Weird Food Wednesday: Cooking with Jicama

By Kaitlin Bitz Candelaria | March 3, 2016
I had never even heard of half of the vegetables I found on my first trip to Whole Foods and it took months for someone to instruct me on the proper pronunciation of quinoa.

However, I’ve come a long way since then and now make a point to try to incorporate a new food into my diet every month. It isn’t hard to do since all my prior experiences involve corn, taters and lots of butter.

Now that I’m a little further along in my healthy eating journey, I may it a habit to try new foods as often as possible.

This week for Weird Food Wednesday, I’m going to give you a few different recipes to try with jicama. Jicama, also sometimes known as the Mexican yam, might look like a rock at first glance in the grocery store.

First of all, let me say that you can cook jicama in about as many ways as you can pronounce it. But be careful — whereas the root is yummy, but the leaves can be poisonous if ingested. Jicama be eaten raw or cooked — the taste is similar to that of a pear. It’s also packed with fiber and water.


 

 

Baked Rosemary Jicama Friesjicama

Looking for a fry-type side without the grease or quite the carb punch? Try these savory fries as a side dish the next time you’re grilling burgers.

Ingredients

  • 1 jicama
  • 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon of sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon of rosemary
Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. Peel and slice your jicama into whatever size fires you’d like. Peel the jicama by cutting off the two point ends and then using your knife to peel off the sides. Do NOT put the peel in your garbage disposal — speaking from experience here.
  3. In a gallon size plastic bag, mix your sliced jicama along with the olive oil and seasonings. Allow the fries to soak while your oven preheats.
  4. Once the oven has heated to 400 degrees, place your fries on a baking sheet and put them in the oven for 25 minutes before serving.

Sweet Jicama and Apple Bakejicama

This is a sweet treat you can enjoy after dinner without sacrificing your clean eating.

Ingredients

  • 1 apple
  • 1/2 jicama
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup of melted ghee
  • 1 pinch of brown sugar
Directions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Peel and slice your jicama into cubes. Core your apple and slice it similarly. Expert tip: Leave the peel on for a splash of color.
  3. In the microwave, melt your ghee.
  4. In an oven safe dish, place the jicama and apple. Pour the melted ghee over it and then top with the cinnamon and brown sugar.
  5. Bake for thirty minutes before serving. If you really want a delicious dessert, serve it with a Paleo-friendly (or not) vanilla ice cream.

Mashed Jicama Pureejicama

Ingredients

  • 1/2 jicama
  • 1 teaspoon of parsley
  • 1 teaspoon of sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
  • 1/4 cup of almond milk
Directions

  1. Bring two cups of water to a boil on the stove.
  2. Peel and slice your jicama into equal sized pieces.
  3. Once your water starts to boil, add the jicama and cover with a lid. Boil for twenty minutes or until the jicama is soft. Expert tip: If it just doesn’t seem like your jicama is getting soft, go ahead and remove it from heat and use a hand masher to get it going.
  4. Drain the jicama and place it in a blender with your seasonings and milk. Puree to your desired consistency before serving.
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