Jackfruit
Back in the day when we used to eat meat, we used to love pulled pork. It was very heavy and fatty, and after eating it, we never felt well. So, last year, we were at an art festival and there was a vendor selling pulled vegan pork! I said-what?! Not being one for fake processed vegan foods, I wanted to see what they were making. They let me taste it, and I was hooked! Once I came home to research what jackfruit is, I found it to be lacking in terms of nutrition. It's a fruit, so, it doesn't have any protein or bulk. As a main meal, I knew this wouldn't cut it for my hubby. So-why not add in some white beans?! They'll boost the nutritional content, add additional fiber, magnesium, and potassium, while keeping the texture great!. Enter, my newly created pulled jackfruit! In addition, I cut back on the sugar in this recipe, and used half tomato sauce and half BBQ sauce. BBQ sauce has a lot of added sugar usually. I wanted the taste and sauciness of the BBQ, without as much sugar. To compensate, I added tomato sauce. Feel free to use all BBQ sauce. It's up to you!
This is a great dish to bring for meat eaters and is easy to bring along to a party because it's crockpot style! Also, a great meal to make in the morning for a fun weeknight meal! Enjoy, it's even better the next day, and great cold too! For me, I ate it on top of a grilled portabella mushroom that I drizzled with balsamic vinegar and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. For the rest of the family, they got whole wheat buns (lucky ducks!).
What is jackfruit? Jackfruit is a very sticky Asian fruit. It's a great source of fiber, in 1/2 cup there's 7 g, which makes it wonderful to combat diabetes and heart disease. It's also VERY low in calories and virtually no sugars. It's a good source of plant-based calcium as well! To prepare it fresh is tricky. The best way to purchase it for this dish, is young canned green jackfruit, either in a brine (make sure to rinse) or in water. DON'T buy it in syrup!!!! Jackfruit can be a little tricky at first. I bought mine at an Indian market, but Asian markets and Amazon carry it as well. For organic, you'll have to look on line most likely. A link to organic jackfruit can be found here. Jackfruit it cut with the core and not packaged de-seeded. The portions you want are the stringy, pulled pork texture, pieces. For how to do this, watch my Youtube Video on How To Prepare Jackfruit.
My recipe for BBQ jackfruit is a GREAT party addition for little sliders as appetizers, or as a main meal. If you'd like the recipe for my BBQ Pulled Jackfruit, head on over to www.gardenfreshfoodie.com for the recipe! Try it and let me know what you think!
Until next week......Happy and healthy eating!
- Jessica from www.gardenfreshfoodie.com
Learn more about Stone Fruit: Five Favorites for Summer.
