Chicken Tacos with Jicama Slaw

I recently discovered jicama and I'm completely hooked. So to my non Hispanic influenced friends what is jicama? Jicama, j pronounced like an h, is a root vegetable that is papery on the outside and white and creamy on the inside. It is normally eaten raw and it's texture is kind of like a raw potato or pear with the sweetness of an apple. Fabulous little vegetable! Just peel it, slice it, and cut into strips and you are good to go!! It is available in almost every store out here....in fact I am not sure of any off the top of my head that do not carry this in their store.

Although I am not sure if you can find it back home. When we move I am in serious trouble!! I will be in a jicama drought, a pepper drought, a spice drought....Im in trouble!! No mexican cheeses?! And who wants to mail order this stuff when I can buy it locally right now. Maybe I will just have to set up my own veggie garden with stuff the South doesn't know about!! Of course that only helps me with fresh stuff. Where would I get cheese? I suppose I could get a sheep or goat or cow and milk it and make my own cheese. But damn thats just a lot of work!! Besides, then I would be the weird person living on base who had a sheep for the purposes of milking it!! Can you imagine?? But I digress.....

So tonights menu is chicken tacos with jicama slaw. I have made this in the past and can actually get Anthony to eat to eat a version of it. There can just be no meat on his tacos. I do not know how we produced and are raising a vegetarian!! I just love meat too much! But that's Anthony for you! And well Vinnie......bless his heart....he eats virtually nothing. So don't worry about asking if Vinnie eats meals I cook....he in fact does not.

Chicken Tacos:
chicken tenders
taco seasoning mix
flour tortillas
queso fresco or cotija, crumbled

Jicama Slaw:
1/2 small jicama, cut into thin strips
1/2 red pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 yellow pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 poblano pepper, cut into thin stirps
2 1/2T fresh lime juice
1t sugar
1/4t pepper
1/3c olive oil
1/3c chopped cilantro

Place all vegetables into a large bowl. In a small bowl mix together lime juice, sugar, pepper, oil, and cilantro. Pour over veggies. I let mine sit in the fridge for a little while to absorb flavors. But you could serve immediately. And you can also add thin strips of red onion....I do not eat red onion so I do not add it.

Saute your chicken tenders until cooked through. Pull off the heat and shred. I find it is easier to shred chicken using two forks. Add back to your skillet with some taco seasoning mix and the alloted amount of water. While that is heating, put your tortillas in the oven to heat through. And if you do not have crumbled queso fresco or cotija crumbled in the fridge, crumble some.

I touched on the subject of Mexican cheese before, but I will do it again. Queso fresco and cotija are Mexican crumbly cheeses. Queso fresco is milder in flavor while the cotija is saltier and has a little more flavor and taste. Both crumble easily like blue cheese or feta. And these ae the the authentic types of cheeses Mexicans eat on their food. And it is lovely. It is good crumbled in tacos or sprinkled on top of latin flavored soups. I know at least out here it is widely common, even in the WalMart. So you should be able to find it....maybe....

Get everything together on your table and get ready to eat your heart out! Place some chicken mixture in the middle of your tortilla, sprinkle some cheese on top and spoon on some jicama slaw. Roll up and eat.

Beware of any juices that might come out and get you. But I think its a sign of a bad taco is you do not get some juice spilled on you while trying to eat a good taco. I mean you want the reminders of how well you enjoyed it right?? Kinda like a spaghetti stain on your shirt after a particularly tasty dish. So it is here. We were able to get Anthony to eat one taco. He tried to tell us it tasted "real bad", but I know he was okay. He ate it anyways. Me and Alex cleaned our plates clean. I definitely recommend trying this. Super easy and quite tasty for a weeknight meal!!