Healthy Food Highlight: Jicama

I’ve been sort of obsessed with jicama these days. I just can’t seem to get enough of this refreshing and crunchy food. Fortunately, it is a healthy addiction and here’s why you should consider adding it to your grocery shopping list.

Though part of the jicama plant is considered a legume (this part is not edible), the root vegetable component which we do consume is related to the sweet potato and resembles a turnip or water chestnut. If you’ve never tasted it, think potato meets apple — definitely more flavorful than a raw potato, but not as sweet as an apple.

You can enjoy it raw and simply plain or sprinkle some cayenne pepper and squeeze some fresh lime on it for a slightly different flavor.

One great thing about jicama is that it is inexpensive and yields lots of deliciousness. Anytime I buy one and chop it up, I’m amazed at how many bite-sized slices I am able to get from it. I like to cut it into finger-sized sticks and store them in the fridge for easy snacks throughout the week. If you’re bored of the usual carrots, celery, or peppers to dip in hummus or your favorite dip, try out jicama instead. It’s especially gratifying on a hot day due to its high moisture content. Partnering it with lime is quite the refreshing, thirst-quenching treat. It is common to find street vendors selling jicama in Mexico, where it is native along with other common fruits like papaya or melons.

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Here are some other health benefits (according to The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods):

• 1 cup of raw jicama provides 27 percent of the RDI of fiber and 35% vitamin C
• low in calories (49 calories per cup)
• a good source of the trace minerals, molybdenum and potassium
• can also be prepared similarly to the potato, though it is less starchy and half the calories
  

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Other ways to enjoy jicama:

• add to salads (goes well with carrots, onions, radish, cilantro and lime juice)
• due to its high water content, can be juiced
• substitute water chestnuts for jicama in Asian-inspired dishes, like a stir fry
  

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Here’s a delicious, gluten-free, and paleo recipe for Raw Tabouli using jicama instead of bulgur wheat. My friend and former classmate from nutrition school made this recipe one day and shared it with me and it is a great alternative for those who cannot eat wheat/gluten.

RECIPE courtesy of:
http://foodsforlonglife.blogspot.com/2009/05/raw-taboulifull-of-nutrient-rich-herbs.html

Raw Tabouli [serves 8]
4 cups jicama, diced
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 medium yellow heirloom tomato, diced
1 medium red heirloom tomato, diced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup fresh mint, chopped
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, (more or less to taste)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper (more or less to taste)

Dice the heirloom tomatoes and put in a colander to drain. Place jicama and pine nuts in a food processor and process briefly until it resembles large grain. Place mixture on paper towels to remove some of the moisture and then place in a large bowl. Add red onion, cucumber, parsley, mint and the drained tomatoes. Combine lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. Gently mix this dressing into the salad and serve.

Enjoy!

photo credit (at top of post): Eliza Adam https://www.flickr.com/photos/seadam/
under license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/legalcode

References:
Murray, Michael and Pizzorno, J. and Pizzorno, L. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. New York, NY. 2005.

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If Healthy Food Highlight: Jicama was helpful, please share this post with a friend so that they too may learn something from reading it.

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