Vegan Jackfruit “Pulled Pork”

Hey guys,

I’m sitting here sipping my coffee with my littles thinking back on my weekend and can’t help but smile. Although we still have some sickness lingering, it was a decent weekend. Ryan worked this weekend and Madden got to go and spend the night with my parents Saturday which meant I got some needed quiet time with Knoxy and the book I’m currentlying reading. Something I’ve been longing for since the dip in temperature around here.

Not only did I get some much needed reading time in, but I also got to try a new recipe Ry and I have both been looking forward to: vegan “pulled pork”. Our family recently made quite the leap by cutting out all animal products which means my recipe book was severely diminished. Trying to come up with new meals that everyone will like has been quite the challenge, but this recipe is one that will definitely be sticking around!

Jackfruit is all the rage in and amongst the vegan community and I can see why. I’d like to meet the person who decided to turn this Asian fruit into a meatless dinner. Smoking something illegal for sure. Just kidding…but seriously. Something to remember here when using Jackfruit as a meat replacer is that you want the young Jackfruit. Mature Jackfruit is sweet, desert like even, and especially so it’s been canned in syrup (another wonder as to how somebody thought this one up). For this recipe you’ll want young Jackfruit canned in either water or brine. I know the question your thinking and the answer is yes. It does make a difference, and no the Jackfruit canned in syrup will not work. Trust me on this one folks.

I found the original recipe here. Elisabeth has options for both canned and fresh Jackfruit versions of this recipe! She also goes into more detail regarding the ripeness of fruit and the challenges of using either method!

Vegan Jackfruit “Pulled Pork”

This recipe was enough to feed myself, my husband, 3 year old, and have enough for Ry’s lunch the next day. I would recommend doubling this recipe if your feeding multiple adults or have a family with older children!

3 – 580 ml  (20 oz) cans of young Jackfruit in water or brine

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 onion diced

3 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp brown sugar

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

1 cup vegetable broth

1/2 cup vegan BBQ sauceYou can find Jackfruit at most Asian food markets. Some other grocery stores do carry the canned in syrup variety but as I mention before, this won’t work for this recipe. Also, if your inept in the cooking department like me…liquid smoke can be found with the BBQ sauce in any grocery store…not the spices and baking goods. Duh.

1.  Preheat your oven to 400.
2. Drain and rinse your canned Jackfruit.

3. Cut out the core of each piece, all the while removing any seeds you find. I find it easier to lightly squish the stringy part of the Jackfruit in order to find any hidden seeds.

Cut off the core, it’s the stringy half we want to keep.

Remove any seeds you come across. They can be big or small.

4. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and saute your diced onion until translucent. Add the garlic, and saute for another minute or two.

5. Add your Jackfruit, sugar, spices, and liquid smoke to the pan. Stir until the Jackfruit is covered evenly.

*Note: Stabbing yourself with a knife is not a requirement for this recipe. You’d think after years of filling out hazard assessments in the oil and gas industry, i’d learn NOT to use the wrong tool for the job (ie. cutting the plastic off of a bottle of liquid smoke). Thank god for Ry Guy, my wannabe medic. Thanks babe. Moving on…

6. Add your vegetable broth. Cover and let simmer for approximately 10 minutes until absorbed.

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7. Spread the Jackfruit over a lined cookie sheet (Those silicone baking sheets are the bomb. I highly recommend) and use your spoon to break apart any large chunks that remain. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

8. Remove from oven and mix in your BBQ sauce. Bake again for another 10 minutes to brown. Take this time to prep your buns or any other extras for you sandwiches!

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9. Enjoy!

It looks very similar to pulled pork! You don’t quite get the same chewy “meat” texture, but the taste is there for sure which is something I will not be complaining about. Not only that, but there aren’t a million ingredients and preservatives like many of the meatless meat options out there!

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as we did. We’ll definitely be exploring more with Jackfruit so stay tuned!

Lo xo

 

Curtain Close On Summer 2017

Hey Guys,

Welcome to Casa Del Vega. Probably the most beautiful home base we’ve had all summer, with most definitely the best riding. This spot had Ry and I shaking our heads all weekend. Only 2 hours from home, free, great riding, great camping, gorgeous, and secluded. That’s right folks…up until now we’ve been paying ridiculous park fees (kidding we always get our park pass each year) reservations fees and so on, only to sit by our campfire and enjoy the view of our neighbours and their lacklustre taste in music. Needless to say we’ll be seeking similar options to this next summer, and will most certainly coming back here as well.

This trip however beautiful and cost effective was not without its struggles. Crown land means no power (comment on how first world this is and I’ll laugh in your face). If any of you love to camp in the later months with two young children, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. The cold factor here in Canada is a real thing my friends and this weekend was proof. Now our trailer luckily has a propane furnace/ac. It not so luckily needs at least some kind of electricity to keep that furnace running hot, otherwise it likes to blow that beautiful cool air we love in the summer. What I mean to say, is that we needed that furnace this weekend but didn’t have it. Nobody likes to run their truck or genny for hours on end so we were chilly to say the least. I managed to catch a cold just the day before we left. This would turn out to be the first time I’d been sick in over a year, and probably the worst I’d been in even longer. No heat and this quickly got worse. It spread to the whole family and by the time we were ready to leave Sunday we were all pretty haggard.

Sickness aside, we had an amazing time. The riding was awesome. I missed out quite a bit but the boys and friends of ours got to enjoy the copious amounts of trails readily available. Unlike a lot of the places we’d been this year, whoops were the main attraction. By Sunday, both Ry and I felt like we’d done leg day multiple days in a row. I’m beginning to think that I should just scrap the gym next summer and ride my ass off…literally.

Without Mad Man’s PW50 in tow, one of us was always doubling with him on the quad (another workout in itself). Unfortunately his bike was in the shop for this last trip but I don’t think he minded in the least. By the end of the weekend he was standing and using his legs to absorb the shock from the whoops and following everything Ry was doing up ahead on his bike. Progression. I love watching him catch on and apply little things to his own riding. If I ever doubted how much children learn by observing others, I certainly don’t now.

One thing I can say is that kids who are outside and experiencing life are definitely the happiest. Ry and I have always said that we didn’t have kids so that we could leave them alone with a babysitter while we went out and enjoyed our pass times. Our kids come everywhere with us, and we’ve tried our best to start them out in the same sports and environments that we enjoy so that in future they can enjoy as well. Some people might think that such things as moto are too expensive to waste on children but I just shake my head. We aren’t buying “things” (ie. Equipment), were buying memories (ie. Camping and Riding with family and friends). My kids won’t remember how much these things cost but they’ll certainly remember the amount of times we spent together.

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My kids are happiest outside that’s for sure. Eating dirt, collecting sticks and rocks to paint later, exploring, anything that involves not being indoors. This is especially true if it comes to changing. I packed multiples changes of clothes but i’m pretty sure Madden wore the same pair of riding pants all weekend. I managed to get new gonch on him every morning but that’s about the extent of that.

Anyways…I can tell I’m rambling annnnd I may or may not have children begging for attention! Hope you all enjoyed your weekend as much as we did.

Lo xo