My Favorite people, My Favorite Recipes: Sharon Palmer

Blonde, brainy, beautiful, passionate and plant-based —Sharon Palmer is all these things and more — including a registered dietician, The Plant-Powered Diet author and the force behind the blog Sharon Palmer: The Plant-Powered Dietician. 

Sharon brings her nutrition chops to Oldways’ Vegetarian Network, where we both serve as advisors. We share the belief a plant-based food feeds you well and feeds the world right — it’s more sustainable, more humane and feeds more people. She’s LA-based with a down-home sensibility and contributes to countless publications. I’m glad to feature Sharon and her packs-a-punch jackfruit recipe in My Favorite People, My Favorite Recipes.

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JACKFRUIT BLACK BEAN QUINOA TACOS (VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE)

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Ingredients

  

Avocado Crema:

• ¼ cup cashews soaked in water*
• 1 small lime juiced
• 1 clove garlic
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 small avocado
• 3-4 tablespoons soy milk unsweetened
• Salt as desired, optional

Jackfruit Carnitas:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 small onion diced
• 1 small jalapeno finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 14- ounce can jackfruit unsweetened, drained.
• ¼-1 teaspoon hot sauce depending on your taste preference
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 small limes juiced
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce gluten-free, reduced sodium
• Salt as desired, optional

Quinoa and Black Beans:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 15.5- ounce can Cuban-style black beans drained
• 1 cup cooked rainbow quinoa
• Salt and pepper as desired, optional

Toppings/Base:

• 6 small corn tortillas
• 1 ½ cups finely shredded red cabbage
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped

Instructions

 

• To make Avocado Crema: First, *soak the cashews for 20 minutes in water. (Prepare remaining steps in this recipe while the cashews are soaking.) Drain off water and add cashews, along with lime juice, garlic, paprika, and avocado to a blender container. Add 3 tablespoons soy milk and process until smooth. May add additional soy milk if needed to make a smooth, creamy texture. If desired, season with a pinch of salt (optional). Transfer to bowl.
• To make Jackfruit Carnitas: While cashews are soaking, prepare this step. Heat olive oil in a skillet and sauté onion, jalapeno, and garlic for 5 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, and oregano and stir well. Add the drained jackfruit, breaking it apart into strands with a fork while it is cooking (about 2 minutes). Add hot sauce (adjust for your preference of spiciness), tomato paste, lime juice, and soy sauce. Continue to cook, breaking apart jack fruit with a fork, for an additional 4 minutes, until vegetables are soft, seasonings are well blended, and jackfruit is separated into strands. Remove from heat.
• To make Black Beans and Quinoa: While you are cooking jackfruit carnitas, heat a small skillet and add olive oil. Add drained beans and cooked quinoa. Stir and heat for about 5 minutes, until heated through. May add a pinch of salt and pepper, if desired (optional). Remove from heat.
• Prepare toppings: Roast corn tortillas in a toaster oven or the top rack of the oven for about 3 minutes for open-face or folded crispy tacos, or heat them in a pan for 2 minutes for soft tacos.
• To prepare tacos: line tacos with a layer of cabbage, black beans and quinoa, and jackfruit carnitas. Top with a dollop of avocado crema and garnish with cilantro.

Notes

May serve all fillings and toppings in individual serving dishes and let guests build their own tacos.

Thank you for reading my vegan stories and plant-based recipes. I sincerely love to connect with listeners and would like to hear your feedback, takeaways, “ah-ha!” moments, etc in the comments.

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