Recipe: Jackfruit 'Crab' Salad

If you can get your hands on a can of Young Green Jackfruit in a Brine, try making a mock crab salad. The mayo, spices, and flecks of nori (seaweed) give a wonderful seafood flavor that's boosted by the steamed-crab texture of the jackfruit.

Before I became vegan in 2013, I enjoyed the occasional seafood salad that you'd spread on crackers or eat as part of a sandwich. And, when it was a special occasion, I'd even jump at the chance to order a creamy lobster roll.

Now that I don't eat animals or animal-derived ingredients, I've learned how spices and certain plants can be used to mimic flavors and textures that I thought could only come from meat.

You can purchase cans of Young Green Jackfruit at Indian grocery stores or even at veganessentials.com, here. Be careful not to purchase ripe jackfruit, which is orange, sweet and resembles roasted red bell peppers. Ripe jackfruit is not good in savory dishes. Young green jackfruit has a stronger texture, yet subtle flavor.

Jackfruit is popular among vegetarians and vegans because the fruit has some chew to it and comes apart in chunks and even shreds when cut or pulled apart in certain ways. These characteristics make it a great substitute for meat in dishes. I've tried jackfruit pulled pork, for example, but it didn't really appeal to me. When I came across this recipe for jackfruit "crab" salad, I thought it might be another recipe that sounds good but doesn't taste that great.

I was wrong. Very wrong!

I find young green jackfruit to be juicy, almost like canned artichokes. And the fruit still retains some of that juiciness even if you push out as much liquid from it as possible. Because of this, jackfruit is a wonderful substitute for crab and lobster, which has a tender, juicy flesh when cooked.

When the jackfruit is mixed with mayo and the seasonings used with seafood, you'll think you're biting into a traditional seafood salad sandwich or even a lobster roll. This vegan version is cruelty-free and affordable food at its finest.

Jackfruit “Crab” Salad
Serves 4
(Inspired by this recipe from a blog at Vegetarian Times)

Ingredients:
1 20-oz. can Young Green Jackfruit in Brine, rinsed and squeezed dry as much as possible (about 1 cup)
2-4 tablespoons of Vegenaise or other vegan mayo (start out with 2T and add more if desired)
¼ cup fresh minced onion
2 teaspoons of dried minced onion (what you find in the spice aisle)
¼ tsp. dulse flakes or powder (I used a folded piece of nori [seaweed] -- what you use for sushi -- and grated it for powder/flakes) This ingredient is necessary for a seafood flavor.
1-2 teaspoons of Old Bay Seasoning
½ tsp. curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Chop the drained jackfruit with a knife until it resembles lump crab meat. Next, mix the jackfruit and all the other ingredients in a bowl. Before serving, sprinkle on a little paprika, dried parsley (I didn't have fresh), and fresh lemon juice.

The chopped jackfruit. You can see the yellowish seeds of the fruit, which are soft.

The chopped jackfruit mixed with the remaining ingredients.

Before serving, I added a little extra nori powder/flakes, some dried parsley, paprika, and a splash of fresh lemon juice.

This mock crab salad -- that even mimicked the flavor of a lobster roll -- tasted creamy, slightly sweet, salty, fishy (from the seaweed), and just plain awesome. 

Recipe: Vegan Sooji Halwa with Pineapples and Pistachios

This Indian dish is nutty, slightly sweet, and has a lovely aroma from the cardamom.

Sooji is another term for cream of wheat. When my mother and mother-in-law visit, they always make a breakfast entree or dessert using Sooji, which can be found at Indian grocery stores. I'm sure you can use the Cream of Wheat you find at the store as long as the only ingredient listed on the box is wheat. 

I made a dessert out of the Sooji last night using pineapples and chopped pistachios. I found the recipe here. 

To make the dish more savory, you can sautee some finely chopped onions and add it to the sooji halwa along with some chopped tomatoes and a little cilantro. You can substitute cashew halves and raisins for the pistachios and pineapple. 

Recipe: Chickpea Curry

This chickpea curry is fragrant and filling.

My chickpea curry, which is based on the Indian dish Chole, has great texture and is very filling when paired with rice or eaten with naan or tortillas. It’s also very simple to make.

If you can, purchase a seasoning blend called Pitta Churna (it can be bought online and at Amazon.com). It contains a blend of fragrant organic spices that are a wonderful addition to your diet. I use this seasoning blend in my chickpea dish.

Chickpea Curry

Ingredients:

1 T oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1-inch piece of ginger minced or 1 T of garlic paste (you can buy this at Indian grocery stores)

1-1/2 T of Pitta Churna

1 can (1 pound-13 oz or 822 grams) of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

¾ c. to 1 c. of vegetable broth

1 T organic sugar

Juice from half a lemon

1-2 T of vegan buttery spread

Directions:

Heat the oil on medium heat and add the chopped onions. Sautee for 3 minutes. Add Pitta Churna and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute. Add the chickpeas and cook for 3 minutes, mixing every 30 seconds or so. Add ¾ c. of veggie broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the lid, add the sugar, stir and taste. I added a couple big pinches of salt to my pot and a large pinch of black pepper (black pepper paired with turmeric increases the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric). Add the juice of half a lemon and 1 T of vegan buttery spread (you can add another tablespoon of vegan butter if you like your dish creamy). Stir and taste. Adjust the seasonings to your liking – either adding a small dash more of sugar, salt, or Pitta Churna. Let the mixture cook another five minutes and then serve with rice, naan, or tortillas. Garnish with a little cilantro, red chili flakes, chopped hot peppers, hot sauce, or siracha.

