Jicama Slaw Recipe - Pamela Salzman (2024)

Oh, how I love a good slaw. I have taught so many of them over the years, from classiccoleslaw to ones with Asian flavors, ones with fruit, spicy slaws, creamy slaws, you name it. I especially love slaw with a Mexican mealwhich is often lacking in good non-starchy vegetable side dishes.

In my world, April is all Mexican classes all month long because Cinco de Mayo is May 5! April is almost over and I’m not even tired of my current menu. I LOVE Mexican food! One of the recipes I have been teaching is Chipotle Cauliflower Tacos. They have been a huge hit. Although I am serving them very simply with pico de gallo and avocado, I have been telling all my classes that this here jicama slaw would be perfection on a cauliflower taco.

This jicama slaw would be also be divine onfish tacos as well. I love contrasts in flavors and texture in my taco — acidity, creamy spicy, juicy. Have you had jicama? Jicama is a large bulbous root with Mexican origins. It issimilar in texture to a turnip, but tastes like a less sweetapple, withcrisp, white, solid flesh. But jicama skin is thick, tough, and not actuallyconsidered an organic toxin calledrotenone, as are the vines and leaves. So you must peel it!

Chopped, cubed, sliced into fine sticks, raw or cooked, jicama is versatile and great in stir-fries, salads, slaw, soup, and with other veggies and fruits like oranges, apples, carrots, and onions, as well as meats and seafood. A favorite Mexican treatis jicama slices sprinkled with chili powder, salt, and lime juice. I like thin slices with my guacamole instead of chips.

Here’s an interesting nutrition fact: the fiber in jicamais infused with oligofructose inulin, which has nocalories and doesn’t metabolize in the body. Inulin, a fructan, supportsbone health by promoting theabsorption of calcium from other foods. Inulin has a prebiotic role in the intestine – it promotes “good” bacteria growth that maintains both a healthy colon and balanced immunity. Annnnd, jicama has a low glycemic index!

I’m going to keep it short and sweet today because I have a lot going on preparing for my book release on June 13th! SO exciting! In the meantime, the dinner planner I am posting this weekend will have links to loads of Mexican recipes so you can start planning your big fiesta!