What I Ate Wednesday

April 27, 2016

I have the worst writer’s block ever. And reading block. Working block. Spreadsheet block. Going on a walk block. Getting off the couch block. I’ve been super drained lately. But not enough to skip loving on some What I Ate Wednesday eats!

John had to drag my a$$ out of bed, but we made it to the gym on some banana fuel. Not pictured because mornings suck. Amiright?!

I couldn’t wait until I got to work to start slurping on my morning smoothie. This green goodie was packed with banana, mango, protein, spinach, turmeric, and spirulina. Super creamy and yummy.

One of my fav kombucha flavors was a perfect mid-morning pick-me-up.

Lunch was leftover spring rolls from last night’s dinner. YUM! Spring rolls don’t keep too well overnight [read: they totally fall apart] but the taste was still so delicious.. I used my own recipe but marinated my tofu in a bit of soy sauce and rice vinegar to kick up the flavor. Oh, and peanut sauce is everything… Just sayin’.

After getting lost in spreadsheets and losing track of time, I was suddenly STARVING. Barely managed to snap a pic of this apple before I devoured it. In about 6 bites, I might add.

For dinner, we had some of the pulled jackfruit I made this weekend. It’s very similar to the jackfruit taco filling I made last week but with some lentils added in for protein. I treated my honey to some hamburger buns for a Sloppy Joe feel- what a lucky guy! I had mine in collard green leaves, because veggies. The side is a chopped salad I made in the food processer with the leftover veggies from meal prep. Easy peasy weeknight dinner!

Before bed, I caramelized some bananas. Holy. Yum. I’ve been on a real banana kick lately [as evidenced by the two dozen I bought last week] and this just takes them to another level. A little vegan butter, some coconut sugar, and dark coconut rum simmered with banana halves is a recipe for healthier dessert heaven.

Banana coma sleep time. Have a great week!

What I Ate Wednesday

April 20, 2016

Welcome to Wednesday friends! Woot woot! Time for some eeeeats on this week’s What I Ate Wednesday!

I feel like I’ve been running around like a chicken with my head cut off for days so I’m thrilled we’re halfway through the week. We had a jam-packed weekend and just spent $300 at Home Depot so… Looks like we’re in for another exhausting one!

Anyways, onto the eats! We split a ‘nana per usual, but I was deliriously tired and didn’t snap a pic. Oops.

After walking to work for the first time this year [yay!], this mango green smoothie totally hit the spot.

Baby clems were on sale this week so I had one as a morning snack.

My lunch sucked. Womp womp. I somehow added waaaay too much salt to my salad and it was totally inedible. Luckily, I packed my falafel separate so I didn’t starve. Win some, lose some.

Snacked on another clem and an apple before yoga.

I pulled out a bunch of random half-full bags of frozen veggies that have been taking up space in the freezer for way too long and left instructions for John to mix up this dinner. It was probably about 2 cups of assorted vegetables, 3 cups cooked brown rice, and 2 cups (or a can) of black beans. I had leftover homemade enchilada sauce so I had him mix that with everything else and bake it for about 30 minutes. Topped with some avocado cream and, Voila! Enchilada “clean-out-the-freezer “casserole!

Before bed, I munched on an apple with almond butter. One of the more hideous photographs I’ve taken in a while… Oye. Time to call it a night! Have a fantastic week friends!

BBQ Jackfruit Tacos

April 19, 2016

Hi, my name is Natalie, and I’m addicted to tacos. If I could eat everything wrapped up in a tiny tortilla, I would. It’s perfect hand-food, patio-food, and can even be health food! Case in point, BBQ Jackfruit Tacos.

Contrary to popular belief, Tacos can be consumed on days other than Tuesday. I’m all for making #tacoeveryday a thing. Maybe because that’s just the life I lead…

Anywho… Jackfruit. Say whaaat? Jackfruit is a strange fruit. Literally. The average jackfruit weighs 50 pounds, has a rather pungent body-odor-like smell, and is covered in rough, scaly spikes. Sound more like a baby dinosaur than a taco filling? Hang in there with me.

Once some brave soul attacks this monster fruit and gets to the seeds, the soft flesh protecting each husk is revealed. And THERE is where the gold is. What makes it a great meat substitute [and thus, taco filling] is its slightly stringy, shredded consistency and relatively mild flavor. Toss it with any sauce you like, and you’re on your way to vegan barbeque cookout heaven!

If you’re not in the mood to hack up a fruit the size of a toddler, the best way to get ahold of jackfruit is to buy it canned. I will say, it took me a while to find jackfruit in Columbus, but now I know that most Asian grocery stores in the area carry it. The important [and I mean very important] thing to remember is that you are looking for jackfruit in BRINE, not syrup. Here’s a snapshot I took of one straight off the supermarket shelf.

If you can get through all the scary stories of monstrous fruit and scaly skin, you’ll find that this recipe is actually a cinch to prepare! The canned fruit is ready to be tossed with flavoring and sautéed until soft and warm. I whipped up the avocado cream sauce while the fruit simmered and everything was ready in 30 minutes!

Oh and speaking of avocado cream sauce… I’m borderline obsessed with this creamy condiment. We had a fair amount leftover and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t squeeze some straight into my mouth… #noshame

If you want to get really crazy, swap in a brew for the water, just like in my BBQ Beer Tofu- because what are tacos without a cold one right?!

BBQ Jackfruit Tacos

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 minute

Yield: 3-4 servings

Next Taco Tuesday, try using a crazy fruit to make crazy delicious and crazy simple dinner! BBQ Jackfruit Tacos are a weeknight win!

Ingredients

½ large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 can jackfruit in brine, drained and rinsed
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
¾ cup BBQ sauce
½ cup water (or beer!)
1 tsp. salt
Hot sauce to taste (optional)
Thinly sliced radishes & cilantro, for garnish

For the sauce:

1 avocado
1-2 Tbs. lemon or lime juice
½ tsp. salt + more to taste
1-2 Tbs. water

Instructions

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add onions. Cook for 8 minutes, adding water to be sure it doesn’t stick.
Add the jackfruit, spices, and salt to the pan and use a wooden spoon to break up the large pieces. Cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.
Add barbeque sauce and water or beer and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently until the jackfruit is coated in a thick sauce.
While the filling is cooking, add all cream sauce ingredients to a mini food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
Assemble the tacos by laying filling, garnishes (radish, cilantro, sprouts, etc.), and cream sauce into taco shells. Enjoy immediately!

http://areyoukitchenme.com/bbq-jackfruit-tacos/

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