Quinoa and smoky jackfruit bowl

Makes approx 2 servings.

Ingredients:

For the jackfruit + sauce

400g canned jackfruit

One medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

120 ml veggie broth

100 ml soy milk

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 tsp sea salt (or more depending on taste)

1 tsp liquid smoke

Olive oil to fry

For the quinoa

2 cups quinoa, rinsed

4 cups veggie stock

1x 400g can black beans

To serve (optional)

On a bed of spinach

Avocado

Sesame seeds

Sliced lemon

Method:

1. Thoroughly rinse the jackfruit then drain. Cut off the 'core' pieces of the jackfruit (usually hard and triangle shaped) and separate from the rest and then chop into smaller pieces.

2. Use a fork to pull the remaining jackfruit into small stringy pieces.

3. Combine all jackfruit together and rinse again.

4. Thoroughly dry by squeezing out all the water and then pat dry using kitchen paper. Set aside.

5. Over medium heat, add the oil, garlic, and onion and cook for a couple of minutes until the garlic is fragrant and the onions are golden brown.

6. To a blender (I used my nutribullet), add the cooked onion and garlic, milk, veggie broth, maple syrup, lemon juice, liquid smoke, paprika, tomato paste and sea salt. Blend. Taste test and adjust flavour as needed (I added more paprika, salt and lemon juice).

7. Transfer the jackfruit into a mixing bowl and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

8. To the mixing bowl, add the sauce and mix to ensure all the jackfruit is coated. Let the jackfruit marinate for at least 2 hours.

9. After marinating the jackfruit, pour the mixture into a sieve to remove some of the sauce (but don't get rid of it!)

10. Rinse the quinoa well then drain. Add to a saucepan with the veggie stock and cook for 15 mins.

11. Rinse the black beans then add them to the pan with the quinoa. Mix well and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

12. Turn off the heat when the quinoa is soft and almost all the water has been absorbed, then fluff with a fork.

13. To another pan over medium heat, add some olive oil to coat the pan, then add the jackfruit and cook for around 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside.

14. Serve the quinoa with the black beans and jackfruit on a bed of spinach, along with some sliced avocado and sesame seeds. Add some of the reserved sauce on top, and enjoy!

Jackfruit recipe developed from minimalistbaker.