“Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?” Abraham Lincoln, 16th American President (1809-1865)

An old favorite in the produce department was looking especially good this weekend and got me wondering why it isn’t more popular than it is. Jicama (pronounced hee-kuh-muh or hi-kuh-muh), sometimes also called “yambean,” is the tuberous root of a plant that is native to Mexico.

Since jicama is low in calories, fat-free, and high in dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamin C, it is an excellent for people watching their weight. The sweet flavor reminds me of a fresh snow pea, but the texture is very much like a radish.

Choose a jicama that is light brown, smooth skinned, and feels heavy for its size. It stays fresh at a moderate room temperature for a long time, but once cut or peeled, it will only last a few days and must be refrigerated. Some people use it cooked in stir-fries, like a water chestnut, but I think it tastes best raw.

Now for the fun part! I like to slice the peeled jicama about ¼ inch thick, then use a small cookie cutter to cut it into small shapes. Mixed into salads, or placed on a vegetable tray, these shapes are decorative and fun. Because of its mild flavor, jicama is versatile enough to be used with either fruits or vegetables.

For this holiday, I decided to use the jicama in a fruit salad. Rather than making it special with a fancy dressing, I decided to keep it simple, but dress up the package, using the outer shell of a small watermelon for the bowl.

Red, White, and Blue Fruit Salad

Serves 4
Time: 15 minutes

1 whole mini watermelon
1 cup strawberries, sliced
½ cup dark cherries, halved and pitted
1 cup blueberries
¼ cup orange juice
4 ( ¼-inch thick) slices peeled jicama

Cut the watermelon in half from stem end to blossom end. Scoop out the inside and cut into small chunks. Mix with the other fruits in a large bowl and sprinkle with the orange juice. Use a small star-shaped cookie cutter to cut the jicama, toss in with the fruit and serve.

“One of the nice things about the Senior Tour is that we can take a cart and cooler. If your game is not going well, you can always have a picnic.” ~Lee Trevino, American professional golfer (1939 – )

Picnic season is upon us and I’m all about loving it. Even if the picnic is as simple as carting our supper to the front porch, eating outdoors is a nice change of scenery from the dining room and there is always something going on to stimulate conversation – especially if a neighbor walking by stops to say hello!

For pot-luck type picnics away from home, I like to bring food that those with special dietary preferences will be happy to see on their plates. Choosing a potato salad, coleslaw, or pasta salad made without mayonnaise, for instance, is a thoughtful choice that everyone will enjoy, but will be especially appreciated by those who avoid eggs or dairy products. These are also a safer choice when food spoilage might be an issue.

Influenced by the cooking of India, the chickpeas in this salad make it extra-nutritious. Leave the peels on the potatoes to retain more of their earthy flavor and vitamins, but by all means, remove the peel if it would spoil the dish for you.

Potato-Chickpea Salad

Makes 4 cups

2 cups diced potatoes, well scrubbed and cubed
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 red or green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh mint, chopped
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste.

Boil or bake the potato cubes until they are just tender, drain if you boiled them, then allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in the chickpeas, bell pepper, mint, and lemon zest. Mix the lemon juice with the olive oil, sprinkle over the salad, toss, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend. Salt and pepper to taste just before serving.

Next time I make it, I think I’ll add some fresh snow peas. What would you do to make it your own?

Monday is Memorial Day so we’ll be off to the parade and then a bike ride with a picnic in a back pack. Before that, though, I’ll be posting a special salad that will bring cheers, so do stop by and visit if you have a minute to spare.

“Lettuce is like conversation: It must be fresh and crisp, and so sparkling that you scarcely notice the bitter in it.”
~ Charles Dudley Warner, American writer and lecturer (1829-1900)

The weather here has turned hot and humid. It is absolutely time to turn to the arsenal of light, summer recipes.

