Normally food finds are products I stumble upon not produce but today I came across a jicama. A few people have mentioned them to me before but I never saw them in the stores until today! I didn’t even know they existed until about a month ago.
A jicama looks like the large mutant child of a baking potato and turnip. The only way I can describe its taste is like cucumber potato, the starchy crisp texture of a potato with the watery freshness of a cucumber. If that makes any sense?!? ;~)
I peeled it like a potato and cut strips for snacking on. I can see it as a compliment in salsa, stir-fries and possibly paired with melons. According to Wegmans when cooked lightly it becomes milder but retains its crispness, like a water chestnut.
The nutritional information is quite impressive, at 45 calories, 0 fat and 4 g of fiber per cup. So if you are looking for something new, see if you can find one in the produce of your grocery store.
If you are a jicama fan, please tell us how you use it. I fascinated by this new find!
http://ronisweigh.com/ronis-updates/workout-progress
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
Useful links...
17 Responses to Jicama
Leave a Reply
BlogToLose
What's Cooking in my kitchen?
-
Finally my first Farro idea! I have to say, I love this stuff! It's chewy and yummy and, well, fun! I tossed it with what I could find in my pantry and it made a wonderfully satisfying lunch. Filling but not heavy, tasty and quite nutrient dense. According to NutritionData.com this [...] -
I've seen it mentioned in a few of my clean eating and healthy cook books but honestly, I never even thought of Farro as an option for me. I refuse to shop at specialty stores and I try to use only common products that I can keep in stock and purchase from a typical grocery [...] -
I've never had a tuna melt. Is that weird? I guess that's what happens when you grow up not liking mayonnaise. I never ate tuna salad or egg salad or chicken salad. Honestly, they always kind of grossed me out. Then I realized.. hey.. why does tuna salad have [...] -
I have no idea where this idea came from. I was hungry. It was lunch. I had Brussels Sprouts. That was all the catalyst I needed.:) I decided to use a slice of real bacon to add flavor and little fat that would help sauté the sprouts. I'm trying [...] -
WOW was this good. I mean seriously good. It's not vegetarian so don't start throwing stones. I'm calling it a Garden Vegetable Burger because I use the new Laughing Cow Smooth Sensations Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread. It was this recipe on Allrecipes.com that inspired [...] -
I drink water 99.9% of the time but every so often it just doesn't cut it. I want something else. Something more. Something slightly sweet. Today was one of those days. I decided to make a refreshing drink based on the famous Arnold Palmer, half lemonade and half iced [...] -
The other day I made a whole chicken on the grill in pieces. It was delicious! Just a little BBQ sauce and an open flame is all I need to make The Husband happy in the dinner department. I also picked up a few ears of corn from the grocery store. They aren't in season [...] -
Let me explain so you don't think I'm making a chili recipe and just put it on pizza. I'm calling this vegetarian Chili Pizza because chili is what inspired flavors. I think I told you. Little Bean is really into, well, BEANS! We go through a can about every 2 days. Yesterday [...] -
I've confessed my inability to follow recipes here on GreenLiteBites many, many times. I don't know why it's so hard for me. I can barely follow some of my own and I wrote the darn things! I think most of my problem stems from not having all the ingredients listed and, [...] -
Leftover brown rice and leftover sauce meet in this quick lunch idea inspired by my favorite food of all time: Pizza. I swear I can turn anything into a pizza concoction. Have you seen all my pizza ideas? I've used everything from pumpkin to zucchini, polenta to wontons. Nothing is off [...] -
This isn't a recipe just an idea I had to share. I can't believe how good it was! I've never had grilled pineapple. Can you believe it? I just never really had the desire to grill it before. When you love something raw sometimes it doesn't occur to you to cook it. [...] -
I whipped this up for lunch on a whim today because, well, I have a baby who's obsessed with three things… Cheese, Beans, and Avocado. No, really. Look... It's my go to meal for him so I find myself with beans and avocado readily available. [...] -
You know that tradition 7 Layer Mexican Dip? The one with the cream cheese, guacamole, salsa, lettuce, cheese, green onion and olives? Yea. That's the one. Well I had a craving for it the other day. Well, not exactly for it as I can never make anything the way it's suppose [...] -
If you go through the archives of GreenLiteBites I have about 5 total beef recipes. Five. Compare that to the 80+ I have tagged with chicken/turkey there's a clear winner in the meat department on my blog and in my home. I don't have a beef with beef (omg The Husband [...] -
I'm a kitchen sink smoothie maker. Whatever I have on hand goes in the blender and viola! A quick breakfast or a healthy snack. Last year I posted an "Elastic Approach" to how I make smoothies but I still like to share specific combinations that worked really well. This was one [...] -
The other night it was just the kids and I home for dinner and I decided to make what I wanted to make no holds barred. Without The Husband home it's much easier for some reason. Hmmm wonder why? Ok, not here to husband bash.. really.. I'm not! I'm here [...] -
*sigh* I was really hoping to share an awesome turkey burger idea. I had grand plans for my leftover ground turkey. The results was alright but they could have been so much better. I added diced pineapple, red pepper, green pepper, oats and soy sauce to the meat and formed 2 patties. In hindsight I [...] -
I made this on a total whim yesterday having no idea if it would work. To my surprise it did AND the husband actually said he liked it... UNSOLICITED! Here's the story. I had only 4 tilapia fillets defrosted for dinner. I knew it wasn't going to be enough for us [...] -
