, add some salt, and bring to a boil. Once they are boiling, put the lid on and turn off the stove. You are going to leave them like that for about 15-20 minutes, until they are easy to handle, so now you can make your dal. I thought I would get creative and try to make mine in the rice cooker, and it took three tries... I don't recommend it. Instead, make them on the stovetop by adding dal and about 1 cup water and bring to low boil, turning heat down once they are going. Cook until the lentils are soft. You should have about 2/3 of a cup of cooked lentils. You want them not too soupy, so if they there is still a lot of water, drain them carefully.
Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and scoop out the centers. They are delicate and you may break some. I find that a small melon baller gives me the best chances, and I didn't break any this time, but I usually do, and that's why I always make more potatoes than I plan to stuff. I can always find uses for pre-boiled potatoes in my house if I have extras. Put the scooped out centers into a bowl or the food processor. I wanted a creamy texture, so I used the food processor. Sometimes I like them lumpy, because I'm weird, so I smash them with a spoon. This is your kitchen and your rules- so do it your way.
After they are all scooped, do not skip this step: lightly salt your shells! Sometimes I tell myself that the filling is so flavorful that this is a useless step, and I always regret it. Just do it.
Now add your cooked dal, vegan mayo, kala namak, mustard, and salt and pepper and blend until smooth. Kind of looks like hummus, huh? The kala namak is sort of optional. It gives your filling a sulfer-y/eggy taste, so if you don't really like the taste of eggs, leave it out. It's kind of hard to find if you don't have an Indian grocery store nearby, but so are the moong daal. I live in Southern Louisiana, so I order both items online and it's easy. I'll post links below so you can buy them online
Now you have a yummy creamy filling that awaits your personal flair. Today, I wanted classic. I wanted it to taste like my great grandma's kitchen, so I added sweet relish. Some days, I add lots of paprika and dill and lemon zest. Sometimes I add cumin, lime juice, and jalapeños diced up. I've even added wasabi and chopped up ginger so it tastes like sushi. Go crazy. Whatever you want. If you add something chunky, like the relish I added, it's going to be hard to pipe out pretty ones like these... Which is why the bag I was using to pipe these got a clog in my pastry tip and exploded. The ones in the back are just using the bag with no tip and they are still pretty... That's fine. Just don't you a small pastry tip if you have chunks. And, in the interest of transparency, I didn't use a pastry bag, I put a pastry tip in a gallon ziplock. It all works out in the end.
They sure are cute when you use the pastry bag, though.
Let me know what flavors you try with yours in the comments! You can even put them in a little cupcake liner to make your own "funny looking cupcakes."
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AuthorI love cooking and playing in the kitchen with my toys, so let me share that joy with you and your family to bring the FUN back into the kitchen! Categories
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