Spicy Jackfruit Carnitas Street Tacos with Apple Salsa

I don’t know about you but when the days get busier tacos always seem to be a go-to meal for me! Quick, easy, and who doesn’t love tacos? These Spicy Jackfruit Carnitas Street Tacos taste just like Summer to me. With an Apple, Onion, and Garlic Salsa, tossed with a balsamic glaze, and topped with some vegan crema and fresh herbs these sound weird...but taste amazing!

The smoky spiciness of the jackfruit with the cold sweet crunch of the apple salsa...in case you were wondering, yes...yes, this is one of best things I have put in my face in recent memory! I seriously could have eaten three more!

What you are going to need to buy:

Jackfruit - (Fresh or Frozen is fine. This recipe uses frozen from The Jackfruit Company)

Tortilla or Hard Taco Shells, whatever you prefer

Medium Apple

Medium Sweet Onion

Minced Garlic - (we like these jarred options from Spice World!)

Sour Cream - (I’m a pretty die-hard Tofutti fan, so that’s what I always use!)

Balsamic Vinegar

Spices for your Jackfruit - (we used oregano, cumin, paprika, chili and a touch of brown sugar)

Liquid Smoke

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Fresh Cilantro - (or flat leaf parsley, if you must!)

Lime Juice

What you are going to need to do:

Honestly, these tacos look so fancy but they come together so fast and easy!
To start you’re going to finely chop your onion and 3/4 of your apple (reserving some apple for large slices as garnish, if you like.)

Into a bowl combine the apples, onion, minced garlic, (to taste, maybe a teaspoon), and a tablespoon of your favorite balsamic vinegar. Currently, I am loving this cilantro and garlic option from The Ancient Olive!

Set aside.

Preparing the Jackfruit:

In a medium skillet you’re going to saute the Jackfruit until it becomes soft and begins to give up up some of it’s juices.

With 2 forks, gently pull the bulbs apart like you would pull pork.

Reduce heat and add to the skillet: a dash of liquid smoke plus oregano, cumin, paprika, chili and a touch of brown sugar. Measurements will vary based on the amount you are making. Start out conservative and you can always add more of the flavors you like.

Salt and Pepper, to taste.

Assembly:

Onto your taco shell of choice, layer your Jackfruit mixture and top with your onion and apple salsa.

Drizzle some sour cream that has been cut with a teaspoon of lime juice and sprinkle with paprika to garnish. Additionally, garnish with apple wedges and fresh herbs.

Here’s a taco shell tip from Sarah: Can’t decide between hard and soft tacos? Drape your soft shells over the grates/rails of a hot oven and let them “crisp up” for about 4 minutes and boom, best of both worlds.

Easy Vegan Crab Cakes with Tangy Green Olive and Garlic Tarter Sauce

The perfect summer dish, these quick and easy, low calorie, Vegan Crab Cakes are guaranteed to become a favorite! Made with just a handful of ingredients this is one of those recipes that you can serve for a party and totally fool your non plant-based friends into thinking is the real deal!

Oh, mighty chickpeas, (or garbanzo beans) are packed with protein, vitamin K, iron, vitamin B-6, and magnesium making them an essential part of any plant based diet! These faux crab cakes combine chickpeas and hearts of palm with traditional spices making them almost indistinguishable from their real sea-food counter part. This dish is one of my favorites for a lazy summer afternoon, great to take to potluck or cookout, but comes together quick enough that it also makes a great week-night meal option. However, by far, one of my favorite things about this recipe is that these little cakes make the perfect base for seafood or fish tacos!

What you are going to need to buy:

Canned Chickpeas

Canned Hearts of Palm

Small white or yellow onion, minced

Seasoned Bread Crumbs

Vegan Mayo

White Vinegar

Green Olives

Minced Garlic - (we like these jarred options from Spice World!)  

Old Bay Seasoning

Salt & Pepper

Fresh Spinach & Fresh Basil and Cherry Tomatoes for plating and garnish

 

What you are going to need to do:

This recipe can be made with or without using a food processor. I don’t have a small one myself, so I do all the chopping by hand because I also happen to like the internal contents of my crab cakes a little more rustic and less soft. Either way, to begin you need to drain your chickpeas and hearts of palm.

If you are electing to use a food processor combine the drained chickpeas, drained hearts of palm, and onion and pulse on low until nicely incorporated. Try not to get this mixture too creamy. You want a little texture left in the ingredients.

