Food, Recipe and Activity of the Week - February 1, 2009
This week's features include:
Food - Jicama
Recipe - Jicama, orange, and onion salad
Activity - Downhill skiing
History
Jicama (pronounced hee-ca-ma) is quite a popular vegetable in Latin America, Central America, and Mexico. These regions add this vegetable to many of their delicious cuisines because it easily takes on the flavors of the other ingredients. In addition, jicama is great when eaten raw. Raw jicama has a wonderfully light, crisp, and juicy flavor, much like that of an apple or pear. Jicama, when cut into strips or wedges, can make a great addition to a vegetable or fruit platter too!
What does jicama look like?
If you have never seen jicama before, it looks very similar to a potato or turnip with brown, gray, or tan skin and white flesh. It also has a short, stubby root (see picture at right).
Preparation / Purchasing / Storage
Preparation - The good thing is that jicama is so easy to prepare! All you have to do is peel off the skin like a potato, then cut it into slices and eat it raw or toss it in with a casserole or salad. It can also take the place of water chestnuts because it is similar in texture and mouth feel.
Purchasing - Jicama is available year-round, but its best season is between the months of November and June. Choose jicama that is free of bruises, cuts and discoloration. They should also be firm when gently squeezed, and their root should be dry, not soggy.
Storage - Jicama can be stored in a plastic bag for 2-3 weeks in a cool, dry place – much like you would store potatoes.
Nutrition
Jicama is a low calorie food, only containing approximately 20 calories per half cup. It also contains high amounts of dietary fiber and vitamin C.
Nutrient Analysis of 1/2 cup jicama (raw): calories: 23, fat: <1g, cholesterol: 0mg, protein: <1g, carbohydrate: 5g, sodium: 2mg, fiber: 3g, vitamin C: 12mg, folate: 7mcg, calcium: 7mg
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 cups torn lettuce leaves
- 2 navel oranges, peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 red onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup peeled and julienne-sliced jicama
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1/2 tsp light olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
Instructions:
- In a large salad bowl, place torn lettuce.
- Cut orange slices into quarters; toss into lettuce with onion and jicama.
- For dressing, shake together all ingredients in a shaker jar; toss with salad.
Nutrition Information: 110 calories, 1 gram total fat, 25 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams protein, 6 grams fiber, 0 milligrams sodium, 0 milligrams cholesterol.
Courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. For more recipes and access to the recipe’s full nutritional profile, visit www.cdc.gov.
Spring is just around the corner, so if you are a snow-lover this might be your last chance to hit the slopes. Downhill skiing is a great aerobic workout that improves muscular strength particularly in your hamstrings, quadriceps, gluteus, abdominals, calves and triceps. Plus you can have fun while burning a lot of calories. A person weighing 150 pounds burns approximately 420 calories in one hour of skiing. Pretty amazing!
The great thing about skiing is that you can bring your whole family. One ski resort can have smaller slopes for beginner skiers and larger slopes for those more advanced. For beginners, most ski resorts offer lessons as well. During the lesson, qualified ski instructors teach proper skiing techniques, including how to stop and turn properly. If a child is skiing for the first time, it would be a great idea to take a lesson before skiing to avoid injury.
Something that everyone should do to avoid injury is a proper warm up and cool down. Before skiing, warm up your muscles and get your heart rate up by walking around for five to 10 minutes. If it is really cold, you might want to walk around a bit longer. When you are ready for your first run down the slope, remember to take it slow. It is also a good idea to take it slow on your last run as well. Your body is really tired at this point, and this is when injuries are likely to occur. As always, remember to proceed down the mountain (or hill if you live in Iowa) with caution at all times.
After you have made it down the hill for the last time, do some muscle stretches, stretching out your calves, gluteus muscles, hamstrings, quadriceps, and triceps.