Tuesday "Try"... Jicama

Jicama

Pachyrhizus erosus, also known as Mexican yam or Mexican turnip, is a native Mexican vine, although the name most commonly refers to the plant's edible tuberous root. Plants in this genus are commonly referred to as yam bean, although the term "yam bean" can be another name for jícama. The names for jicama include Mexican potato, ahipa, saa got, Chinese turnip, lo bok, and Chinese potato. (In Ecuador and Peru, the name jicama is used for the unrelated yacón or Peruvian ground apple, a plant of the sunflower family whose tubers are also used as food).^[2]

This is the Jicama I bought at my local store, it was 1.69 lb. and I'm so glad I tried it. The taste and texture was similar to an apple, celery and a potato and my favorite part was the "crunch". I loved it! When I "googled" how to use it, there were many options, from salads to stir fries, and a great snack idea, like the one I made. I tried peeling the Jicama with my potato peeler but the skin was a bit tough ( could have been my peeler ), so I just used a small knife and it came off easily. 

I then cut in half, sliced thin, sprinkled sourthwest seasoning an lime juice on it. I had a hard time not eating them all. I just LOVED the crunch I usually crave when I'm looking for something to snack on. I even made a few with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on ( thought if it tasted like an apple - why not) and that was yummy too. I'm looking forward to incorporating Jicama in my diet.

Some health benefits..

Jicama is an excellent source of fiber and vitamin C ( 44%) of the daily value per serving. 

It's a powerful antioxidant that zaps free radicals to protect against cancer, inflammation, viral cough, cold, and infections. http://foodfacts.mercola.com/jicama.html

Tuesday "Try"... Parsnips

"Parsnip"

The parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a root vegetable closely related to the carrot. It is a biennial plant usually grown as an annual. Its long tuberous root has cream-colored skin and flesh and can be left in the ground when mature as it becomes sweeter in flavor after winter frosts. In its first growing season, the plant has a rosette of pinnate, mid-green leaves. If unharvested, it produces its flowering stem, topped by an umbel of small yellow flowers, in its second growing season. By this time the stem is woody and the tuber inedible. The seeds are pale brown, flat and winged.

On this Tuesday "Try" I decided on another in season vegetable that I'd never eaten before. It was easy to find in my local grocery store, and it was available in big and smaller sizes. I had one of each and I found the smaller one softer to work with then the larger one. The description said it was closely related to a carrot and I thought it looked and did taste similar to a carrot. The taste was not over powering and it complimented the sweet potato. I found a recipe that mixed parsnips and sweet potatoes http://glutenfreegirl.com/2011/01/sweet-potato-latkes-gluten-free/.

First I peeled the parsnips and sweet potatoes.

Then I grated them and soaked them for 10 minutes in water to release the starch.

After I drained all the water out, I put the shredded parsnips and sweet potatoes in a towel to get out as much of the excess water as I could. Then I added, thyme, plain coconut yogurt, salt and pepper, shallot, and potato starch. Then I mixed a little earth balance and olive oil in the pan and made small patties.

Now that I've tried parsnips I certainly will be using them again in my recipes. I've even found my next idea ~ baked parsnip fries http://www.delightedmomma.com/2012/01/baked-parsnip-fries.html

Tuesday "Try" ~ Miracle Noodles...

Another Tuesday means another day to search for something to "try." Today as I was wandering the aisles of the grocery store I came across these noodles. I was first taken with the name, "Miracle Noodles" and who couldn't use a miracle! Then there was the lure of words like, guilt free, gluten free, soy free, low in calories and the back of the package stated that "these noodles were made from plants that were not genetically engineered." Okay that was enough words for me to want to give it a "try." 

(There was a plain noodle available - not spinach flavored)

The directions said: Drain the water out of the package and rinse the noodles in cool water for 10-15 seconds. Blanch in boiling water for about a minute. Place on a paper towel to dry and then add to your favorite dish. 

When I first opened the package to drain it, it had a slight fishy smell, which I think came from the spinach powder. I was a bit skeptical, but wanted to finish the process before I gave a final review. And I have to say, first impressions are not always what they seem. So next time you have that experience, get to the final result and see if it doesn't surprise you, as it did me.

