Skip to main content

A return to being "Trendy." Looking at Jack and Annie's Chicken nuggets


I had a health scare that started me down the Meatless Monday path.  It scared me enough to look at my diet and determine what I had to change.  While I figured a plant based diet was good for my health, the more I learned; the more I realized it was better for the planet too.  I became a bigger environmentalist than I was previously. 

However, I am a realist and know that most of us are not going to go vegan or vegetarian.  We are to set in our ways and that the beef and dairy industries are just to powerful; that we are just happy having that good steak.  

We all know that somehow we have to change.  We all know we have to start somewhere.

Going meatless at least one day a week is what got me started on a healthier path, although I do try to eat vegan/vegetarian at least one meal everyday currently.  No, I'm not giving up chicken or steak but I've cut back, and that helps in some small, small way.

You and I maybe "spitting in the ocean" but anything we do to help the environment is never a bad thing.  So with all that in mind I thought I would bring back my "Trendy" series.  Where I did little reviews of plant based items that I was able to find in my area.  

The whole idea behind the "Trendy" series is to get you, gentle reader, to try something different.  Something that you might enjoy and something that, will hopefully, help your health and the health of the planet in the long run.

Today I look at Jack and Annie's "chicken" nuggets.  They are a vegan product made from Jackfruit.  Now if your not familiar with the wonders of Jackfruit then haul your ass down to the nearest Asian market and pick your self up this amazing fruit. 

Jackfruit can weigh between 40 to 100 pounds and it's flesh often takes on the flavor of what ever sauces it's mixed with.  Although if you do eat it alone it has a sweet taste and due to it's fibrous nature reminds me of eating a banana or pineapple.   When Jackfruit is young or "green" it has a more neutral flavor and that allows it to be manipulated easily, taking on the flavors of what ever it's mixed with.  Because of it's fibrous nature and it's ability to take on other flavors it is often used as a meat substitute.  

I was a fan of Jackfruit the first time I tried it, well before I started down the path I'm on.  

So when I found "Chicken nuggets" made from this lovely fruit, I just knew I would have to try them.  As I opened the packet I was struck by how much they looked and felt like a traditional chicken nugget.  They were firm to the touch.   I also appreciated the fact that Jackfruit is the main ingredient here.  Sometimes, and it doesn't matter what the product is, the main ingredient's are chemicals and filler.  Not here.

So far, so good.   There is a variety of ways you can make them as well and I opted to try them two different ways.  First in the air fryer, then the next day in the oven.  

Again I was impressed as the nuggets came out nice and golden brown.  They stayed firm and didn't have a "mushy" texture like some plant based products have.  The taste?

Well they taste and look like a traditional chicken nugget.  They are juicy and have a satisfying bite to them. I've no doubt that you could put these in front of a kid and they would never tell the difference.    The next day I made the remaining nuggets in the oven and found them to be a little crispier then the ones made in the air fryer and that only improved the taste and experience overall.

The "chicken" taste is not strong, but it's there.  

Overall I would say that this is a great product to start your "meatless" diet with.  Jackfruit doesn't contain a lot of protein but it does have a lot of other benefits and is high in needed vitamins and minerals and is diverse enough that it can be made into "BBQ" sandwich's, taco's, pot roasts and curries.

Or just munch down on it raw.  That's what I like to do.



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

What all the cool kids are reading.

Want a greener and technology advanced future? Look to the Amish for guidence.

Years ago when I lived in Charlotte, North Carolina I was teaching 7th and 8th grade science.  One lesson in particular I remember very well.   It was on the uses of technology and I hoped to impress upon those kids one thought and one thought only.    Technology is neutral; it's what you do with it that matters. At that time there were no computers in the classroom and cell phones were still big bulky devices.  However these kids would be one of the first generations to deal with the technology we now take for granted.  So it was important that they at least an inkling of the promise of technology,  and how to deal with those consequences of technology. I still have my concerns about how we as a society approach technology and what, if anything, we have learned about it. We can learn from the past of course, but that's always jaded.   If only we had a real world example in the here and now that could serve as a guide on how to approach technology. Where I live today is
Post a Comment
Read more

Paradigm shifts and Project 2040

In 1906, Alfred Henry Lewis stated, “ There are only nine meals between mankind and anarchy. ” His observation has been echoed by people ever since and changed a bit over time, but has remained a stark warning. Only anarchy the way most people think of it rarely occurs.  We have found that people are more likely to band together when their communities face some sort of disaster, be it from war, plague or natural disaster.   We are all too familiar with pictures and videos of communities digging through the rubble of bombed buildings searching for survivors...but how many of us remember the moments during the Covid epidemic of people singing from their balconies?   When you have a community; people will always help people.  Despite these bleak times the things that make us human - our compassion - will see us through. Recently my life changed due to issues with a car .  While, in the scheme of things it was a minor crisis it did make me think if things could have been done differently,
1 comment
Read more

Why didn't Erie, PA develop into a bigger city?

          Recently I had to travel up to Erie, PA for business.   It's about an hour north of me and is a rather small city, having just under 100 thousand people living in it.   It played an important role in the founding of America,  - where it was the headquarters for Oliver Perry's flagship Niagara during the battle of Like Erie in the war of 1812 .            It was also a important shipping center, being Pennsylvania's only access to the Great Lakes which was the easiest way to trade with parts of Canada at the time as well as move goods to the cities of Detroit and Chicago, which in the mid to early 1800's were just starting to develop.  It was also directly north from Pittsburgh which was a major industrial city at that time.     Yet Erie never really grew beyond it's humble beginnings and I wondered why.   Like any good sleuth I turned to the internet where I found mostly wrong answers.    Many people thought the port of Erie was to shallow to handle most
3 comments
Read more