Jackfruit Carnita Tacos

Happy Taco Tuesday everyone! I've really pushed myself out of my comfort zone with this vegan recipe, but it was SO delicious.  I've had great vegan food before, but it's not something I typically eat.  There's this great vegan restaurant in West Hollywood, Gracias Madre, that makes food so good that you don't even miss the meat.  So feeling a little inspired, I decided to just totally go plant based with these jackfruit tacos on Trader Joe's new jicama wrappers.  The verdict?  We didn't even miss the meat.  Yes, my husband the carnivore loved these!  The best part about plant based food like this is that you get full, but you never feel stuffed or heavy afterwards.  It's like you just aren't hungry anymore, but you still feel as light as ever.  Don't worry, I'm not turning vegan or anything, but I can definitely appreciate a plant based meal.  (Plus as you can see below, I couldn't help but add a little cotija cheese to my tacos).

Now that we've gone through the basics of this taco, let's talk about the layers.  I've been really into making homemade mayo recently.  Don't ask me why, but there's something about the emulsification process that's just so satisfying.  Like you look at it after and you're like - I made that!  Anyways, these jackfruit tacos are topped with an easy spicy slaw.  It's just 3 ingredients and it's honestly great on just about anything (or even on it's own).  I like to make mine ahead of time and let it sit because the mayo helps soften up the cabbage and it intensifies the flavor a little.  And of course I had to top the tacos with some guacamole, salsa, cotija cheese, a squeeze of lime juice, and some cilantro.  I feel like those are the perfect toppings for any taco.  One of the things I loved about this taco was that you got a different hit of spice from each of the layers - the jackfruit, slaw, and guac - but it was cooled down a little by the jicama.  If you're intrigued by the sound of this, check out the recipe below!

Total Time: 45-50 minutes

Servings: 2-4

Ingredients:

For the Carnitas:

2, 14 oz cans of jackfruit

1 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbs soy sauce

1 tbs olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

For the Slaw:

1/2 head green cabbage

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tbs hot sauce

Optional Toppings (I recommend them all):

Salsa

Guacamole

Lime Juice

Cilantro

Cotija Cheese

Instructions:

1. Thinly slice the cabbage and mix with mayonnaise and hot sauce.  Set aside to marinade.
2. Slice the jackfruit into thin pieces and pat dry with paper towels.
3. Add the olive oil and garlic to a non-stick pan over medium heat and saute for 2-3 minutes until browned and fragrant.
4. Add the jackfruit to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring once or twice.  Add soy sauce and spice mixture and cook on medium heat for 7-10 additional minutes.
5. To plate your tacos, add 2 small spoonfuls of jackfruit to a tortilla, top with slaw, guacamole, cotija cheese, cilantro and salsa.  Squeeze lime juice over the top and enjoy.

Here's how small I chopped my jackfruit.  Some pieces were a little more "shreddy" than others, but that's okay.  It'll continue to break apart during the cooking process, so you don't want to chop the jackfruit too finely.

I did a dry saute on the jackfruit because I wanted them to crisp up a little bit.  They didn't exactly get crispy, but they did cook really nicely.

And how good to they look with all the fixings?

Seriously?  Can you tell that's not a pork carnita?

So no, I'm not going vegan anytime soon, but I can definitely appreciate vegan food.  These jackfruit tacos turned out so well, I think I'll try making some more vegan recipes to try them out.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 550

Protein: 6g

Carbs: 60g

Fat: 35g

*Based on 1 serving as 3 loaded tacos