Happy Cinco de Mayo! Oh wait..that was yesterday…{sigh}
I had hoped to have this post up several days ago, but as usual, I’m running a little late…story of my life. Although, with a 9 month old, I finally have a justifiable reason! But late or not, I am SO excited to share these Vegetarian BBQ Jackfruit Nachos with you. I can’t remember the exact recipe I came across that first introduced me to Jackfruit, it’s been a few years, but after seeing that recipe and reading how the author used it as a substitute for pulled BBQ pork, I was fully intrigued. From that point on, I was on the lookout for jackfruit – anytime I went through the International aisle at the grocery store, or found myself in a health food grocery store, I scoured the shelves in hopes of finding it. Unfortunately, time and again, I struck out and eventually stopped looking altogether.
That is until Food Should Taste Good offered to send me a box of their wholesome tortilla chips, prompting the contemplation of a healthy Mexican recipe for the upcoming {now past} Cinco de Mayo. Combine the arrival of the tortilla chips with a recent love for covering cooked or grilled veggies with a little BBQ sauce, and the idea for vegetarian BBQ nachos seemed like the perfect solution. With a vague remembrance of that vegetarian BBQ recipe I had come across years ago, suddenly jackfruit was not only at the forefront of my mind, but this time it was a must find.
After the second or third store, and once again striking out, I did what most tired-of-fooling-with-the-car-seat moms would do, and ordered it from Amazon. If you happen to have an Asian Market nearby, I’ve read that is the most likely place to find this, but if you have an Amazon Prime account, make it easy on yourself and just order it! Only, don’t make the same mistake I did with ordering only one can, order several! If I could chance anything about this recipe, it would be to double {or triple} it for leftovers!
Once cooked, the jackfruit does exactly as promised, taking on a lovely meaty texture. And as the jackfruit, seasonings, and sauce smolder, its mild flavor transforms into a perfect, smoky meat-impersonator. The rest of this dish comes together with ease. Simply layer a bed of crisp tortilla chips with this BBQ jackfruit, then top with a generous layer of cheese and you have the perfect base for all your favorite nacho toppings. We kept it simple, adding a few chopped tomatoes, avocado slices, and a little sour cream.
I could not have been more pleased with the outcome of these vegetarian nachos, we devoured our plates within minutes. I tend to love most, if not all, vegetarian dishes, and while Josh certainly eats everything I make, I can always tell by how quick or slow he eats it, as it whether or not her really approves. With the way he plowed through these, I think it’s safe to assume its a winner. And I realize nachos are probably more “Tex-Mex” than actually Mexican, especially when taken in the BBQ direction, but I’m hoping you’ll overlook that and embrace this plate of deliciousness all the same!
If you are as intrigued with Jackfruit as I was, you can read a bit more about it here. And just a reminder, today is the last day to register for a chance to win a set of three PACKiT travel bags, don’t miss out!
Food Should Taste Good provided the chips for this post, however as always, all opinions are completely my own!
Vegetarian BBQ Jackfruit Nachos
Ingredients
- VEGETARIAN BBQ JACKFRUIT NACHOS
- 1 20-ounce can young green jackfruit
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup BBQ I used Stubbs Honey Pecan
- Food Should Taste Good tortilla chips
- TOPPINGS:
- 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 1/2 small-medium Avocado sliced
- 1/2 cup tomatoes chopped
- sour cream optional
- Fresh herbs
Instructions
- Rinse, drain and pat jackfruit dry, then cup off the center core of each piece and discard. (See 5th picture in post to better illustrate removal of center core, the core is similar to the hard center of a pineapple.)
- Place dried jackfruit in a medium bowl, add coconut sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, pepper, and crushed red pepper, stir until well combined. Use clean hands or two forks and pull apart some of the large pieces, similar to how you would shred cooked chicken.
- Add coconut oil and seasoned jackfruit to pan and cook on medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, or until jackfruit begins to color {brown}.
- Add BBQ sauce of choice and reduce heat to medium, cook 10-15 minutes, or until jackfruit has a similar texture to cooked, shredded chicken, stirring occasionally.
- While BBQ jackfruit is cooking, layer two plates with Food Should Taste Good tortilla chips {or chips of choice}, chop tomatoes and fresh herbs and slice avocados.
- Once the BBQ jackfruit is ready, evenly divide between the two plates, putting directly on bed of chips, top with shredded cheese, tomatoes, avocados, and sour cream, then garnish with fresh herbs. Enjoy!
Notes
