It’s meatless Monday …. on a Wednesday?
Up until last week, I had never tried jackfruit. Never really even knew much about it. Did you know jackfruit has a texture similar to pulled chicken or pork? Did you know jackfruit is used as a vegetarian substitute for meat in many dishes?
I had no idea! I had a can of jackfruit in brine, that I purchased at Trader Joe’s and I decided it was time to use it up. I was craving bean bean tacos and thought why not try combining black beans and jackfruit together for some Taco Tuesday?
I was shocked as to how great jackfruit tastes with black beans! Jackfruit alone is pretty much tasteless but does look like shredded chicken. It will take on the flavor of pretty much whatever seasonings you throw on it. I was pretty shocked and impressed with this dish, so I had to share it with you guys. I can’t wait to experiment more with jackfruit to see what else I can make with it.
Hope you all enjoy this recipe! Feel free to use whichever taco toppings you guys prefer!
Black Bean and Jackfruit Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 20 oz can jackfruit in brine *make sure not in syrup*
- 1 15 oz can black beans; rinsed and drained
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/2 serrano chili minced
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp hing
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp Ortega Chipotle Flavor Craver Taco Sauce; or any sauce of your preference
- 1 tbsp taco bell mild taco sauce
- 1 tsp taco seasoning
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsps green onions; chopped
To assemble Tacos:
- 1 package blue corn taco shells
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- chopped lettuce, tomatoes and onions
- salsa
- sour cream
- any sauces of choice
Instructions
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Rinse and drain jackfruit from liquid. Squeeze each piece to drain it from liquid. Once you start to squeeze each piece, it will automatically start to shred. Squeeze and drain each piece of liquid and then shred into smaller pieces. Set aside.
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Rinse and drain black beans; set aside.
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Heat oil on medium heat in a sauce pan until oil begins to warm up. Add in serrano chili, minced garlic, cumin seeds, hing, cumin powder and red chili powder. Allow spices to incorporate with the oil on medium heat for ~60 seconds.
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Add in jack fruit and allow to sauté for ~2-3 minutes on medium heat. Just until it starts to brown a bit. Next add in black beans, mix together and then add in water. Allow all ingredients to simmer together for ~1-2 minutes.
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Add in sour cream, chipotle sauce (or any sauce of choice) and salsa. Mix together until creamy. Lastly add in taco seasoning, garlic powder, smoked paprika and salt and pepper according to taste. Garnish with green onions.
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To assemble tacos: I like to toast taco shells prior to assembling, for an extra crunchy taco shell. To do this: Toast taco shells for 5 mins on 350°F in a toaster oven. Once shells have toasted, remove from toaster oven and start to assemble with filling. First place filling inside taco shells, then top with cheese. Place back into the toaster oven for 3-4 mins. Remove from toaster oven and top with shredded lettuce, tomatoes. Top with any sauce of choice: I like sour cream and salsa. Guacamole works great too!
Recipe Notes
- You may have noticed by now, I use hing in a bunch of my recipes. It adds a great flavor to vegetarian dishes and works with almost any cuisine. You can order it off of amazon, if you can not find it at a supermarket near you.
