To all of our adventurous eaters, we have a new recipe to try from our FUEL class this week. It features a Mexican root vegetable called Jicama (pronounced HEE-kah-ma) that is cool, crisp, and slightly sweet. When eaten raw, it tastes like a cross between an apple, potato, celery, and water chestnut.
I used pre-peeled and pre-cut Jicama sticks from the refrigerator section of the grocery store. You can also find a whole jicama in the grocery store or farmer’s market– it looks kind of like a potato. Jicama is a good source of prebiotic fiber and vitamin C and is low in calories due to its high water content.
We served the jicama two different ways in class this week. First, we served the jicama sticks on a raw vegetable platter with sugar snap peas and tricolor mini sweet peppers. These are quick and convenient snacks to store in the refrigerator as the weather warms up.
Then we diced the jicama and added it to a FUEL favorite: Black Bean Quinoa with Mango, Cilantro, and Lime. It made a delicious and light FUEL lunch.
Quinoa with Black Beans, Mango, Red Pepper, and Jicama
The ingredients can vary. Just be sure that 1/2 of your meal consists of vegetables and/or fruits, 1/4 whole grains, and 1/4 lean proteins (beans). Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wa) is a whole grain that is a great source of fiber and protein– plus it only takes 15 minutes to cook. I couldn’t find a ripe mango for this recipe so I substituted chopped dried mango that I reconstituted in a little bit of warm water to plump up. It was delicious. Serves 2 as a meal or 4 as a side.
Ingredients
2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa (prepared according to package directions)
2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups chopped red bell peppers
2 cups chopped jicama
1 cup chopped fresh mango
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
pinch of salt
Directions
Combine all ingredients and chill for at least two hours.