Larry and I enjoy a brisk bicycle ride along the lake on hot evenings, but if we have a heavy supper, we seem to lose our motivation. So, when I was looking around the produce section trying to come up with an idea for some light and easy, healthy meals, my eyes landed on the lettuce.

Part of the beauty of wraps lies in the ability for everyone at the table to create their plate just the way they want it. I just have to make the main filling, then put it out with the optional additions. We like wraps with a dipping sauce recipe (click on the calendar for May 17th), but if you are really pressed for time, you can make do with just about any salad dressing.

We use iceberg lettuce for this because it allows for easier wrapping, without center ribs getting in the way. If you prefer spinach or leaf lettuce, by all means, go for it!

Lettuce Wraps

Serves 2-4
Time: 20 minutes

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ cup shredded carrots
1 stalk celery, small dice
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1 green onion, including white part, sliced
1 teaspoon oregano
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts or cashews
Coarsely ground black pepper

4 outer leaves from a head of iceberg lettuce
Dipping Sauce (see post from May 17) or salad dressing

Optional ingredients – sautéed mushrooms, roasted red peppers, raisins, bean sprouts, and chopped grilled chicken

Soften the carrots, celery, garlic, and onion in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in oregano and nuts, then remove from heat. Season to taste with black pepper.

Meanwhile, clean the lettuce leaves and cut off the hard core end.

Scoop 2 rounded tablespoons of filling onto the bottom center of a lettuce leaf. Add optional ingredients as desired. Fold the sides in to the center, then roll up from the core end. Serve the dipping sauce in separate bowls for each individual – with plenty of napkins.

Offer whole wheat bread or steamed rice to round out the meal if you want something a little more substantial.

Now, go outside and play!

“What harm is there in making 100,000 people happy on a hot summer afternoon?”– Gordon McLendon, American creator of modern radio format (1921 – 1986)

Popsicles, freezer pops, ice lollies, or ice poles; is not a frozen treat as sweet, though it be called by any other name? My challenge this year, is to make them with as little added sugar as possible. The game plan is to use naturally sweet ingredients, or choose flavors that we don’t have sweet expectations for.

A very simple freezer pop mold is available for just a few dollars at grocery and craft stores. Think twice before buying the fancy ones, because they tend to come in large sizes that are bigger than most of us really want.

Perhaps I should point out that making our own popsicles is a very earth-friendly thing to do. Making popsicles at home reduces the waste of over-packaging, they’re produced as locally as you can get, and they are a way to repurpose leftover fruit.

First, you will need to measure the capacity of your mold. If you are using paper cups, the package will tell you. For the rest of us, fill one section, then pour it into a measuring cup, then multiply that amount by the total number of sections.

If you are using paper cups for molds, you can top with a small square of foil and poke a wooden stick through it to aid in keeping it upright.

My mold makes eight 2-ounce treats. However, I almost never fill all the sections with the same mixture, so the recipes below yield about 8 ounces. You can adjust as needed. Freezing time varies with temperature of ingredients and how cold you keep your freezer.

Cranberry-Orange Pops – Mix 2 teaspoons orange marmalade into 1 cup of warm water. Pour into molds and allow to freeze until they are partially frozen. Stir 1 teaspoon of dried cranberries into the slushy water in each section and insert sticks. Freeze until hard. Fresh blackberries are nice in place of cranberries if you want some variety.

Banana-Mango Pops – Mix the peeled, chopped fruit form one mango with 1 peeled banana and ½ cup So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage (any variety is fine). Process in a blender until completely pureed. Pour into molds, insert sticks, and freeze until hard. This also works well with Banana-Peach or Banana-Apricot combinations and the banana makes them sweet enough to get by without any added sugar.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pops – Whisk 3 ounces of So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage (any variety is fine) into 1 tablespoon cocoa powder in a microwave-safe measuring cup or a small saucepan. Heat just until it begins to simmer. Meanwhile, place a 1-ounce block of bittersweet chocolate, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, and 1 banana, peeled, into a blender container. Pour the warm milk over all and puree until perfectly smooth. Taste and correct the sweetness – I usually just add a teaspoon or two of agave nectar or maple syrup. Pour into mold, insert sticks, and freeze.

