Jicama (finally!)

After weeks of waiting, I finally tried jicama for the first time. For those of you who don't know what it is, jicama (pronounced hick-a-muh) is a Mexican vegetable that is easily mistaken for a big, oblong potato. Although I have limited use of my nose right now (it must be allergies, colds don't usually last this long) the first thing I thought of when I started peeling it was horseradish. The fresh kind that clears your sinuses at the Seder table on Passover. I was told that it would look like a cross between a potato and an onion (check!) and that it would taste like a cross between a potato and apple (double check!) and that was exactly my experience.

***NEW FOOD ALERT***

Many of the recipes I found suggested slicing the jicama raw and adding lime juice and hot sauce, so I decided to make wraps with leftover hot wings from last night. My jicama was huge (and it was the smallest at the grocery store!) so I only used a little less than a quarter of it for my two wraps. I'll use more next time, but I still think I'll have a lot left over. I was going to add avocado and onion as well, but the avocado didn't survive the week I waited to use it. Some recipes said that the avocado would balance out the flavor of the jicama, so I'll have to try it next time. The lime juice was great because it made the whole thing taste brighter.

I used the other half of my lime to flavor my water. I don't generally drink soda, so I'm always looking for ways to jazz up my beverages. Usually I use lemon, but the lime worked great too. My one friend suggested putting a split vanilla bean in a pitcher of water with orange or raspberries. She said that as long as you refill the pitcher, one vanilla bean can last up to a month. I haven't tried it yet, but I did leave some lemon in my water bottle and it made a big difference.

The jicama was pretty mild, so the lime juice and the spice from the hot wings definitely kicked it up. Next time I'm going to add some more vegetables to the mix and see how it turns out. I was also thinking that it'd be great with fajitas. Overall, I wouldn't say that it's my new favorite vegetable, but it's definitely a must-have for Mexican night.

Jicama, lime juice, and spicy chicken on a whole wheat wrap

I always use fresh citrus when I can, it adds more zing