Heyyy everyone! Did you vote today or what?? I hope you did and boy do I have an amazing dish for you to celebrate democracy with … Pulled “Pork” Totchos with Pumpkin Barbecue Sauce. Yes, everything about this dish is extra AF and it’s only for people who participate in Democracy so if you didn’t vote you can’t try it, just kidding, but seriously VOTE!
Okay so the story of how this recipe came together is actually kind of fun. It was originally supposed to be a pumpkin barbecue cauliflower wing, and it’s frustrating and weird but despite how amazing this sauce is, it just didn’t work. I low key would still be mad about it except this recipe turned out better than I could have imagined.
So after multiple weeks of Andrew and I brainstorming another use for this incredible sauce, we came up with barbecue nachos, which quickly turned into totchos, for obvious reasons.
Now, for the pulled “pork” I used hearts of palm. This was inspired by a recent recipe I saw on Hot for Food (yes, I’m talking about Lauren Toyota again because she’s the queen). She did Bao Buns with pulled hearts of palm and I thought using them for pork was genius! I have used them for seafood before but had no idea how easily they pull into the texture of pulled meat. It’s great and the best part is you guys don’t have to order jackfruit online. Seriously, if anyone knows where the F to buy jackfruit, please hit me up.
This recipe is finished off with this incredible vegan nacho cheese sauce that I swear I am absolutely addicted to. Seriously though, the centerpiece here is the pumpkin barbecue sauce, it’s incredible, It’s spicy, sweet and festive. You’ll love it!
Before I head out today, I want to again impress upon everyone the importance of voting. We have the privilege to live in a democracy and there’s no point to democracy if the people don’t make their voices heard. There are forces in this world who don’t want you to vote and want you to believe it doesn’t matter. They want to stop people from voting because it does matter, and every vote counts. There’s nothing scarier to the powerful than an informed, educated and excited electorate.
Also after voting you should also stay engaged and hold your reps accountable but that’s a convo for another day. For now, just vote and then treat yourself to an entire pan of nachos.
Lots of Love,
Jackie
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Pulled “Pork” Totchos with Pumpkin Barbecue Sauce
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner, Snack,
- Cuisine: Seasonal, Comfort Food
Description
The most extra recipe out there, tater tots topped with sweet and spicy pumpkin barbecue sauce, pulled hearts of palm and smothered in insanely creamy vegan nacho cheese.
Ingredients
- Pulled “Pork”
- 2 cans hearts of palm
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp agave nectar (or maple syrup)
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp adobo spice
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
- Vegan Nacho Cheese
- 1 baking potato, peeled and diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp tapioca or potato starch
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos
- 3 tbsp jalapeno brine
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- Pumpkin Barbecue Sauce
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp sriracha
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp rubbed sage
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 tsp each salt and pepper
- Toppings
- 1 bag tater tots
- 2 cups kale, thinly sliced
- 1 cup red cabbage, shredded
- 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1/2 cup fresh radishes, sliced thin
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- juice 2 limes
- 1 tsp each salt and pepper
- Pickled jalapenos
- pickled onions
Instructions
- Start by cooking the tater tots according to the directions on the package.
- To make the pumpkin barbecue sauce, whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce in a medium bowl. When they are full mixed, transfer to a medium sauce pan under medium heat. Turn down to low and simmer for 15 minutes. You may need to add a little more water to thin it out.
- To make the nacho cheese, placed the diced potatoes and carrots into a small pot. Fill the pot about 3/4 of the way with water and bring to a boil. Boil until the potatoes and carrots are softened. When they are soft, drain and transfer to a high speed blender. Add the remaining nacho cheese ingredients and blend on high until smooth. It will be warm now, but set aside until the other ingredients are done. You may need to reheat it slightly.
- To make the pulled hearts of palm, remove them from the can and drain the liquid. Then place them into cheesecloth or a clean tea towel. A nutmilk bag also works. Squeeze all the liquid out of the hearts of palm by twisting it in the cloth. When you remove it from the towel it will already be starting to shred. Place into a small bowl and continue to shred it, it will start to look kind of like imitation crab.
- Once it’s shredded, add in the ingredients for the pulled pork and toss until it’s fully coated in the spice rub. Here you have two choices, you can put the hearts of palm into a skillet and heat alone, or you can add it directly to the sauce. I browned them slightly in a pan alone and poured the sauce over them at the end.
- Last, make the slaw! Add the kale, red cabbage, cilantro, radishes and carrots to a large bowl and toss to combine. Add in the mayo, dijon, lime juice, and salt and pepper Toss together until fully mixed and all the veggies are coated in the dressing.
- Finally, assemble the nachos. Place the tots on a pan, then top with the slaw, then the hearts of palm and pumpkin barbecue sauce, the finish with the nacho cheese. Sprinkle with some cilantro!
Notes
Serving Notes: The barbecue sauce, slaw and nacho cheese here amount to more serving wise than you need for the nachos so you can easily double this recipe by just making more tater tots and using one more can of hearts of palm.
