There’s all kinds of good things to try when it’s hot and you want something that will cool you off and fill you up. And it doesn’t hurt if it’s good for you too. One of those is Jicama and Zucchini Slaw. (Why is it that I seem to have a love affair with zucchini this summer?)
Jicama is a vegetable from Mexico that is most usually eaten raw. It has a crispy texture and an almost, but not quite nutty flavor. The closest comparison I can come up with is water chestnuts. It makes a terrific ingredient in salads and, as in this recipe, in slaws.
This is just incredibly simple to make. The hardest part is peeling the jicama which is just marginally harder than peeling a potato (the skin’s a bit tougher). Once you have that done you’re in the home stretch.
Use this jicama slaw anytime you want something fresh and cool. You can also pair it up with that traditional slaw ingredient, cabbage. Or if you’d just as soon not use zucchini, it’s great with cucumber too (seed the cucumber first). Just let your creativity reign.
Recipe: Jicama and Zucchini Slaw
Summary: Quick, easy, refreshing and cheap slaw featuring jicama and zucchini
Ingredients
- 1 cup zucchini cut into “match-sticks” (or cucumber)
- 2 cups jicama cut into “match-sticks”
- 1 tsp sugar or honey
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- Salt
- Black pepper or chipotle powder
Instructions
- Get out a bowl, cutting board, peeler and chef’s knife.
- Peel the jicama and zucchini.
- Cut jicama into about ¼” thick slices. Then cut those into match-sticks about 2” long by 1/8 or so inches thick.
- Cut zucchini into planks then cut center seed section out. Cut into “match-sticks” about 2” long by 1/8 or so inches thick.
- Put the jicama and zucchini into the bowl when cut up.
- Then add the lime juice, sugar/honey, a pinch or so of salt and a couple of shakes of pepper/chipotle.
- Taste it! Then adjust seasonings as needed. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge until time to eat.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time:
Number of servings (yield): 4
My rating 5 stars: ★★★★★ 1 review(s)
The whole thing takes no more than 10 minutes to make. And you’ll have a great side dish for a cook-out or casual school night dinner or even to take to a potluck. If you haven’t tried jicama yet, you’re going to be pleasantly surprised.
The Cheap Bastid Test: The jicama was $.77 a pound and I used a lot less than a pound. The zucchini is also $.77 a pound at my grocer and I used less than a pound. Let’s just call it $1.50 for the jicama and zucchini and $.10 for the lime juice. So the total for this quick dish is $1.60. This will make enough for 4 for a dinner side salad.
That’s the Cheap Bastid Way: Eat good. Eat Cheap. Be Grateful!
