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: Creamy Curry Pumpkin Soup

This soup is creamy, savory, and has wonderful bites of black beans and tart tomatoes. 

I love creamy, thick soups and this Curry Pumpkin Soup is all that. Plus, it’s fragrant with all the spices and has a slight kick to it from the cayenne pepper. The original recipe calls for heavy cream. I swapped that for cashew cream, which is a superior substitute.

Curry Pumpkin Soup

(Based on the Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup by Rachael Ray)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 medium or large onion chopped
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1-inch piece of ginger minced or 1 tablespoon of ginger paste (I always have a large jar of this around; buy it at the Indian store or in the ethnic aisle at the grocery store). You could use 1/2 tsp. of ginger powder if you don't have fresh ginger or ginger paste.
• 3 tablespoons of organic sugar 
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne
• 2-1/2 cups vegan broth (you can use veggie broth; I used NotChick’n bouillon cubes to make my broth)
• 2 cups canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 c. cashew cream (1/2 cup of soaked cashews, drained, and then blended with 1/2 cup of water until smooth)
• 15-oz can of black beans rinsed and drained
• 14.5-oz can of diced roasted tomatoes (don't drain)
• Salt to taste (I used 1 tablespoon of kosher salt)

Directions:

Heat the oil over medium heat and sauté onions for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger, sugar, and spices, and cook for 1 minute, stirring regularly so spices become fragrant but don't burn. Whisk in broth, black beans, tomatoes, and pumpkin puree. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to low. Add the cashew cream and almond milk. Taste and add salt to your preference. Simmer for 5-10 minutes. Serve hot with a dollop of vegan yogurt or vegan sour cream and chopped fresh chives.

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. 

Recipe: Pineapple Coconut Curry

Fresh sweet basil gives the dish a lovely fragrance.

This is one of my favorite dishes to make because it's simple and delicious.  This curry bowl is hot, soothing, and packed full of veggies in a creamy, spicy broth. Adjust the seasonings to your preference if you desire a hotter or milder curry. 

Pineapple Coconut Curry Veggie Bowl

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 T of oil

1 onion sliced thinly

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 T minced ginger piece or 1 T of jarred ginger paste

2 bell peppers of your choice (green, red, yellow, or orange)

1 c of shredded carrots

1 jalapeno (don’t include the seeds if you want less heat)

4 green onions sliced thinly

2T soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos

2T rice vinegar

2 cups of chopped mushrooms (or cubed tofu)

1 T of organic sugar

1 c. of pineapple chunks, reserve some liquid

2 tsp of curry

1-2 c of loosely packed chopped basil (I always buy big bunches of basil, so I usually end up using 2 cups in the dish)

1 13-oz can of coconut milk (lite or full-fat – whatever your preference, but the full-fat produces a creamier curry)

1 c. of chopped peanuts, toasted (heat a pan and throw the nuts in and mix every 30 seconds for 2 minutes or until the peanuts become fragrant)

Coconut milk makes the curry creamy, and the pineapple juice adds a little sweetness.

Directions:

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the sliced onions and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the curry powder and stir. After 30 seconds, add the garlic, carrots, bell peppers, jalapeno, and green onions and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the veggies cook, chop up your mushrooms (I like using shiitake). Add the mushrooms to the pot, along with the soy sauce and vinegar. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add the can of coconut milk, sugar, ¼ c. of pineapple juice, and the pineapple chunks and cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the basil, lower the heat, and let the curry simmer for 5-10 minutes. Taste and add salt, more pineapple juice, sugar, or something spicy (like red chili flakes or red chili paste). Mix in the peanuts, turn off the heat, and cover the pot. When ready to eat, serve over steaming rice and garnish with a few cilantro leaves, additional jalapeno slices, and lime wedges. 

Creative Curry Time

I was craving a tomato-based curry in which to submerge some baked tofu and eat with a few sweet potato falafels, but I didn't have any canned or fresh tomatoes. Good thing I had a can of chunky tomato soup (vegan, of course). This soup was already sweetened a bit and had some herbs tossed in, so I liked that some of the flavoring was done for me.

My baked sweet potato falafels. Recipe from FatFree Vegan Kitchen.

A little back story -- I'm hoping my family gets to move to Arkansas in the next couple of months, so I've been working through all the food I have stored in my pantry and freezer to save up some money and lighten the moving load. The move would be part of a relocation through my husband's job. When my husband first mentioned that we might have the opportunity to move to Arkansas, I opened up Google and typed in "vegan restaurants in Bentonville, Ark." I didn't search for rental rates, schools, or big-city-like things -- I just wanted to know what the atmosphere would be like. I was happy to see in the search results that there are vegetarian restaurants that could easily serve me vegan fare. Plus, I read they also have cool farmers markets in the area, so I'm gung-ho about going. Anyway, that's why I don't rush out to buy "missing" ingredients when I want to cook; I just try to be creative with what I have.

So, back to the recipe ...

Ingredients:

• 2 T of olive oil
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece of ginger, minced (I used a big honkin' spoon of ginger-garlic paste because I was out of garlic and ginger -- about 2 T; the paste can be found at Indian stores)
• 1 minced hot pepper -- jalapeno or green chili, for example (I had one lonely chipotle pepper sitting in about 2 T of adobo sauce sitting in a container in the fridge; I used this pepper and the sauce)
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp of garam masala
• 3 chopped tomatoes or 1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes (I used my 19-ounce can of tomato soup)
• 1 tsp of baking soda
• 1 c. of cubed baked tofu (You could use chopped mushrooms instead)
• 1/4 c. of raisins (I didn't have raisins, so I used dried cranberries)
• 1/2 c of chopped cashews
• Optional ingredients: dash of cinnamon, coconut milk, vinegar, sugar

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and allow them to sizzle for less than a minute. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for a couple minutes. Add the curry powder, paprika, garam masala, and tomatoes. Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes. If you want a thicker sauce allow the liquid to reduce a bit on low heat. Add the baking soda and stir well (the mixture will foam a bit; the baking soda cuts away some of the acidity). Add the cubed tofu, cashews, and raisins, and simmer for another 5 minutes. At this point, I added a dash of cinnamon and about a 1/2 cup of coconut milk I had sitting in the fridge. (I had used most of the cream to make coconut whipped cream, so I had mostly the watery portion leftover). If you want your curry sweeter, add a little sugar. If you need more tang, add 1-2 T of vinegar. 

That's it. You can add a pinch of salt if needed. My tomato soup had salt in it, so I didn't need to add any extra. Serve with tortillas, naan bread, or over rice. I'm weird and like to eat my chunky curries like stew. 

My finished curry. My spoon shows the baked tofu and some cashew bits.

I was happy with how the curry turned out. It had a little heat to it, and the tofu chunks and bits of cashews and dried cranberries provided great texture. The baked tofu wasn't mushy; it had a nice chew to it. The cashews were softened, but still had a bite to them, and the dried cranberries gave bursts of sweetness that cut into the smoky heat from the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce.

I love this brand of baked tofu. I buy it from Whole Foods and freeze the extras. I used half a package for this recipe (two chunks are in each package). I then slice the tofu in half the long way, and then I cube it.

My husband loved the curry. I like surprising him with my fun creations and showing him that his American-born Desi girl knows how to use her spices!