Jicama - the wonder vegetable

Jicama is my new favorite vegetable. I had seen this vegetable a few times here and there but had not eaten it until my trip to visit Mary in Clearwater. Jicama (pronounced HICK-ah-mah) is a mexican root vegetable from the Morning Glory family. It looks like a potato. It does not taste like a potato. It is crunchy, juicy and mildly sweet. To use jicama, all you have to do is peel and cut it. It is great raw in salads. It can be stir fried or cooked with other veggies. And it works like a carrot stick for dips like hummus or salsa.

Here is the real bonus on jicama. Not only does it taste good, but it is also fairly cheap, easy to peel and chop, and it works in alot of recipes. It is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and calories. It is high in potassium, vitamin C and fiber. I think it might be able to tap dance!

The way you cut it depends on how you are using it. It is easiest to work with if you cut it in half and then peel it. For salads, I like to cut it into shoestring potato-like strips. If you are using it for a dip(in place of Tostitos), cut a little wider and thicker. If you are cooking it, you can cube it in various sizes.

Since it is juicy and sweet, it is great to balance out spicy foods. In Mexico, it is eaten like "street vendor food" - just sprinkled with cayenne pepper and lime juice.

Mary sent a recipe for Beet and Jicama salad. Tonight I tried it in a Chopped Salad. It is great in alot of different combinations with either fruits or vegetables. Here are a few ways to use jicama:


Chopped Salad with Jicama

I made this one up, so just use whatever amounts you prefer.

Lettuce from the garden
Radish - sliced then halved
Cucumber - sliced then halved
Sweet Red Pepper - chopped
Vidalia Spring Onion - chopped
Jicama - peeled and cut into shoestring strips

Toss everything into a big salad bowl. Sprinkle a small amount of red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and toss again.

Mary's Jicama and Beet Salad

(4 servings)

One 15 oz can sliced, marinated beets, drained
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fat free raspberry viniagrette dressing
1/2 cup diced jicama
4 cups torn romaine lettuce

In a medium bowl, combine beets, scallions and salad dresing. Refrigerate covered, until the flavors are blended - at least one hour. Stir in jicama. Place 1 cup of lettuce on each of 4 plates. Top with beet/jicama mixture.
52 calories, 0 fat, 0 cholesterol, 3 fiber, 2 protein, 237 mg sodium.

Mandarin Orange and Jicama Salad

1 jicama, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
1 large lime, juiced
1 lemon, juiced
1 11 oz can mandarin orange segments, drained, liquid reserved

Combine everything and add just a small amount of the reserved orange juice. Allow mixture to sit for 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste, stir just before serving.