I'm kind of embarrassed to admit how many times I've made this slaw without sharing it with you. I don't even know when I started making it. Maybe early last summer?

I KNOW! All those naked tacos that could have had some Cucumber Jicama Slaw love.

See what happens when I take a break? The good news is that I have a backlog of things ready to share with you!

How do you like your tacos?  We usually put this Southwest Cabbage Slaw on ours. Back when we ate tacos more regularly.

Back to slaw.

One night we had some impromptu tacos, and I didn't have any cabbage to make slaw, so I pulled out some jicama and cucumber and used the julienne blade on my mandoline slicer to slice them. The I just dressed them with lime juice and added cilantro. Because I always have those two things on hand. Honest. (I'm not sure if it's a conscious decision, but I tend to stock our fridge for tex-mex. All the time.)

By the way, do you have a mandoline slicer yet? If you don't, I still like you. But good grief. You'll love it! That link back there is the one I use all the time. I mostly use the julienne blade for slaws like this one (and a gorgeous Candy-Striped Beet and Carrot Slaw) and for making zucchini noodles (like the Pesto Zucchini Spaghetti version -- it has bacon, so it's guaranteed to be good.) I also use it for slicing cucumbers super thin for Marinated Cucumber Salads. I'm not typically a gadget girl, but I do love things that have multiple uses and make it easier to prepare healthy food. A mandoline slicer is one of them.

So, I LOVED the way this turned out. It was easy, only four ingredients, and was a cool, refreshing contrast to whatever happens to be in our tacos. Sometimes it's my favorite Chipotle Barbacoa Beef Tacos.

It's also totally delicious as a fish taco slaw or fish taco salad base! Have you tried my Chile-Lime Fish Taco Bowls?

Or if it happens to be Christmas, it goes on our traditional battered fish tacos. (Yes, we eat fish tacos on Christmas. And it's the only time of year I fry anything in more than ½ inch of oil.)

You could also eat this with anything you pull off the grill. Like Chipotle Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Burgers or any of my Best Grilled Chicken Recipes.

If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Cucumber Jicama Slaw

Yield: Makes about 4 cups

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

If you're tired of cabbage-based slaws or toppings for your tacos, give this cucumber & jicama-based one a try. It's cool and crunchy, and we actually prefer it to shredded cabbage!

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Ingredients

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• 2 cups julienned jicama (roughly ¼ of a large jicama)
• 2 cups julienned English cucumber (½ of the cucumber)
• ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Juice from ½ a lime
• Generous pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Combine ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and toss to combine.

2. Store chilled for up to 3 days.

3. Serve on tacos (instead of cabbage slaw or lettuce) or alongside grilled meats or vegetables.

Notes

Nat's Notes:

1. Peeling a jicama is kind of a pain, but I've found it to be easier if you treat it like a pineapple. Cut the ends off, then run your (sharp!) knife down the sides to remove the peel. Jicama doesn't have a very long refrigerator life after it's been cut, so be sure to eat it within 4-5 days!

This post may contain affiliate links. Any purchases made by using these links won't cost you any extra and helps keep my content free. These links may be Amazon links as I am part of the Amazon Associate Program.

The post Cucumber Jicama Slaw (Great fish taco slaw!) appeared first on Perry's Plate.

I only have a few short weeks before I can no longer justify eating what I want, whenever I want. (Usually that doesn't include quinoa salad.)

Bummer. *Sigh*

Given the choice, I may choose this particular quinoa salad over most of the indulging things I've been eating lately. This little one has wanted to nurse every waking moment of her days, and consequently my appetite is rather beast-like. I told Steve yesterday that I'd keep the baby fed if he'd keep me fed. Our grocery bill may just go up a smidgen.

That doesn't mean I need to give in to every 9PM Nutella-on-ice-cream craving. I need to reign in my cravings and get ready for my July paleo cleanse (Which, by the way, means I'll simply be eating strictly paleo. Not restricting calories or fat because I'll be nursing.), so I'm gathering some healthier options, like this refreshing summer quinoa salad!

This one is similar to this Lemon Quinoa Salad, but has a sweet-ish dressing and a few other ingredients that turn it into a completely different salad.

And it's totally sun-safe. No nasty, warm mayo to fear!

If you like this, salad, try one of my other sun-safe salads!

More Potluck Salad Recipes on Perry's Plate

Grilled Vegetable & Rotisserie Chicken Salad -- A mixture of grilled and fresh vegetables mixed with easy rotisserie chicken & tossed in a light lemon vinaigrette.

Grilled Vegetable Potluck Salad with Avocado Ranch -- Similar to the one above, this one has grilled vegetables, but includes some tasty grilled chicken sausage and a creamy avocado ranch dressing!

Mango Cucumber Rice Salad -- A rice-based salad with cool, refreshing bits of cucumber and mango!

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If you make one of my recipes, I'd love to see! Post it on social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!

Sweet Lemon-Herb Quinoa Salad

Yield: Serves 6-8

My favorite part about this hearty, vegetarian quinoa salad is the sweet dressing made from lemon-infused oil! The whole thing is so light and fresh.

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Ingredients

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• 2 lemons
• ¼ cup avocado or other neutral-tasting oil
• 1 ½ cups uncooked quinoa
• 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons honey
• salt & freshly ground pepper
• 1 whole shallot, thinly sliced (or ¼ of a medium red onion)
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 1 cup diced cucumber
• 1 cup diced jicama
• ½ cup raw cashews (or peanuts, if you prefer)
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• ½ cup fresh mint, chopped
• ½ cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 bunch watercress, tough stems removed, leaves torn (or a couple handfuls of baby spinach)

Instructions

1. Remove 2 wide strips of the zest of 1 lemon with a vegetable peeler. Combine 1 strip of zest with oil in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until the edges of the zest turn slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Let the lemon oil cool. (That's what you have now -- lemon oil. Cool, huh?)
2. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa as directed on the package, adding the remaining lemon zest strip to the water.
3. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl, discarding the zest, and fluff with a fork. Let cool to room temperature.
4. Meanwhile, make the dressing by juicing both lemons into a medium bowl. Whisk in the vinegar, brown sugar, 1 ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Keep whisking until sugar dissolves.
5. Discard the zest from the cooled lemon oil, then whisk the oil into the dressing. