NuM NuM

I served this dish with the paella. I made it the day before so all the flavors could meld together and it came together quickly since I used my fancy-shmancy mandoline slicer. It was very refreshing and a nice compliment to the warm paella.

If you've never tried jicama before, it is a mexican turnip and has a mild taste similar to radish, with just a hint of sweetness. It is very low in calories and tastes perfectly fine on its own as well. The only difficult thing about it is that it requires being peeled with a vegetable peeler. As long as you don't lose a finger in the process, it's definetely worth it. This is a great dish to make for a picnic since it travels well and would be perfect to serve along side a juicy burger...num :)

Jicama mango slaw
Adapted from the Jicama Mango Salad at Spring Street Natural
Yields about 5 servings

1 1/2 medium daikon, julienned
1 1/2 mangoes (firm, not-yet-ripe), julienned
1 1/2 limes, juiced
1/4 small bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 medium red onion, quartered and sliced thin
Salt
Cayenne to taste

NOTE #1: This dish is all about Julienne and her cutting style. If you have good knives, you’ll be a-okay. If you’re not sure if you have good knives, you’ll know soon enough. I have crappy knives, but I’m persistent. I wore a band-aid at the base of my index finger like a badge of honor when I served this delight at a Memorial Day BBQ.

1) Julienne (cut into thin sticks) the daikon (jicama) and mango. Place in a big ol’ bowl.

2) Stir lime juice into bowl with fruit and veg.

3) Add cilantro and onion. Stir

4) Add salt to taste.

5) Add a few dashes of cayenne. Wait 30 minutes. If you still want it hotter, add a bit more. The daikon gives a little bit of that heat I was looking for.

NOTE #2: The longer this dish marinates the better.

**Make sure you taste this dish as you go. If you add too much cilantro it begins to overpower the dish and pretty soon that's all you taste. Also, depending on how strong your onion tastes, you may want to cut back on the amount as well.