Veggie Loaded Chili Lime Jackfruit "Carnitas" Taquitos
Photo by Amy Angelo
In high school, my sister and I after school would go to our favorite taco stand and get totally loaded taquitos, dripping in cheese + sour cream, it was out tradition! Oh how far I’ve come! This is a take on traditional taquitos made much healthier. We’ve swapped out the meat for home-made jackfruit carnitas, that’s unbelievably easy to make. Roll it in a warm tortilla and crisped up in a little high heat oil and you won’t even miss the other ones. Enjoy taquitos while not compromising on your health goals!
Veggie Loaded Chili Lime Jackfruit “Carnitas” Taquitos
Yield: 10-12 taquitos
Olive oil
1 medium red onion, small dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (20 ounce) can jackfruit in brine, drained + rinsed, available at Trader Joe’s
2 teaspoons chili powder
Juice of 2 limes
Juice of 1 medium orange
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups baby spinach, loosely packed
Salt to taste (about 1 teaspoon)
Siete tortillas (available at Sprouts or Whole Foods) or corn tortillas
Refined coconut oil or avocado oil, for frying taquitos
Heat a large non-stick sauté pan over medium low heat. Once hot cover the bottom of the pan with oil. Once oil is hot add onion and garlic. Sauté until translucent and starting to caramelize - about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile pulse jackfruit in food processor until crumbly, about 30 seconds or loosely chop into small bite size pieces. You’re looking for it to be the consistency of traditional pulled meat.
Add jackfruit to onion mixture, then add chili powder, lime juice, orange juice, and shredded carrots. Sauté for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and juices are absorbed. Add spinach, sauté until wilted, 1-2 minutes. Salt to taste.
Gently warm tortillas until soft and bendable, see chef’s tips below. Fill with about 2 tablespoons of mixture into tortilla, roll up tightly, repeat with remaining tortillas.
Heat a large non-stick sauté pan over medium high heat. Cover the bottom of the pan with oil, once oil is hot, add taquitos (in 2 batches) seam side down, fry for 2-3 minutes on each side. Drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Be sure to use jackfruit packed in brine and not in syrup.
It’s extremely important to warm your tortillas before adding jackfruit filling. If your tortillas are cold and not pliable, they will crack in the rolling/cooking process. The best way to heat them up is on a panini press for about 20 seconds or in the microwave wrapped in damp paper towels for 30 seconds.
Photo by Amy Angelo