Fruit Salad Pops – Measure up to 1 cup fruit salad into blender. Add a little bit of 100% apple or orange juice, then puree until smooth. Stir in more juice to total 1 cup of the pureed fruit mixture. Pour into molds, insert sticks and freeze.

Icy-Cubes – Mix 2 teaspoons lemon juice into 1 cup of water. Pour into ice cube tray and place in the freezer until they just begin to freeze. Poke a hole in the top of each cube and slide in a mint leaf or a twist of lemon zest. Return to the freezer until they are solid. Use in glasses of iced tea or water.

I won’t get into how to make more adult versions of these, as I am sure you can think of a few on your own now that I’ve gotten you started. Have fun. That’s what ice lollies are all about. What’s in your favorite flavor?

“I was determined that no British government should be brought down by the action of two tarts.” ~ Harold Macmillan, British politician (1894-1986)

When my parents were visiting us in Colorado many years ago, then 3-year-old John went to his Granny with a blanket, asking her to wrap him up. It was obvious that he wanted this to be done in a special way, but was having difficulty communicating the idea until he piped up with an impatient, “Like tortilla on a burrito!”

Flour tortillas really are like a blanket for food. They are good wrapped around any number of ingredients, or as a base. Tortillas come in a good selection of varieties, too, festively colored, whole wheat or refined, small, medium and large, organic… The variations are astounding.

Fortunately, most of the larger brand tortilla makers have stopped using hydrogenated oils or lard in making their flour tortillas – but read the nutrition panel on the package to be sure they don’t contain any ingredients you find unacceptable.

A few weeks ago, when I was trying to think of a good substitute for pastry, it occurred to me that in some cases, a tortilla would be ideal. I tried it in a large tart pan first, but with a tender filling, it didn’t cut without making a mess. However, they did crisp nicely and were very flaky.

Necessity being the mother of invention, I tried using a tortilla to make a crust in a size that wouldn’t need to be cut, and that did the trick. They are perfect for all kinds of fillings, and I urge you to try them next time you want some small bites for tapas or tea. You can even make empty shells and fill them with ingredients that wouldn’t tolerate the heat of the oven.

If you don’t have very small tart pans and don’t want to buy any, I have used the metal lid of spice jars with equal success for this recipe – just cut the tortilla using the lid as a guide, adding ¼ inch all the way around, instead of as directed for using tart pans.

Tiny Tarts

Makes 8 (1½-inch tarts)
Time: 10-15 minutes

1 (8-inch) flour tortilla
¼ cup walnuts
¼ cup raisins
2 teaspoons agave nectar OR honey
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cut tortilla into pieces to fit into the small tart pans: Softening the tortilla in the microwave oven for 10 seconds makes it easier to handle. If you cut carefully, you should be able to get 8 small tarts from one 8-inch tortilla. Use the top of the tart pan as a guide, pressing it to cut into the tortilla. Trim excess away with your fingers, then press the tortilla piece into the pan so it fits snugly. Note: the “crust” will usually not fill the tart pan to the top – see photo – but it is adequate for this recipe.

Mince the walnuts and raisins into tiny pieces by hand or in a food processor. Stir in the agave or honey, cinnamon, and vanilla.

Fill each tart crust almost full with the nut mixture – about 2 teaspoons. Place the tarts on a baking tray in the center of a 350° oven for 10 minutes. The tarts will be just slightly browned and the filling will be a little bit puffy. Remove the tray of tarts from the oven and allow them to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing the tarts from the tart pans: usually they just tip out, but sometimes need a little coaxing with the end of a knife.

These treats have so much redeeming value, that I ate some for breakfast and didn’t feel even a little bit guilty!