So my idea of a favorite dish when it comes to noodles is to make something cheesy! I melted a tablespoon of earth balance butter, added a couple tablespoons of almond milk, a sprinkle of garlic powder and onion powder, with some non dairy cheese and made a cheese sauce. And keeping with the theme of spinach, I decided to steam fresh organic spinach to mix in. The texture of the noodles seemed a bit lighter then your average pasta, which I liked. Over all - It was Yummy!

There were a couple of interesting words in the ingredients that I will investigate on my facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/WholeFoodLiving , so visit tomorrow on Wednesday "word" and find out what is in the "Miracle Noodles."

And as always, visit  me at  http://wholefood-living.com/index.html to see how I can help you on your way to a healthier you!

Tuesday's "TRY"

     http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/f/fennel01.html

Welcome to Tuesday's Try, where I'll be experimenting with food I've never eaten or trying something with a food that's familiar and trying it in a different way. Today I'm using Fennel. I had never eaten this vegetable before and had always been a bit intimidated by the way it looks and just unsure what to do with it. But after doing a search for ideas, I'm excited to use fennel again in my recipes. Plus fennel is good for you. It contains Vitamins A and C as well as potassium and calcium and has a slightly sweet anise flavor and can be used to help with stomach distress.

Fennel Apple Salad

First I cut a very thin sliver off the bottom (discard) then cut off the fronds (feathery top - saved for another use).

As you can see in the above picture the outside can sometimes be bruised or discolored so I took off the top layer of the fennel bulb. But you can just as easily use a vegetable peeler and remove some of the discoloring. I cut the bulb in half and cut out small triangles of the core to discard.

Then with each half you can slice them really thin with a knife or use a mandolin. I also cut up one Granny Smith apple into thin slices.

I mixed the fennel with the apple, toasted pecans and made a simple dressing of orange juice, honey, olive oil and apple cider vinegar, mixed it all together then put in the refrigerator to chill. There are many ways to use the fronds but I just steeped them to make fennel tea, which I enjoy.

Recipe

1 fennel

1 apple

1/4-1/2 cup pecans - toasted

1/4 cup orange juice 

1 Tb. olive oil

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1 Tb. honey

(adjust to your taste - play with the ingredients)

Only thing left is to ENJOY!

You can follow me on https://www.facebook.com/WholeFoodLiving

and visit http://wholefood-living.com/index.html to see how I can help you on your way to a healthier you!

Pick and Choose

        A good start to the new year is learning to "pick and choose" what products and foods will benefit you the most and lead you to a successful year of better health.

       I picked up this certified Gluten Free/ Dairy Free crust ( two pack) from Earthfare for $5.99 ( making each crust roughly $3.00 each). For me, I don't make a lot of desserts for the obvious reason - I would eat them ( as well as trying to cut down on consuming too much sugar). So rather then make a homemade crust I "picked and chose" to pay for the convenience and save my energy for meals that I cook on a daily basis.

        This crust worked great for the pumpkin pie I made  http://www.whole-food-living.blogspot.com/index.html.  It was a bit tough when eaten right out of the oven ( couldn't wait to try it ) but the next day the moisture from the filling gave the crust a nice softness. Crusts made without gluten are not going to be as tender or as flaky but I felt overall the product delivered just what I was looking for, which was convenience and a good taste and texture to compliment the pie filling. And I love that I have another crust waiting for me in the freezer ~ time well saved!

The Ingredients in the Pie Crust:

Brown Rice Flour

Water

Non-Hydrogenated Palm Fruit shortening

Organic Evaporated Cane Juice

Tapioca Starch

Potato Starch

Sea Salt

Aluminum Free Baking Soda

Xanthan Gum

If you want to learn more about Gluten free/ Dairy Free pie crusts, the different ingredients, as well as the many food ideas that pie crust can be used for - Visit me this January 2014 on facebook https://www.facebook.com/WholeFoodLiving?ref=hl . And as always, you can find help with your nutritional needs by visiting me at :http://www.wholefood-living.com.