I’ve been seeing lots of recipes for jackfruit lately, from plain old jackfruit pulled pork, to Korean inspired crockpot bulgogi jackfruit. Time to continue on the jackfruit train before it leaves without me. I have to start with a confession today: I don’t really like tacos. Wait, no! It’s not that I don’t like them, I just don’t get them. You see I didn’t grow up eating tacos, I actually only heard of tacos a few years ago, then tried my first one maybe a year or two ago. In Singapore where I grew up, Mexican food is not really a thing, so it’s not that surprising that tacos are something very strange to me.
This hearty taco recipe features soft corn tortillas, flavourful green pesto with kale, pine nuts, and zucchini, meaty BBQ jackfruit and corn kernels – doesn’t these sound like the perfect combo? These simple vegan BBQ jackfruit & kale pesto tacos are perfect for a Mexican night, or as a quick dinner on any weeknight. Doesn’t the pulled jackfruit look super real? Like pulled pork? Jackfruit is a tropical fruit which lends itself particularly well to faking it as meat. Faking it as pulled pork, more specifically. I can confirm this is not a hallucination caused by sleep deprivation, and this is indeed lip smacking delicious. It is good for you. It’s low in fat and high in fibre, vitamins and minerals. It is fruit, after all. It of course doesn’t have a lot of protein though, which is its one shortcoming in the fake meat stakes.
Okay, jackfruit seriously is the coolest fruit ever. I mean how crazy is it that you can use a fruit to make vegan pulled pork?! I know we plant-based foodies always get a bit crazy with our food, but this is just kinda insane, right?! Haha! But believe me, it’s soooo extremely delicious and the texture is just out of this world. Ok, I have to admit I still have no idea how to eat tacos (do not laugh). Those hard taco shells break at the first bite and everything falls on your plate. And the soft shells get super soggy after a few minutes and yes, those are also hard to eat. There should be tutorials on how to eat them properly, and if I could get over these difficulties I think I could finally fully enjoy them. Because trust me, I love tortillas, I love all those filling options, it’s only that I’m really unsure how not to look like a mess on taco nights hahaha ya feel me? So yes, I still struggle eating these babies, but I won’t give up! Tacos are on our menu more and more often.
I’ve actually never, ever tried pulled pork so I don’t know if it tastes similar, but it sure as heck looks like it! Even I was confused when I saw the pulled jackfruit in the pan after pouring the bbq sauce on top – and I was making the food! Tacos are my “single girl” food. You know, the food that you make whenever your partner, kids, or roommates are out of town and you get to sit down and be really honest about what you and only you feel like eating? I never tire of them and am always looking for ways to amp up my taco game. I don’t know who first thought of using jackfruit to make vegan pulled pork, but to the person who first had that idea: “Thanks so much! You’re a real genius!!” Adding vegetables to your meals is a necessarily way to incorporate a healthier lifestyle. And these bbq jackfruit is a great way to start. You won’t even realise that it’s meatless because it tasted just like pulled pork. And on top of tacos? I am speechless.
I’m a firm believer that it’s always a good time for tacos. Period. Backyard bbq? Check. Rainy night in? Check. Breakfast? Triple check. Lately we’ve been in major clean eating mode but we knew that we couldn’t let that get in the way of our weekly taco addiction habit. Meatless dinner shouldn’t be boring, don’t you agree? This is how you attack a taco Thursday or any taco night, meatless way!
IF YOU EVER GIVE THIS RECIPE A TRY, DO LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND/OR TAG @FRUITYEMZ AND HASHTAG #FRUITYEMZ ON YOUR INSTAGRAM POST! 🙂
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