When You're in the Mood For a Different Kind of Salad...

I eat a lot of salad. I know, you're not surprised, right? But I didn't want some ordinary side salad today, or my go-to healthy Chef Salad. I wanted something different, amazing. I wanted something that would hit all my containers on the 21 Day Fix nutrition plan, but also be a little unusual. As you may have noticed, I love trying new foods- and this one is a doozy: it has jicama.

Jicama is a root vegetable, but it is sweet, and tastes a little like an asian pear. There are many benefits to this starchy tuber, the first being that it is very low in calories. It is extremely rich in vitamin C, and super high in fiber. Its a great way to add a little sweet to your salad (great for diabetics due to the fact that it doesn't spike blood sugar) while adding texture as well. Its also has minerals like iron and magnesium, and B-Complex vitamins like folates, which are great for your body's metabolism. Ok, enough about jicama.

So making this salad was pretty easy. First, I started with prepping all my ingredients. After all, it is a chopped salad. Wash and chop. I used: 

• 2 heads Romaine lettuce
•  Orange and red bell peppers (2 each)
• 1/2 red onion
• 1/2 large jicama
• 2 ears corn (see an easy way to cook fresh corn here)
• 29 ounces washed black beans
• One bunch cilantro, fresh
• Other add-in options are tomato and zucchini

Next, the dressing. I mixed in a glass:

• Juice of 2 limes, or approx. 1/4 cup
• 2 T local raw honey
• Himalayan sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• 4 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• Option: fresh minced garlic if desired

I hope you'll give this great salad a try. To up the protein, you can add a choice of seafood such as shrimp, or grilled chicken. I ate it for "work food" (I love things I can spread over multiple days in a row), and haven't gotten sick of it. In fact, I think I'll make more today!