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Monday, 26 August 2019

Pulled Jackfruit Taco

Pulled Jackfruit Taco

  • 565g tin of young green jackfruit, in water (drained and cut into bite size chunks)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup of vegetable stock
  • 3 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3/4 tbsp oregano
  • 1/2 tbsp chilli powder 
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 6 small flour tortillas
  • 1/2 red pepper, cut into thin batons
  • 2 spring onions, finely sliced
  • 2 radishes, thinly sliced 
  • Several tsps sour cream
  • Small handful of finely chopped coriander
  • 1 tbsp chopped jalapeño peppers

Heat the oil in a shallow casserole dish, sauté the onions and garlic until softened, add the jackfruit and the vegetable stock, cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the jackfruit is tender.  Once soft enough, using a potato masher, mash the jackfruit, it should start breaking up.  Once mashed, reserve a couple of tablespoons of the stock, place the dish containing the jackfruit into a preheated oven (180 degrees fan assisted) and cook for 15 minutes.  

Whilst the jackfruit is in the oven, mix the oregano, chilli powder, lime juice, cumin and reserved vegetable stock in a bowl.  Once the jackfruit has baked for 15 minutes stir through the spice mix and cook for a further 10 minutes.  When baking in the oven you should get some nice crispy bits to the jackfruit which give the appearance of crispy pork!

Once done, divide the jackfruit between your tacos, top each with a few slices of spring onions, pepper and radish along with a sprinkle of jalapeño, corriander and a small dollop of sour cream and get stuck in!  

I have to say I was a bit doubtful but I can honestly say, this really was like eating pulled pork!  The jackfruit soaks up the flavours that it is cooked with, obviously you can spice up your taco seasoning mix or just add ready made bbq sauce, hot sauce or whatever sauce you want, the choice is yours!  Now this is a proper meat free Monday dish, enjoy.


Sunday, 18 August 2019

Chicken, broccoli and sweetcorn fritters

Chicken, broccoli and sweetcorn fritters
500g chicken breast (chopped into small bite sized pieces)
100g sweetcorn (drained)
Handful of cooked broccoli florets (chopped)
1/4 cup of plain flour
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove of garlic (minced)
Salt & Pepper
Vegetable oil
1 egg (beaten)

In a large bowl mix together the chicken, flour, Parmesan, garlic, broccoli, sweetcorn and the egg.  Season with a couple of pinches of salt and a good few grinds of freshly ground black pepper.

Add enough oil to a large frying pan (enough to coat the bottom of the pan) and heat over a medium flame.  Using a tablespoon, spoon the mixture into the pan, you should have enough to make 6 fritters, flatten the mixture down to make a patty, shape and fry for several minutes each side until crispy and cooked through, remove from the pan and place onto some kitchen roll to absorb any excess oil.  

I served these fritters with some peri peri fries and habanero mayonnaise but literally you can serve them with whatever you fancy, a good green salad would go equally well.  By the same token, you can mix the recipe up and add a variety of different veg.  By chopping the broccoli up it’s a great way to hide it from those kids who aren’t too keen on eating veg!  This recipe was so quick to put together, ideal when you are a bit short on time, hope you enjoy!


Tuesday, 13 August 2019

Black Bean Nachos

Black Bean Nachos
  • 1 pepper, diced
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 197g tin of sweetcorn, drained
  • 400g black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 400ml passata
  • Large handful of fresh coriander, leaves and stalks roughly chopped separately
  • 250ml vegetable stock
  • Bag of tortilla chips
  • Grated cheese
  • Chopped jalapeño peppers 
  • 1/2 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 3/4 tsp oregano
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a large flame-proof oven dish, add the onion and peppers and fry for 10 minutes until softened then add the garlic and fry for several minutes, stirring every so often.  Add the coriander stalks and spices, mix thoroughly and cook for a further minute or so then add the passata, seasoning, stock, sweetcorn and the black beans, stir and bring to a simmer.  Place the pan into a preheated oven (180 degrees) and bake for around 30 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.

To serve, place the tortilla chips onto two plates, top with 2 thirds of the cheese, add the beans, the remaining cheese and scatter over the jalapeño peppers, place the plates into the oven for several minutes until the cheese has melted.

This dish is perfect with sour cream, homemade guacamole and Pico de gallo.  This is a fantastic vegetarian dish and one that you can increase or decrease the heat as suits your tastebuds, you won’t be disappointed and you certainly won’t miss the fact there is no meat!  Yet again another simple yet really tasty meal, enjoy!