Sunday, January 24, 2010

Blood Orange and Jicama Salad


I adore the crunch and flavor of jicama. It's sweet, starchy, crunch is a nice change of pace from blah carrots and celery. It has zero fat and cholesterol, and fits in perfect with my commitment to #10in10: Ten Weeks to Healthy in 2010. Thanks to Lori over at Recipe Girl for putting together this challenge, there are now 336 participants from 41 states and 15 countries!



I first made this salad ten years ago, after seeing an episode on foodtv.com featuring Curtis Aikens. I loved it's freshness and simplicity. The crisp, pear-like jicama combined with the sweetness of orange, and the spicy edge of the jalapeno... a winning combination. If you're worried about jalapeno in this salad, don't. For the most part, once the seeds and membranes are removed, it retains the flavor but loses most, if not all, of its heat.



Originally this salad called for everyday oranges- and made that way is absolutely fabulous. However, when I was at my local market the other day, I came across these amazing blood oranges for $.19 cents each. They were so sweet and so pretty, and a gorgeous alternative to the original recipe.


With blood oranges at pennies, and the combined remaining ingredients coming in at just under $3.00, not only was this a very healthy salad, but an inexpensive one as well. Perfect for the #10in10 challenge!




Blood Orange and Jicama Salad
adapted from Curtis Aikens

1 jicama, peeled and julienned
3 blood oranges, supremed
1 small red onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, stem and seeds removed, minced (wear gloves!)
1 Tbs honey (I prefer orange blossom honey)
2 Tbs cilantro, chopped- I love cilantro, so I used more
Salt and pepper to taste- I only used a touch of salt

Combine all ingredients and chill. Best served when cold. Serves approximately 4 .


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12 comments:

RecipeGirl said...

Looks absolutely wonderful. I always forget that oranges are so good this time of year. I just picked up some Cara Cara's and used them in a recipe tonight. Try those if you never have. I love blood oranges simply for the way they look in photographs lol. 19 cents each? Major score!

♥peachkins♥ said...

I love crunchy jicamas!!! The salad looks fab!

Megan said...

I just bought all these ingredients on my last shopping trip except I already used the jalapenos. This sounds fabulous and I must try it! And at 19 cent apiece, I hope you stocked up. Maybe a blood orange and chocolate macaron??? ;-)

Peter M said...

I like me a crunchy salad and I can get jicama at the Asian markets here.

Maria said...

I love all of the flavors in this salad. Pretty too!

Patsyk said...

What a gorgeous salad!!!

Barbara Bakes said...

Such a pretty salad! They served blood orange juice everywhere for breakfast in Italy.

The Food Hunter said...

What a great looking salad. Where did you find those blood oranges so cheap?

Sinful Southern Sweets said...

What a beautiful salad! Nice unique combination of flavors!

Becky Brown said...

Yum! And what a great recipe for right now, when I'm needing help believing that spring will eventually come ...

Anonymous said...

This is the same - the exact same - as the recipe on the Food Network. Even the instructions and ingredient description are identical.

Christo Gonzales said...

I like jicama with a little salt and a sprinkling of chile but if I had this salad I would not say no!