Have you ever “riced” a vegetable before? Usually people start with cauliflower when they make something into a rice, but I wanted a delicate and crisp flavor for this tabouli.

Enter the Jicama Tabouli! Gluten-free, grain-free, vegan friendly, and easily raw vegan by replacing the garbanzo beans with hemp seeds or just omitting all together. When I made this salad I wasn’t sure if it was going to end up being a side dish or my lunch because I didn’t know how filling it would be without the grain. Let me tell you, this is SO filling. I was full all day from this meal. Jicama has high water content and the garbanzo beans have a lot of protein. If you are doing a heavy activity, you may want to consider eating with some pita, crackers, falafel, olives, stuffed grape leaves or whatever you like, but with my normal day, this was really quite filling!

I was shy about making this dish because I have never riced a vegetable before. I was reading a couple blogs and there are so many methods. But I wanted to find a shortcut. The Vitamix (have I told you how much I use that thing?) has provided the way! All you have to do is fill up the blender with 3 cups of water, turn it on “1” speed, and start putting chunks of jicama down the chute in the lid. When it looks like everything is pretty well chopped, you drain it with a fine-mesh strainer and press the water out. That’s it! If you don’t have a high-speed blender, the food processor will work just fine. The best part is once you get used to relying on vegetables and fruits as your focus, you can start getting creative!

I found a couple blogs that do a good job explaining alternate “ricing” methods:

Inspiralized

What’s Cooking America

Jicama, or a mexican turnip or mexican potato, is a tuber vegetable and is one of those foods that I’m always shocked when someone says they’ve never heard of it. Not so much because I’m shocked when people don’t know random foods, but it proves that jicama is so rarely given credit for the plethora of nutrition you’ll find inside. In one medium jicama you will find 32 grams of fiber, 4.7 grams of protein, and an awesome lineup of nutrients:

221% Vitamin C

22% Iron

19% Magnesium

15% B-6

2% Vitamin A

7% Calcium

It is also high in anti-inflammatories, and is known to reduce wheezing in asthma sufferers. It is a prebiotic (it has inulin) that promotes healthy bacteria in your gut…AND it may help you build collagen for fighting those wrinkles! Shocked yet? How ever did you live without eating this like every day of your life? I prefer eating this vegetable raw and usually chopped in sticks. It dips well in hummus or eaten like a salad tossed in lime and salt. It’s kind of like a water chestnut that is a bit sweeter, which is awesome because it absorbs the flavors around it very well.

I did research for you when it’s in season, which is fall-spring, so it’s almost out of season for those of you that don’t live close to Mexico. Buy it fast!! I think you’ll love it as much as I do.