The sauce is creamy, sweet, and fragrant. The chickpeas have a bit of chew to them, while the onions still have a crispy bite. 

I'm in Veggie Heaven

Veggie Heaven is a vegan restaurant with three locations in northern New Jersey: Teaneck, Denville, and Montclair.  There's also a New City, N.Y., location.

I frequent the Teaneck location on a monthly basis. Reviewers on Yelp give all the restaurants a solid 4-star rating, with many more 5-star reviews than 4-star.

I was "forced" to try the Teaneck Veggie Heaven a couple years ago by my curious sister. The menu is entirely vegan and about 90 percent of the dishes are based off items you'd find at a Chinese restaurant:

• Hot and Sour Soup; Dumplings, and Scallion Pancakes
• General Tso's Chicken, Beef with Broccoli, Happy Family
• Singapore Noodles and Lo Mein and Fried Rice dishes

All the above items are magnificent. The food is prepared well, served piping hot (when applicable), and is bursting with flavor. The mock meats served at the restaurant replicate the texture and flavor of the meat from chicken, beef, pork, and seafood to perfection.

It's odd that a vegan would want to eat foods that taste like animal flesh, but I try to look at it another way. Take my father, for example. While my dad loves the Indian dishes my mom prepares, he equally embraces highly processed foods. I got him to go to Veggie Heaven by showing him on the menu that they do indeed serve meat and he doesn't have to eat only tofu and broccoli. My dad only cleans his plate when he really likes what he's eating, and the fact that only a few pieces of rice remained at the end of our meal must have meant he loved the General Tso's Chicken (a favorite by many diners). And whenever he visits me, he actually requests food from Veggie Heaven...it's a miracle! So, I think restaurants like Veggie Heaven help carnivores realize that they can live without meat.

Plus, the restaurant serves many dishes that don't feature mock meats but instead include crispy tofu and/or mushrooms and other sturdy veggies that can stand up to various sauces.

Another reason why I think these types of restaurants are good is because many people like me grew up eating meat. I wish I became a vegan sooner, but I can't go back in time. As I mentioned in my previous post, foods that you grew up eating or enjoyed during special occasions are hard to give up. And instead of having people "cheat" and eat those meals, they can veganize the recipe easily with fake meats. And, as they expand their ingredient list, they may learn to lean less on fake meats.

Now back to Veggie Heaven ...

My weakness at the restaurant used to be the desserts. I absolutely loved the Coconut Blueberry cake and Red Velvet Cake. Both items were light, airy, and had a slightly nutty flavor in the cake portion and a buttery, sweet flavor in the thick frosting. My sister always ordered the Green Tea Cake, which had a distinctive tea flavor that went well with the thin layer of not-so-sweet frosting.

The slightly nutty and not-so-sweet Red Velvet Cake ($4.50) at Veggie Heaven in Teaneck.

The delicious Green Tea Cake ($4.25) at Veggie Heaven in Teaneck.

Over this past year, my taste for sweets has diminished a bit, so I rarely order dessert now. My weakness at Veggie Heaven is now their sushi items. OMG, I'm in heaven. I don't know how they do it, but the rolls rival anything you'd find at a high-end Japanese restaurant.

Pictured, from left, is the Rainbow Roll (savory, $8.95), Fireball Roll (sweet and spicy, $6.95), and Coconut Shrimp Roll (more sweet than savory, $7.50) from Veggie Heaven in Teaneck.

I have nearly all the rolls and none have been a disappointment; although, the expensive rolls feature more components and are much fancier than a simple Avocado Roll. Other rolls that I recommend (besides the ones pictured above) include any of the chicken rolls (Roast or Teriyaki), Spicy Tuna Roll (which has a tuna-fish-spread texture in the middle, the Philadelphia Roll and the Dragon Roll.

My other absolute favorite dish is the Vege Chicken Cutlet in Organic Whole Wheat Pita ($10.95). It seems pricey, but it's loaded with perfectly breaded chicken strips, shredded greens, and onions. Then a slightly runny, yet perfectly sweet and tangy vegan mayo is poured over the top of both halves of the sliced pita. My sister couldn't understand why I always order this item until she finally got it for herself.

If you're fortunate enough to live near one of these Veggie Heaven establishments, do yourself a favor and give the place a try. Every table is served a small bowl of pickled cabbage and served a big pot of tea for free. Definitely come for the lunch specials, which are plentiful and cost anywhere from $5.95 to $6.95, plus the items come with soup or a spring roll.

See, eating healthy doesn't have to be costly!