For me, the word snack is synonymous with crunch. I find snacks more satisfying if they have some snap to them. Needless to say I am a chip lover, but they are not the most nutritious food on the planet and can be rather fattening too.
Luckily, my love affair with chips is cooling now that I have found jicama. It is a Spanish word; so pronounce the "j" with the sound of "h".
Native to the Americas and sometimes called the Mexican potato, and a mix between a potato and a pear. You can also compare it in texture to a water chestnut, and in fact jicama is made up of almost 90 percent water. A cup of jicama has almost 6 grams of fiber and only 50 calories. It is also high in vitamin C, potassium and folate.
Peel the coarse, papery skin and julienne the white flesh, into carrot stick size pieces, and squeeze some lime juice on it to keep it from browning. Add a pinch of chili to the lime juice and you have an excellent treat right there. It is also great in salad. I like to use jicama as a vehicle for salsa, and that is why I call it a chip substitute.
Triumph
Taillissime
Milly
Yay! Thank you for featuring this. I love jicama, ever since my Mexican-born Spanish teacher had us try it in eleventh grade! What a smart idea about using it as a chip substitute - I know they sell it at Whole Foods, I will have to pick it up!
1I was just going to ask where to pick it up at! Thanks SaraSmile! I have a whole foods around the corner from me, I will definitely check it out.
2Is it typically eaten raw or can it be baked on a sheet to simulate a baked potato chip?
3I always see these in the store and never know what to do with it. I'd like to try it with my favorite salsa (good ol' 505 Organic New Mexican salsa - because Chile is about the only thing this state has to gloat about ;D)
4not a big fan...I would rather spend an extra half hour on the treadmill and eat some tortilla chips!!
5Hmm.. very interesting. I'm with jianna - I've seen them at the food store, but haven't tried anything with them. Smart idea with the salsa - will definitely try. Thanks for posting
6this sounds good,i'll never find it here tho!
7definitely just had jicama with salsa as part of my lunch, and it was great!! i love it with hummus, too. and look carefully in your grocery stores -- i live in rural north carolina, and there it was!!
8nah..i like jicama very much specially when its uncooked,i`ll chop it in a bite size and pour soy sauce and its ready to eat!! yummy...try this friends!!!
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