Easy Pulled Jackfruit

New Year's Day is a big celebration around our house. It is my husband's birthday and, in the South, we have to cook a big traditional meal. That meal ( greens, black eyed peas and pork) is supposed to bring us luck and money in the new year. As a vegan, obviously, we won't be eating pork. What do Vegans eat for New Years? 

This year I decided to try one of the latest vegan food trends - Jackfruit. This is an Asian fruit that shreds like meat when cooked. It has a bland flavor which takes on any sauce you cook it in and is perfect for making pulled jackfruit sandwiches! You will probably have to go to an Asian specialty supermarket to find the cans of green jackfruit. Make sure you get the jackfruit in water or brine & not in syrup...that's a whole other thing. 

So...Happy new year!! Go celebrate and try new things!

Looking for some more southern classics?  Try my Buffalo Tempeh over cheeze grits, fried green tomatoes, Banana Pudding Pie, Applesauce Cornbread Muffins, Vegan "Chicken" (jackfruit) Casserole , & Cheezy Butternut Macaroni

Pulled Jackfruit Sandwiches:

I made 6 sandwiches from this recipe...

4 (17oz.) cans of green jackfruit in water, drained.
1 (16oz.) Jar of vinegar based NC BBQ sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce)

1 package of hamburger rolls
Vegan Coleslaw (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 450.

2. spread your jackfruit out on a greased 11x13 casserole dish.

3. Cook for about 20 minutes, stirring after about 10 minutes. Continue to cook until jackfruit begins to brown on the edges and no longer looks transparent.

4. Remove jackfruit from the oven and toss with 2/3 of your BBQ sauce. Place back in the oven about 10 minutes.

5. Remove jackfruit and allow to cool about 10 minutes.

6. Using 2 forks, pull your jackfruit apart. It should resemble shredded meat. Make sure you pull the rougher core pieces, and large seeds apart also for a better texture. 

7. Place jackfruit on your roll and enjoy!

Serve with vegan coleslaw for authentic NC BBQ sandwiches. 

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Vegan Fried Green Tomatoes

Living in NC, I have grown up around the most amazing soul food cooks in the world. Trust me when I say you don't know soul food until a southern grandma cooks for you!! This is a southern classic. One of my friends, Traci Carr, taught me 15+ years ago & something every Southern lady must know how to cook. Tonight I was inspired by my husband to create an amazing fried green tomatoes recipe worthy of a true southern kitchen & I impressed myself in the process!!! 

None of this would have been possible without the discovery of  aquafaba... The liquid in a can of chic peas! Anyone interested in learning more about cooking and baking with this vegan magic, check out the Facebook page - Vegan Aquafaba & Meringues

Looking for More Southern Style Vegan Food?  Try Smothered Chick'n over garlic mashed potatoes , Banana Pudding Pie, Vegan Sunday Dinner , Buffalo Tempeh over Cheeze Grits

Vegan Fried Green Tomatoes:

2 green tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup unsweetened plant milk
3 Tbsp aquafaba
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup corn meal
1/4 - 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional )
Salt & pepper
Oil to fry

Heat oil in deep frying pan over medium heat.

Combine milk, aquafaba, flour, corn meal, chili powder, salt & pepper in a bowl. Stir to make a wet mixture similar to a pancake batter.

Test oil to make sure its ready to fry by dropping a few drops of water into the pan, if it sizzles, it's ready.

Pat your tomato slices dry with a clean dish towel.

Dip green tomatoes into batter to coat.

Place in warm oil to fry.

Fry until golden brown on each side and allow to cool on a paper towel.

Sprinkle with salt while fresh out the oil if desired.

Serve hot with a spicy vegan ranch or top with hot sauce and layer between bread for a delicious vegan sandwich.

Makes 4 servings.

Buffalo Tempeh over Cheeze Grits

Living in the South, I knew replacing my favorite "soul foods" would be a priority in my transitioning from Vegetarian to Vegan. You can't expect a Southern girl to give up her biscuits and cheese grits! I had to figure out a way to enjoy my Southern classics Vegan style.

One meal my husband used to adore was "Shrimp and Grits". This is a southern classic with fried,  spicy shrimp served over cheesy grits with sausage. Southerners are very picky about this dish. it ranks up there with a proper sweet tea, biscuit and mac -n- cheese. This is, obviously, not Shrimp and grits. I could have bought vegan shrimp, but my husband would have (at this point, anyways) totally rejected the idea of vegan shrimp. I would never get him to try something so similar to the dish he loves using a "fake" protein. I had to take that inspiration and make a new Vegan classic dish up for my family.

First, I had this meal for brunch and I smiled all day long. This is "Vegan Soul Food!" It made me warm, sleepy and happy...all the things a good Southern meal will do to you afterwards. I just made the Biscuits to show off my Southern Girl skills. I knew we needed them if I was going to make a real southern meal! The only thing missing from this meal was my Banana Pudding Pie , Vegan fried Green Tomatoes , NC Style Pulled Jackfruit Sandwhiches , Vegan Chick'n (jackfruit) Casserole and a big glass of overly sweet iced tea in a mason jar. Hope you get the feeling of the south with this meal.

Crispy Buffalo Tempeh over Vegan Cheese Grits:

1 package of Tempeh, sliced into 1/4" strips

Olive oil 

Buffalo sauce of your choice

2 cups of freshly cooked Grits (cooked according to package)

2 Tbsp Earth Balance Vegan butter

1/4 cup Vegan cheddar style shreds

1 Tbsp Nutritional Yeast Flakes

1 tsp Chia Seeds

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tempeh strips and cook until golden brown on both sides. Place strips on a paper towel to drain any extra oil. 

Add butter, cheese, nutritional yeast and chia seeds to your freshly cooked grits and stir to incorporate. ( You can add more butter and cheese to taste)

Toss tempeh in buffalo sauce to coat. Place tempeh on top of grits and serve.

Vegan "Cheddar Bay Biscuits"     

2 1/4 cups Bisquick ( Yes it's Vegan!!)

2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup Vegan cheddar style shreds 

Earth Balance Vegan butter

Preheat oven to 450.

Stir Bisquick, milk, garlic powder, and cheese together until a soft dough forms.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 10 times.

Roll dough out 1/2" thick and cut with 2 1/2" cutter ( should make about 8 biscuits)

Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake 8- 10 mins, until golden brown.

Brush tops of biscuits with butter and serve.

I will probably add a little crumbled vegan sausage to my grits next time I try it, just for that "shrimp and grits" feel, but this definitely made my day. A southern Style classic made in under 30 mins and good enough for any Southern table. Let me know how you like the recipe.