If you are going to chop/mash by hand make sure that your pieces are cut fine enough (somewhere between a dice and a mince.) The chickpeas will easily smash with the backside of a fork. Once you have everything chopped and smashed stir to combine all ingredients until well incorporated.

Whether or not you used a food processor or not for the first step, you will want to do the rest by hand. Stir in two tablespoons of vegan mayo, a splash of white vinegar, Old Bay Seasoning and salt/pepper, to taste and enough breadcrumbs to help the mixture hold together and become somewhat “pack-able.”

Form into small cakes. I like mine about 2.5 inches wide. Coat in breadcrumbs, remembering to also get the sides. let cakes sit for one minute and coat in breadcrumbs again.

In a small skillet, heat olive oil on medium heat, just enough to coat the bottom of the skillet, until oil is shimmering. Fry crab cakes, about 2 or three minutes on both sides or until dark, golden brown, and crispy. Let sit on paper-towel to absorb excess oil while you make the tarter sauce.

Combine vegan mayo, diced green olives, minced garlic, salt/pepper, Old Bay Seasoning and white vinegar until creamy. I like mine slightly runny, but the great thing about this sauce is that it’s flexible. Substitute pickle relish for the green olives for a more traditional tarter sauce or use green tomato relish for a sweeter version.

Serve over a spinach salad with diced tomatoes. Finely chop one or two fresh basil leaves and sprinkle on top to finish.

Vegan Fish Tacos with Spicy Lime Aioli

If you’re like me…you can’t seem to get enough tacos… and Fish Tacos are one of my absolute favorites, especially in the Summer time! The fishless filets from Gardein make them so quick and easy to whip up and taste amazing! Maybe a little nontraditional...topped with a spicy lime and garlic aioli but these are the perfect vegan tacos to add to your weekly Taco Tuesday lineup.

Taco are not something that I ever think to put on the blog, although, not gonna lie…I eat them at least once a week for either lunch or dinner BUT a sweet friend wrote me and asked if I would post the recipe for the yummy Fish Tacos that I featured over on my @plantbasedgingr IG page this week.

What you are going to need to buy:

The Fishless Filets from Gardein

Tortilla or Hard Taco Shells, whatever you prefer

Shredded Cabbage - (I often keep a bag of a shredded cole slaw mix on hand to use in recipes like this where I’m not going to need or want and entire head of cabbage!)

Tomatoes, Diced

Avocado

Sour Cream - (I’m a pretty die-hard Tofutti fan, so that’s what I always use!)

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Fresh Herbs

Fresh Lime

For the Spicy Lime Aioli:

Mayo - (Vegan or otherwise)

White Vinegar

Hot Sauce/Chili Sauce

White Sugar

Lime Juice

Salt & Pepper, to taste

What you are going to need to do:

Start by preheating your oven and cooking the fishless filets. They are small and don’t take long. I don’t even wait for the oven to preheat, just set the temp and throw them on a baking tray. They, honestly, should be plenty warm by the time you get all the rest of the ingredients together.

Dice your tomato and your avocado and chop your herbs. You can really put anything in these tacos that you like. I have added sweet corn before and that is also really delicious.

Now for the Aioli:

Now, some people will, for sure, argue with me, but in my book aioli is just fancy, runnier mayo! It’s super easy to make…very customizable and might just become your favorite condiment.

Quantities are hard for this because it really depends on how much you need to make: Mix together Mayo with a splash of vinegar and the juice of 1/2 a lime until the consistence loosens up but is not too runny. Think like a nice alfredo sauce…it will cling to the food and not run off, but way thinner than mayo and you don’t need a knife to spread it…drizzle-able. Not a word, but you get the idea!

Taste for flavor and add salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar and depending on how spicy you want it, your desired amount of hot sauce. If you get it too spicy for your liking, just add a tablespoon or so, more mayo. Tweak until you like the taste. For these tacos this aioli provides a big punch of flavor so I like mine very lime-forward and very spicy!

Assembly:

Remove your fishless filets from the oven and slice into 1/2” strips.

Onto your taco shell of choice, layer your cabbage, fish, tomato, avocado (and anything else you like) and drizzle with the aioli you just made!

Garnish with fresh herbs like cilantro, parsley or even dill!

Here’s a taco shell tip from Sarah: Can’t decide between hard and soft tacos? Drape your soft shells over the grates/rails of a hot oven and let them “crisp up” for about 4 minutes and boom, best of both worlds.