Saturday, February 20, 2010

Jicama fruit salad with spiced lime agave dressing


Jicama, its an ugly looking tuber that has a sweet, crispy, earthy flavor. Its fat free and high in vitamin C. Its used frequently in Mexican cooking where its somewhat sweet but bland flavor melds well with other flavors. It can also be used as a substitute for water chestnuts in Asian dishes.

I happened to have one sitting on my counter, just waiting to be used. When I bought it I had no real plan on how to use it, it just caught my eye & I went for it. The flavor if jicama is akin to a potato/apple cross, which got me thinking fruit salad. I had tried jicama for the first time in a local Mexican restaurant, in a fruit slaw, and honestly it was the best thing on the plate. But it had been years, upwards of 15 years, since I had that salad, and I didn't really remember the finer details, like what it was flavored with other than jicama.

I put my Kitchen Witches hat on and set to work. The fruit part would be easy enough, I just used what I had on hand, in this case an apple, 1/2 a banana left over from breakfast, some clementines and said jicama. The dressing was just as easy, juice of 1 lime for a tart acidic note, a touch of agave nectar for sweetness and just a dash of cinnamon for a spicy depth of flavor. The result?

Well, simply put, the best fruit salad I've ever had!! The jicama really absorbed a lot of the dressing flavors and the sweet tart flavors of the other fruits, it was just divine! This quick and easy side dish or snack will become a regular player in the Kitchen Witch repertoire. Try it, you won't be disappointed!

Jimica fruit salad with spiced lime agave dressing
makes 4 servings
1/2 jicama, peeled and julienned
4 clementines, peeled and sectioned
1 pink lady apple, peeled and diced
1/2 banana, sliced
Dressing:
juice of 1 lime (2 T)
1 t agave nectar
dash cinnamon

Combine fruits in a medium sized bowl. Mix dressing and toss fruit to coat evenly.



Nutrition Facts provided be SparkPeople Recipe Calculator
4 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 122.6
Total Fat 0.3 g
Saturated Fat 0.1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 4.6 mg
Potassium 432.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 30.8 g
Dietary Fiber 6.4 g
Sugars 15.5 g
Protein 1.8 g

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I've never worked with jicama or agave nectar... Was always a bit intimidated by jicama...but now.. your salad looks amazing and I just may have to give it shot!

Sarah said...

This looks nice and fresh. I have agave syrup and wasn't sure where to use it. This is a great idea.

Tonya said...

I love buying a strange/unfamiliar ingredient and figuring out what to make with it. We currently have a kiwano melon, which I have no idea what to do with! Suggestions? I haven't had time to look anything up online about it.

Scuttleboose said...

Your pictures are so great - the detail and angles are perfection! Great blog with lots of sass and class! :)

Unknown said...

I've never used it either...but now I want to run to the store and get some! Beautiful fruit salad and I love the addition of cinnamon...Very nice! I can see how it would absorb the other flavors...beautiful!

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