Culturally-Inspired Recipes Help Celebrate International Culture Day at Combined Insurance

We celebrate diversity at Combined Insurance in a variety of ways, including hosting round tables and awareness events, like our annual International Culture Day.  During this fun celebration, we invite our employees to bond over a potluck luncheon showcasing their favorite recipes from their background or culture and sharing in culturally-themed activities.

We invite you to take part in our celebration by trying some of the culturally-inspired recipes our employees shared.   Try Efrain’s Jicama Salad this week, and look for more recipes to come!

Efrain’s Jicama Salad

Efrain Montoya, a graphic designer on the Combined Insurance marketing team with a Mexican heritage, shares his love of jicama and his family’s jicama salad recipe. With a kick of chili pepper and a hint of cilantro, it could be just what you need to get over your same old coleslaw.

Before we get to his recipe, let’s take a look at this little-known vegetable that tastes like a fruit.

Jica-what?

Never heard of jicama? (It’s pronounced “hee-cama”. ) That’s because it’s a fairly uncommon food.  But, don’t let its lack of popularity fool you. Grown in tropical regions like the Mexican peninsula, jicama is a round bulbous root vegetable that is starchy and has the texture of a turnip but tastes a little bit like an apple.1  It’s a diverse food that can be enjoyed many different ways.

Health benefits

Jicama is a great choice for people who are looking to add healthy variety to their diets. Jicama is:

  • Low in calories
  • High in fiber
  • Infused with oligofructose inulin1 , associated with many benefits such as promoting bone health and intestinal health2
  • Great for people watching their sugar levels to prevent diabetes because it has a low glycemic index1
  • Full of vitamins and antioxidants1

“Summer is a favorite time for my family to come together and share seasonal foods that reflect our heritage”, Efrain explains.  “Jicama salad is always one of the summer staples, because we love the taste and our family strives to eat healthy.”

And, once you peel and chop the jicama and mango, it’s easy to make!

Recipe

Mix all ingredients below, except for cilantro and chili powder, and refrigerate for several hours. Before serving, add the cilantro, chili powder, salt and pepper. Consider this the “base” salad, and feel free to experiment adding red bell peppers, papaya, avocado, sunflower kernels, or raisons to make it your own.

16 ounces jicama, peeled and diced

1 large firm mango, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro

chili powder (to taste)

salt and pepper to taste

Make it a meal

While the jicama salad may be the star of the show, Efrain’s family rounds out the summer meal with grilled skirt steak, homemade salsa and tortillas.

We thank Efrain for sharing his healthy recipe. If you try it be sure to send us a picture and let us know what you think using the hashtag #Efrainsjicamasalad.

Check back soon for more of our employees’ culturally-inspired recipes!

 

References:

1 “What Is Jicama Good For?” Mercola.com, foodfacts.mercola.com/jicama.html.

2 The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 129, Issue 7, 1 July 1999, Pages 1402S–1406S, doi.org/10.1093/jn/129.7.1402S.