Jackfruit...have you ever heard of it? Most recipes on the net suggest BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. but I wanted Souvlaki.
I was ecstatic to find Jackfruit, canned in brine. Well, I do live in Canada, and not a single tree around here produces Jackfruit. Then I watched a youtube video of someone taking one of those monsters apart...not gonna happen. So, canned it is. This was the first time I came across Jackfruit in brine. In syrup was much easier to find in Asian markets.
Next time, and yes, there will be a next time, I'm going to toss them on the BBQ and they will be perfect!
Vegan Souvlaki
(6-8 skewers)
Ingredients:
2 lemons
2-4 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1 onion broth cube
Oregano
Salt and pepper
Water
Olive or Avocado oil for basting (do not simmer the oil)
Directions:
Rinse the jackfruit and remove any seeds. Place in a pot and add all the ingredients. Cover with water.Simmer on low heat until tender and separates easily. You want the water to be all but gone to make sure the pieces are flavorful and somewhat lemony. Don't let it stick and add water if the jackfruit is not as tender as you'd like.
Place the pieces on wooden skewers. You might have to cut some pieces. Baste with oil, oregano, and garlic. Place on BBQ or on parchment paper in the oven. If you have a BBQ mesh, you might want to use it. Only one or two smaller pieces fell off in the oven, but the others held fast, so they might be fine right on the grill. I'll let you know the next time I make them.
Is there any downside to this recipe? Believe it or not, It's a little too much like meat! So depending on where you're at in your life, be it Meatless Monday's, vegetarianism, or veganism, you might love this, or not. (I plan on trying a raw souvlaki version with this...as well as 'chicken nuggets' and a few others). I'll let you know how it goes.
While I'm at it, I'll throw in the recipe for Cashew Tzatziki.
Cashew Tzatziki
Ingredients
3/4 C soaked cashews (90 min to 4 hrs)
1/2 a large English cucumber or 1 field cucumber
3 cloves of garlic
a handful of fresh dill sprigs
Juice of 1/2-1 lemon (according to personal taste)
Salt
Directions
Drain and rinse the cashews.
Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and using the tamper, push down the ingredients until well blended. The water from the cucumber will be more than enough for the recipe. IF you don;t have a high-speed blender, you can blend the cucumber first, then add the rest and it should work out just fine.
Note: If ever you don't like the sweetness of the cashews in this recipe, feel free to substitute brazil nuts for the cashews.
Greek Salad Dressing
Ingredients
3/4 -1 C Olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1/2 C lemon juice (juice of 2 lemons)
1/2 tsp dried Oregano
Salt & Pepper
Throw everything into a blender or magic bullet and blend it well. This brings out all the flavors, even if the dressing has just been made. No waiting!
For the salad, you can mix diced tomatoes, diced cucumber, whole or sliced black olives, thinly sliced red onions and (this will be for another post) vegan feta. I like it with mixed greens as well.
I'll share my recipe for Greek potatoes later on as well.
