Orange-Chipotle Jicama Salad

Often described as the Mexican turnip, the sweet and starchy jicama is a versatile vegetable that can be used in all sorts of recipes from salads to stews. While it is more common to eat jicama raw, for this salad I decided to roast the root vegetable to bring out even more of it’s natural sweetness. The base of the salad is made of roasted jicama along with a few other Mexican inspired roasted vegetables like pinto beans, corn, and poblano peppers. To complete the delicious dish, the roasted vegetables are tossed with baby spinach and fresh herbs, then drizzled with a delectable orange chipotle dressing.

Orange-Chipotle Jicama Salad
Gluten Free
Serves Two
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Ingredients:
Roasted Vegetables--
4 ounces butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into small cubes (about 3/4 cup once chopped)
1/2 cup pinto beans
1/4 cup frozen corn (no need to defrost)
6-7 radishes, ends trimmed and quartered
8 ounces jicama (about 1/2 of a small jicama), peeled and diced into small pieces
1/2 of a small poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Salt & Pepper
1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
Orange Chipotle Dressing--
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
2-3 teaspoons orange zest
1/2 teaspoon chipotle peppers in adobo, finely chopped
1.5 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon molasses
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
Salt
Salad--
2 cups baby spinach
Fresh Parsley, chopped
Scallions, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with a layer of nonstick spray.

2. Add squash, beans, corn, radishes, jicama, and poblano to prepared baking sheet. Season vegetables with cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper, then drizzle with grapeseed oil. Stir to coat vegetables in spices and oil, then rearrange in a single layer on baking sheet.
                                      


3. Roast vegetables for 10 minutes, then remove baking sheet from oven and gently stir. Return vegetables to oven and continue to roast for 9-12 minutes more or until squash is fork tender and beans are beginning to burst.


4. While the vegetables are roasting, prepare the dressing--Add all of the dressing ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.


5. Once the vegetable have just a few minutes left of roasting, and the dressing done, add spinach to a large microwave safe bowl with a splash of water. Microwave spinach 20-30 seconds or until warm and slightly wilted. Season spinach with salt and pepper.


6. Add roasted vegetables to bowl with spinach. Gently toss to combine, then pour dressing on top. Toss again, until vegetables are coated in dressing.

               
7. Transfer salad to serving dish and garnish with parsley and scallions. Enjoy!




Nutrition Information--approximately 205 calories per serving (1/2 of the recipe)