Tacos de “Carnitas”

To watch step by step instructions on this recipe click HERE.

One of the most recognizable dishes of Mexico all over the world is: Tacos. The basic composition of a taco is a corn tortilla, with some type of filling, with onions and cilantro, topped with a salsa of your choice, and a hint of lime juice. However, you can make a taco with whatever fillings you want and with whatever toppings you wish.

Today, I want to share with you the vegan version of a very popular taco: Taco de Carnitas or Pulled Pork Tacos. The most important ingredient of today’s recipe is: Jackfruit.  Jackfruit is the fruit from a tree in the mulberry family. Native to the South and Southeastern Asia. It is consumed in many ways but I like to use it because it’s healthy and it has a meat-like consistency. This is going to be the “carnitas” of my tacos. I’m using green jackfruit and I have shredded it with my fingers until I got this consistency; see like pulled pork.

If you can find fresh green jackfruit use it! But if you can’t it’s pretty easy to find it canned in brine at almost any Asian grocery store. Use the green jackfruit only as the ripe one will be too sweet.

Yields Approximately 10 Small Tacos

Ingredients:
1 can jackfruit
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
1/4 sweet paprika
3 chopped garlic
1/4 chopped onion
10 tortillas

Ingredients Green Salsa
10 Jalapeños
3 garlic
1 teaspoon salt

- In a pan, under medium/high heat, I’m using 1/4 cup of oil (I prefer the taste of corn oil).
- Once the oil is hot I can add the shredded jackfruit and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- I want to make the jackfruit crispy but not fried.  It should take about 7-10 minutes.
- At this point I will reduce the heat down to medium and add the chopped onion, chopped garlic, cumin, and black pepper.  You want the onions to become translucent but you don’t want to brown the garlic or onion. Otherwise it will be bitter.
- Now, I can add the nutritional yeast and saute really quickly.
- Then I will add half of the salsa we prepared, which is about 1 cup.
- I’m reserving the rest of the salsa as a topping for the tacos. You can sauté this for about another minute just incorporate the flavors and cook the salsa with the oils.
- That’s it, the carnitas are done.

I’ve added the carnitas on top of the tortillas; sprinkled chopped onion and cilantro; added a little more salsa; and of course we can’t forget the lime juice to bring a balance.

They are so delicious!! The jackfruit has the texture of carnitas and the ingredients make all these flavors explode in my mouth.

So go on and make this healthier version of tacos de carnitas.

Buen Provecho!

* To learn how to make corn tortillas from scratch read HERE or watch HERE.

Feel free to post your comments or questions.

All content © 2013 AdrianaGuillen.com All rights reserved. You may not take any images or content from this site without written permission.

Vegan Picadillo

Meat and potato dishes are created all over the world and in almost every cuisine.  As a child my favorite meat and potatoes dish was Picadillo.

Picadillo is a ground beef dish with potatoes, carrots, tomatillos, and a tomato chile paste.  It is rich and full of flavor.  Also, it is very versatile since you can eat it as is next to rice; add more liquid and make it into a soup; serve it in tacos; or use it to stuff quesadillas, enchiladas, and even poblano peppers. My favorite way to eat it is in tacos.

Today I present you the vegan version of Picadillo. Enjoy!

Serves approximately 2 people

Ingredients
1/2 cup dehydrated soy flakes
1 potato
2 carrots
3 tomatillos
1 tomato
1 small onion
1/4 cup guajillo paste (add two chiles de arbol to make it spicy)
4 tablespoons of corn oil
4 1/2 cups water
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoon black pepper

- Bring 3 cups of water and 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil.
- In the meantime, chop all of the vegetables.
- Add the dehydrated soy flakes into the pot of water and hydrate for about 7 minutes.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil on medium low heat. Then add the potatoes and carrots. Cook for about 7 minutes.
- Then add the onions, tomatoes, and tomatillos. Cook for another 3 minutes.
- Drain the now hydrated soy and squeeze all the water out using a cheese cloth (or strong paper napkin).
- Include the soy meat into the skillet with vegetables and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Adding black pepper, cumin, and the remaining salt.
- Finally, add the chile paste.  Add it to one area on the bottom of the pan first to sauté with the oils. Then mix well until it covers all of the other ingredients.
- Add 1 1/2 cups of water and simmer down to a thick sauce and until all the vegetables are fully cooked.

Done!

All of the flavors of a traditional beef picadillo are still present in this vegetarian dish making it perfect for anyone trying to omit meat (even if it’s for one day).

Provecho!

Feel free to post your comments or questions.

All content © 2013 AdrianaGuillen.com All rights reserved. You may not take any images or content from this site without written permission.

Soyrizo Tacos

I often find that when people think of Mexican food the first thing that comes to mind is Tacos.

Tacos definitely play an important roll of Mexican cuisine.  However, from my experience, a large number of people in the United States have never enjoyed a real Mexican taco.  Most of the tacos found in America are either Tex-Mex or Mexican-American involving some questionable “taco meat,” hard shells, and weird toppings like bottled salsa and lettuce.

A real Mexican Taco consists of a protein, chopped onion, and chopped cilantro in a corn tortilla; while a hint of lime juice and salsa finish it off.  This is the type of taco that you will find all over Mexico’s streets with a variety of protein options.

Before turning vegetarian, my FAVORITE taco was a chorizo taco. I could seriously eat 10 of these little things in one seating.  Therefore, I had to learn how to adapt chorizo as a vegetarian option.

I hope you enjoy these tacos as much as I do.

Yields: approximately 10 small tacos

Ingredients:
1 cup soyrizo – I make my own but a much easier option is to just buy it. After many tastings, my favorite is Trader Joe’s Soyrizo. It is super tasty and has the least preservatives.
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
10 small corn taco tortillas (I make my own)
1 lime
Salsa Roja

Ingredients for soyrizo:
1/2 cup texturized soy protein (TVP)
1 quart of boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
3 tablespoons of guajillo sauce
1/2 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1teaspoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons corn oil

To make soyrizo (skip if buying pre-made):
- Hydrate TVP in boiling water for about 7 minutes.  When soft, drain water and rinse under cold water to remove bitter taste.
- Using a cheese cloth squeeze all of the water from TVP.  Leaving as dry as possible.
- In an extended pan, heat oil under medium heat.  Then add TVP and garlic and sauté for about 1 minute.
- Immediately after, add paprika, onion powder, cayanne, and guajillo sauce. Allow for sauce and spices to really incorporate with the TVP (about 1 minute).
- Lower your heat and add white vinegar.
- Cook your soyrizo until it begins to brown and become crispy.

Hint: Make sure to really spread your soyrizo out on the pan when cooking.  Do not over crowd.

To serve, simply place soyrizo on top of corn tortilla and add, onion, cilantro, lime, and salsa on top.

That’s it!