Day 36: Quinoa Tacos with Tangy Jicama Slaw

It's been a few days since I've posted, but I haven't stopped cooking. I wasn't planning to blog about the stew I made Sunday - it was from The Self-Healing Cookbook, so for copyright reasons I do not want to post it here. But I decided, at the last possible second, that I will give you a picture so that you can see how tasty it was. I only had about a half-serving left in the fridge, so this pic is taken in an oh-so-lovely Ziploc storage container:

Hearty Autumn Stew

This stew contains carrot, cabbage (my addition, because I didn't have any daikon radish), onion, celery, parsnip, butternut squash, kombu, tempeh, and peas. I also added a little leftover brown rice. It was hearty, warming, and a perfect dish for our family to munch on this week - we've all had colds, and this felt like a vegan version of chicken stew. Definitely worth buying this cookbook!

Have you ever had jicama? Its Anglicized pronunciation is HIC-uh-muh, and it is the root of a native Mexican plant. Jicama is like a turnip in texture - crunchy and a little starchy - but has a little bit of a sweet tang to it, like a mild green apple. It's such a great, surprising salad ingredient. It soaks up dressing, too, so jicama salads taste even better the next day.

Last night, having tired of leftover stew for 3 nights, we made Quinoa Tacos with Tangy Jicama Slaw. The filling for the quinoa tacos is an old favorite from allrecipes, and the jicama recipe was inspired by one from Rachael Ray, but has been changed so much that I think I can call it my own now.

Here are the pictures:

Quinoa Tacos with Tangy Jicama Slaw

And the slaw recipe:

Tangy Jicama Slaw

Ingredients:

1/3 c. olive oil

1/4 c. lime juice

1 T. cumin (less if you aren't an insane cumin fan like I am)

1/4 t. garlic powder

1 medium-sized jicama, roughly juilenned

1/4 head cabbage, shredded

2 carrots, grated into ribbons with a vegetable peeler

1/4 c. cilantro, chopped

3-4 green onions, chopped

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine first four ingredients in a small bowl or measuring cup.

Combine jicama, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, and onions in a large bowl.

Pour dressing over salad and toss well. Season with salt and pepper.

Eat as salad, or as a taco topping.

Mmm... after thinking about that jicama salad, I think I'll have to go have some leftovers!

Migraine update: have not had one for ... NINE DAYS. !!!