WTF: What's That Food?

These are passion fruit. While they aren't very easy on the eyes, they're pretty easy on the taste buds. In case that doesn't make sense, I meant to say that passion fruit are tasty in a clever way.

Nutritionally speaking:

~ Passion fruit are rich in dietary fibre which makes it easy to lower cholesterol. This also helps wipe out cancer-causing substances in the colon.

~ Keep your immune system in tact with all of the Vitamin C found in passion fruit.

~ Vitamin A found here will help with eyesight and more!

~ Regulate your heart rate and keep your blood pressure low thanks to Potassium.

~ Studies have shown that passion fruit help to relax the nervous system and promote sleepiness. Late nights laying in bed on your phone, anybody?

When are they best?

Passion fruit season is January.

First impression:

I was shocked when I cut into these things. Can we all agree that this is what alien eggs must look like? After getting over my initial reaction, I powered through and took my first bite. These things are delicious!

~ Jelly-like seeds. (Fun to play with)

~ The consistency is similar to a flax egg.

~ Surprisingly refreshing.

~ The seeds are crunchy.

How to eat it:

The purple passion fruit are funny because the more wrinkly and uneasy on the eyes, the riper it is. That being said...

Cut vertically in half.

I ate these in two different ways. I first scooped the seeds out with a spoon and ate them plain. Luckily, this was not a mistake. Though it would be a mistake if I had eaten more than just the seeds. Avoid the white rind and the outside. These parts aren't edible and they will not taste good.

The second way I ate the passion fruit was on a watermelon. This is a common way to eat it because the flavor of the watermelon complements that of the passion fruit so well.

Moral of the story:
Looks can be deceiving.

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Fig Nation

Figs are delicious so let's discuss.

Aside from their beautiful colors, sweet taste and adorable shape, figs are great to add to a meal or to snack on by themselves. They contain a good amount of nutrients too...so what's not to love?! (Rhetorical question but the simple answer would be nothing.)

~ When should you eat them?
They're best during the summer and autumn seasons.

~ Lower your blood pressure!
Figs help to naturally increase potassium in the body, which in turn helps lower blood pressure. Score.

~ Watching your weight?
Due to the high fibre content, figs help you feel fuller faster. Your food cravings will subside and they'll help with digestive wellness. Double score!

~ Get rid of acne!
If you have acne, try mashing a fig and applying it to your skin. The high water content makes figs a perfect cleanser.

~ Increase your bone density!
You can thank all of the Calcium and Potassium found in figs for this one.

~ Beast mode kidney function!
Have some fig leaf extract to help lower fat levels in your kidneys...therefore helping them to function better.

*Enjoy in moderation because too many tend to have a laxative effect on the body due to all of the oxalates. ;)

How I like them:

I like to cut these little guys in half and broil them with some agave or maple syrup (if you aren't feeling the agave and you aren't vegan, honey will do) on top for 8-10 minutes, or until the tops start to bubble. Serve warm by themselves or if you're a cheese eater, try some goat cheese. They're also great on vanilla ice cream (or banana ice cream), in a fresh salad (kale, anyone?), with baked sweet potato, pomegranate, or anything else you think up. Figs rock.

(As you can see, I was running extremely low on tinfoil.)

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WTF: What's That Food?

The jackfruit

As I am typing this, I sit here munching on some fresh jackfruit in a bowl beside me. The bowl is running low and I am tempted to get a second portion. I am certain that I will.

Story time:

My friends (including The Muscle of the Soul) were trying to figure out which of these cool vegan restaurants to go to for dinner. After checking out the menu, I got them all to agree on going to the one I wanted solely based on the fact that they sold jackfruit burgers. I was excited by the idea of a jackfruit burger because I knew I had my own bit of a jackfruit sitting in my fridge, waiting to be photographed/eaten for a WTF post.

The burger was delicious. The restaurant didn't lend itself to the best food photography, as the lighting was low to keep the vibes flowing. The trick to public food photography is to take the picture as discretely as possible so people don't think you are totally lame. So, at the end of the day, the photo of my jackfruit burger did not do it justice.

I have now run into two problems:

1. The next morning (AKA today) I started planning my jackfruit post. I could not convince myself to eat another jackfruit so soon, as tasty as the burger was, because it had a very unique taste and was quite a filling burger.

2. I was skeptical that my little jackfruit had gotten overripe so I did some research and discovered that my jackfruit was, in fact, overripe. While I probably could have gotten away with making a recipe anyway, the combination of problem No. 1 and No. 2 told me the recipe was a no go.

Never fear, I got creative on this one. I was about to give up and post only some links to different recipes below, until I learned that jackfruit seeds are edible. How cool is that?!

Below are the nutrition facts, my first impression, how to make the seeds tasty, and links to mouthwatering jackfruit recipes! Shall we?

Nutritionally speaking:

Your immune system will keep going strong with the help of this fruity guy. Packed with Vitamin C, the jackfruit is where it's at.

The fiber in the jackfruit will help you avoid constipation. Phewf.

Keep your skin glowing with all of the Vitamin A found in here!

Your bones will stay strong with the help of magnesium, which absorbs calcium. You can't have one without the other!

Iron is present in the jackfruit, preventing anemia and helping to promote that blood circulation your body needs. Blood flow helps with hair growth as well - an added bonus.

Anti-aging benefits, like radiant, younger looking skin, are another bonus of eating a jackfruit.

Boiling the seeds of the jackfruit can help respiratory problems like wheezing, so people suffering with asthma, take note!

First impression:

As I said before, the lighting was extremely dim. That made it hard to tell what I was really seeing. The burger looked a lot like pulled pork, which I later learned makes sense because the jackfruit is a common meatless substitute for that very food!

Today, cutting into the jackfruit sparked a lot of confusion. First I needed to search if it was even okay for me to still be eating this fruit. I could tell it was overripe but I figured that couldn't hurt much.

Then I made the mistake of getting rid of all of the seeds. This is what happens when you don't plan in advance. Luckily I had just replaced my garbage so I was able to salvage these seeds without a problem.

As I took bite by bite of this weird fruit, I couldn't stop staring at the piece I was holding in my hand. This strange, stringy fruit leant itself to being eaten like string cheese - I wanted to peel off small pieces before taking every bite.

The texture is somewhat of a mango that isn't quite ripe. I don't mean this in a bad way, just an observation. The jackfruit is a pretty chewy fruit when it's raw.

Speaking of mango, the jackfruit tastes like a combination of a mango and a pineapple. It's a distinct taste which I found refreshing after I got used to it.

How to boil jackfruit seeds:

I'm a big fan of jackfruit seeds. They are a great snack and easy to munch on. I only wish I had more! It was upsetting when I looked down at my bowl and realized that I had devoured all of the bite sized snacks.

The seeds have a nice salty taste (because salt is added to the water they are boiled in) and when you bite into them they are crispy on the outside and smooth on the inside.


Ingredients:

~ Jackfruit seeds

~ Water - Enough to cover the seeds

~ Sea salt - To taste


Instructions:

1. Rinse the seeds in warm water to remove any stickiness.

2. Place seeds in a pot of water. Add salt.

3. Cover and bring the water to a boil. Reduce to low heat and cook for 15 minutes.

4. Remove from heat, strain water, enjoy.

Bangin' jackfruit links:

Vegan Jackfruit Pulled 'Pork' Sandwiches - This is similar to what I ordered last night. I'd give this an A+.

Jackfruit Nacho Supreme - This may look like a lot of ingredients but they are mostly spices.

BBQ Jackfruit Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Mu Shu Jackfruit Lettuce Wraps - Fresh!


~ Until next time, keep on eating. ~

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