This is a slight reboot of a recipe I posted last year simply called Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili. Staying true to my use-what-I-have-on-hand roots I, well, used what I had on hand and made a similar dish with a spicy twist. Topping the result with avocado added a cool creaminess that [...] -
Did you hear? The Laughing Cow recently launched Smooth Sensations a line of 5 cream cheese spreads. There's Classic Cream, Classic Cream Light, Strawberries & Cream, Garden Vegetable and my favorite… Cinnamon. It's a sweet wedge of creamy goodness! Today I decided to use my new favorite flavor [...] -
Confession time, I recorded a 30 minute video making this with both kids (partally) 2 nights ago. I miss videos. I really do but they seem so much more difficult with 2 children. I'm also having technical difficulties with my video recording and audio syncing making it VERY time consuming to edit. [...] -
A couple of years ago I shared a modified version of Sloppy Joe's I made for a party. Everyone loved it but I've been wanting to try to make something similar for the family on a smaller scale and without the pre-made canned Manwich sauce. I don't particularly have any issues [...] -
Yesterday I was dreaming about a salad. Not just any salad, but a chickpea filled, cucumber, and red onion salad with a fun, tangy dressing. Unfortunately, I had no cucumber or red onion. Well, that's a lie. I had a half of cucumber but it was a mushy mess and [...] -
Dinner meals are getting harder and harder for me to share lately. I've gone back to just whipping things up without really measuring anything (this meal was going to be one of those until I realized I still had enough light to take some photos.) I've also instituted a few brainless meal nights [...] -
Three years ago I posted a video called "Makin' Hard Boiled Eggs" where I shared my system for, well... making hard boiled eggs. Genius name, I know. I'm smart like that. Anyway, since then I've gotten tons of feedback and comments thanking me but all the information is locked in a long winded 10 minute [...]
"@FatGirlvsWorld I am too.. barely kept my eyes open to finish today's post. I'm off to crash now! @WorkoutNirvana— RoniNoone
About Roni
Roni started this blog in '05 to journal her weight loss. 70lbs later, she's committed to living a conscious, healthy life and hopes to inspire others along the way. Read more on the about page.Like the new look of Roni’s Weigh?
Check out PageLines WordPress Themes
. Roni's Weigh is built on premium theme PlatformPro.
It’s a little sweet too. I grew up eating it raw and now I put it in salads. I’ve never had it cooked though. It’s great in the summer when it’s hot (which is NOT the case in SF right now).
It’s really good just added to a salad as a topping. I also make a little salad with sliced jicama, black beans, cilantro, tomato and a splash of lime. Simple, but refreshing.
I’m a fan of water chestnuts and I think jicama is very similar…love that crunch. It’s good with lime juice & salt.
I love Jicama. Here is a salad recipe I got from a magazine.
Jicama Cucmber Salad
1 medium jicama, peeled and julienned
1 small cucumber, seeded and julienned
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
2 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp grated lime peel
1/4 tsp pepper
In a large bowl, combine the jicama, cucumber, onion and chilies. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients. Pour over jicama mixture, toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Nutritional Info
serving size 3/4 cup
96 calories
5 g fat
6 g fiber
1 point per serving
I too grew up eating jicama raw and have never cooked it. My fav…slice it up into little cubes, add tons of lemon or lime juice, salt (i tend to use too much) and tabasco sauce. Mmmmm…it’s great late at night when you are hungry or think you are…the acidity and hotness takes your appetite away after.
While I know I should use jicama to enhance salads and other healthy things like that — I find myself using it instead of chips for dipping! At 0 points… its really just a vehicle for dip. Is that wrong?
Either way its a great find!
Jicama goes really, really well in anything that needs crunch. It’s a great addition to a salad but can be very good in a burrito, on top of an omelette (great texture! but maybe this is just my weird preference). Also, goes really really well with anything dill (ranch dressing… low fat or even made with yogurt is amazing).
hi roni,
this is the 22 year old from hollywood again :) i grate fresh jicama all over a salad or chop it into tiny pieces to add into a salsa… it absorbs other flavors while retaining it’s delicate sweetness – delightful!
you can also serve it sliced with dip or cheese.
I love it in my salads. It adds just a bit of crunch.
I dont think Jicama is a cooking fruit/veggie?…. I grew up snacking on them chopped and covered in lime juice and sprinkled with chili powder. Its such a yummy, juicy, cool thing to eat in the middle of summer!!
Hi, I am from Mexico and Jicama to us is just a fruit like, we slice it like fries and add some lemon juice, salt and chili powder I also love mangos ^-^
Jicama is also tasty cut into fry-size pieces and drizzled or dipped with an Italian-type dressing. Last night I dipped it in guacamole and was pleasantly surprised!
[...] mine was a bit firmer and crisper then zucchini. The texture actually reminded me of Jicama but not quite as sweet. So I diced it up and used it in my Sausage and Diced Veggie Skillet [...]
[...] 3 tacos made with 1 point tortillas (3), 2 oz lean beef (2), 1/2 cup of beans (2), spinach leaves, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, .5 oz of cheese (1) and salsa with a side of Jicama [...]
[...] small site updates. I added a new Produce Picks section. I thought about it and with my addition of Jicama and Mango I want to post about my produce adventures. Especially considering I’m into trying new [...]
I’m going to serve this with your spicy black bean dip at our Super Bowl party.
[...] Jicama [...]