Back in my college days, my boyfriend (we’ll call him Blake) and I spent a large chunk of one summer backpacking through Europe. We had great adventures touring castles and museums. We accidentally ate horse in the Czech Republic (it was delicious), and then we purposefully bought canned horse to take with us hiking in the Alps (it was terrible). We partied German style with giant steins full of dunkel, and we watched a man play champagne glasses on the Charles Bridge in Prague (I ended up buying a CD). We drank espresso at night in Italy, and, incidentally, that was my first experience with gelato, which brings me to the point of this jaunt back in time. His parents lived in Germany and planned to meet us in Venice to spend a week with us. On our first night together, we walked into this little gelateria, and I immediately knew we were in for a treat. The place was packed with regulars and everything looked so fresh. With an extraordinary display of delicious options (think Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors, but prettier, less intrusive, and without the chemicals), it just made sense that we were all picking two flavors. While the crowd natives were waiting for their gelato, we took turns placing our orders. I found it amusing that not only were the members of our party waiting to see what we each would pick, but the locals were quietly curious, as well. We were all pretty sensible in our choices - or maybe we were boring, given what happened next. Blake’s mom was the last to order, and in her slightly Cajun French Rs, and with the seriousness one displays while choosing an insurance policy, says, “I’ll have licorice and pear.” And the entire patronage was audibly taken aback. It was absolutely one of those moments that’s funnier in person, but it’s one I’ll never forget because it was so very her - unapologetically unique and always adventurous.

These days, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that flavor combination listed somewhere on a superfood smoothie board, complete with turmeric, maca, and some berry with a name that no one will ever be able to properly announce. Kidding, of course. Anyway, twenty years later, I found myself on another adventure with Blake - this time in his hometown of Greenville - and hanging with his littles. On my second day there, the weather was perfect for a chill bike ride/fun run (kids rode while we tried to keep up). An hour later, with stomachs so hungry they began threatening to digest our other organs, we went to the coolest little taco joint called White Duck Taco. Is there a better name for a taco place in all the land? The answer is “no, of course there isn’t.” It’s adjacent to a local brewery, an axe throwing place (that’s really a thing!), an art gallery, and a couple of other interesting places, all of which surround a giant courtyard with a splattering of picnic tables and huge hills for kids to run wild on. And this little place in Greenville, South Carolina is where I had the best taco of my life. Much like his mom’s cone of gelato, it combined nontraditional flavors into one little edible package, and after the first bite, I knew I was going to try to recreate it as soon as I got home.

These Thai Peanut Jackfruit Tacos with Mango Salsa and Sriracha Cream are the first in my five-day InstantPot series. Don’t be intimidated by the five-component ingredient list. Everything in it is easily found in your local grocery, and the prep time is next to nothing. AND you get to continue your solid love affair with your InstantPot. Or maybe that’s just me… either way. You’ll end up with extra peanut sauce, but you can just drizzle a bit more on top or save it for snack time later. Raw veggies are a great vehicle for it! You’ll likely have extra salsa, too, but it keeps well refrigerated in an airtight container for a couple of days. Give these a try, and let us know what you think in the comments!

thai peanut jackfruit tacos with mango salsa and sriracha cream
serves 4

for the jackfruit
2 14 oz cans jackfruit in brine, drained
1/2 cup water

for the peanut sauce
3/4 cup natural peanut butter (I like crunchy, but you do you)
1/3 cup tamari
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic
2-3 Tbs maple syrup (I like two, but again, you do you)
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
2-3 Tbs water

for the mango salsa
2 ripe mangos, diced
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 cup diced red bell pepper
2 Tbs minced jalapeno
1/4 cup packed chopped cilantro leaves
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp sea salt + more to taste

sriracha cream
2 Tbs sriracha
1/2 cup veganaise or cashew cream

for serving
thinly sliced red cabbage
sliced green onion
chopped fresh cilantro
chopped peanuts
sliced avocado
soft 6-8 inch round corn tortillas

1) Place the drained jackfruit and 1/2 cup water in your InstantPot, and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally, drain, and then shred with a fork. Return the jackfruit to the InstantPot.

2) While the jackfruit is cooking, place all of the peanut sauce ingredients (start with 2 tablespoons of water) in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add more water to reach a thick, but pourable consistency.

3) Turn on the InstantPot sauté function, and pour 1/2 cup of peanut sauce over the jackfruit. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid scorching.
4) To make the salsa, add all ingredients to a medium bowl and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt or lime juice, as necessary.

5) To make the sriracha cream, stir the sriracha and veganaise or cashew cream until thoroughly combined.
6) To serve, gently heat the tortillas on a skillet and then top as desired. Enjoy!

notes: You’ll have extra peanut sauce left over. It’s great as more topping, a dip for veggies, or make a stir fry out of it. I also think it makes a kickass salad dressing, but that’s how I roll. I’ve also used non-dairy yogurt for the sriracha cream in a pinch. Just make sure it’s not vanilla and doesn’t have sugar. That’s an unfortunate and surprising mistake.

thai peanut jackfruit tacos with mango salsa and sriracha cream
serves 4

for the jackfruit
2 14 oz cans jackfruit in brine, drained
1/2 cup water

for the peanut sauce
3/4 cup natural peanut butter (I like crunchy, but you do you)
1/3 cup tamari
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic
2-3 Tbs maple syrup (I like two, but again, you do you)
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
2-3 Tbs water

for the mango salsa
2 ripe mangos, diced
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 cup diced red bell pepper
2 Tbs minced jalapeno
1/4 cup packed chopped cilantro leaves
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp sea salt + more to taste

sriracha cream
2 Tbs sriracha
1/2 cup veganaise or cashew cream

for serving
thinly sliced red cabbage
sliced green onion
chopped fresh cilantro
chopped peanuts
sliced avocado
soft 6-8 inch round corn tortillas

1) Place the drained jackfruit and 1/2 cup water in your InstantPot, and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally, drain, and then shred with a fork. Return the jackfruit to the InstantPot.
2) While the jackfruit is cooking, place all of the peanut sauce ingredients (start with 2 tablespoons of water) in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add more water to reach a thick, but pourable consistency.
3) Turn on the InstantPot sauté function, and pour 1/2 cup of peanut sauce over the jackfruit. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid scorching.
4) To make the salsa, add all ingredients to a medium bowl and stir to combine. Taste and add more salt or lime juice, as necessary.
5) To make the sriracha cream, stir the sriracha and veganaise or cashew cream until thoroughly combined.
6) To serve, gently heat the tortillas on a skillet and then top as desired. Enjoy!

notes: You’ll have extra peanut sauce left over. It’s great as more topping, a dip for veggies, or make a stir fry out of it. I also think it makes a kickass salad dressing, but that’s how I roll. I’ve also used non-dairy yogurt for the sriracha cream in a pinch. Just make sure it’s not vanilla and doesn’t have sugar. That’s an unfortunate and surprising mistake.