Mike and I are trying to eat better. As vegans, it’s like, we already eat a plant-based diet, so what’s the problem? My taste for processed foods and candy has gone through the roof with all the new vegan products (Meats! Cheeses! Cheesecake! Mac’n cheese! Pizza! Corndogs! Donuts! GIVE ME ALL OF IT!!! ) available, and my appetite has quadrupled since picking up running, yoga and strength training. We are very excited that jackfruit is now available at Trader Joe’s, as it’s filling, versatile and low calorie. I’m hoping my taste and desire for cooking with tofu comes back soon. And while I know both of these ingredients are processed, they are closer to how we would like to be eating, as opposed to, let’s say, faux meats for most meals! I once worked under a vegan chef who said he didn’t wish to cook with anything that came out of a can or packaging, which is very inspiring, and what I like to keep in mind on my own culinary journey. I would also like to incorporate 5am workouts into my lifestyle, so…it’s good to have dreams and goals

Trader Joe’s Jackfruit! $1.99 a can!

Perusing through Instagram last month, I found this jackfruit taco recipe by Hot For Food. It was amazing!

Delicious! Great the first night and exciting as leftovers too! We used roasted jalapeños for this recipe. If you don’t have cashews, or a high speed blender, you can simply whisk vegan mayo and the chipotle pepper liquid together!

Inspired by that recipe, the next weekend I made BBQ jackfruit sandwiches.

Sauteed kale and black beans pair nicely with the sweetness of bbq sauce.

Last weekend, using jackfruit, I made Mike “chicken” Adobo. Adobo is a traditional Filipino dish that his lola would make, but when he went vegetarian as a kid, he couldn’t eat it anymore. I’d never had it, and the flavor profiles are new to me. He’s been asking me to give it a whirl for months now, and I finally did! I used the chicken Adobo recipe from Panlasang Pinoy, substituting three cans of jackfruit for the chicken. I also added sautéed white onion, 2 TBSP more soy sauce, and 1 TBSP more white vinegar.

We loved the Adobo so much, I made it a few nights later with Morning Star chik’n strips. I’ve been doing most of my grocery shopping at the 99 Cents Store, and sometimes you can find some really, really, really great stuff! Mike found the chik’n strips in the freezer section and bought them out! $20 worth – it was incredible!

Ok, so the strips kind of go against everything I was taking about in this post, but being vegan on a budget is very real, and when you find a deal like that, you gotta act quick! Which Mike did, and now when you open his freezer, an avalanche of vegan chik’n threatens your life.