Jicama and Zucchini Slaw

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

Instructionscut jicama in julienne

  • 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.julienne zucchini
  • 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.

jicama slaw ready to eat

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!

About Walter Blevins

My wife started to call me Cheap Bastid a while back because I enjoyed coming up with dinners that cost next to nothing--and making them taste good. Yeah, I love to cook. And I love to cook good food cheap. I'm not a chef and I'm definitely not anything close to a gourmet. I'm just a home cook who grew up in a home where cooking was from scratch and was a little bit Midwest and a little bit country. That's because my Mom was from Michigan and my Dad was from Kentucky. I started sharing recipes when my daughter called me in 2006 and asked for my recipe for Swiss Steak. That year for Christmas I put together a cookbook for my 2 kids called "Dad's Everyday Cookbook and Kitchen Survival Guide". And I heard back that they both use it regularly. It was full of basic recipes that I had cooked for them when they were growing up. I work hard at creating recipes that are original and creative and inexpensive. You won't find a foo-foo foodie approach to my recipes and style. I believe that it's OK for food to go up the side of a plate. Food is for eating--it doesn't have to be pretty. And I write about my cooking and my recipes so that I can share them. I hope you enjoy these posts. Leave me a comment--that you liked something or that you didn't, it doesn't matter. I'd love to hear from you.
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