Blood Orange and Jicama Salad

Blood Orange and Jicama Salad is a refreshing mix of juicy citrus and crunchy jicama — it’ll make you forget all about the mid-February blues and give you a healthy dose of Vitamin C!

A simple salad like this is hardly a recipe at all, and that’s my favorite kind of thing to share with you —  anybody can arrange a glorious plate with hardly any effort or planning at all.  Just be sure to grab blood oranges the next time you spot them.  If you can’t find them, substitute any great orange you can get your hands on.  This is a splashy salad for entertaining (hint: Valentine’s Day is Sunday)  but the family will appreciate it too.

I’ve talked about blood oranges so often here on TFVGI, I’ve roasted them, juiced them, baked them, and even frozen them, but I haven’t talked much about jicama.  I wonder why I don’t use this wonderful vegetable more often, it’s cheap, easy to peel and slice, and hardly has any calories at all, not to mention an awesome fresh crunch!  It a root vegetable that looks like a large round potato, and once you peel it you can use the entire thing because there are no seeds.  But unlike a potato, you enjoy it raw — it has a light crisp texture and a slightly sweet starchy flavor.  It slices up easily into matchsticks, and if you have any leftover they’re perfect for dipping into hummus.

I like to add some kind of leafy green for contrast, in this case baby spinach leaves, but you could use arugula, baby kale, or even basil.  The oranges are sweet, and the jicama is neutral, so I ‘dressed’ the salad with a drizzle of really special vinegar.  I’m always looking for ways to use my favorite O Orange Blossom Vinegar — I think the flavor is so unique, and it brings just the right amount of acidity to the salad.  O advertises their vinegars as ‘drinkable’, and I agree.  For this one they crush California orange blossoms right along with champagne grapes and I just love it.  If you’ve ever smelled an orange blossom you’ll have some idea of how unbelievable this is.

I love working with blood oranges because each one is unique.  They can range from deep blood red (look for the name Moro on the sticker) to a bright or rosy orange.  Some of them are mottled with both colors and you never know for sure what you’re going to get until you slice into them.  The flavor of a blood orange is sweeter and less acidic than regular oranges, I think it tastes a little bit like raspberry — it’s really very pleasing.

notes:

• I sliced my oranges on my mandoline slicer, but in this case a sharp knife would be fine too.  I slice the oranges first and then use clean sharp scissors to cut the peel off.
• If you slice the jicama ahead of time, keep it moist under a damp paper towel.
• Whole Jicama should be stored in a cool dry place, just like potatoes.  Don’t refrigerate.
• O Olive Oil & Vinegar has a great selection of gourmet vinegars, here.

O Orange Blossom Vinegar

Melissas Blood Oranges from Amazon

*This post is in association with O Olive Oil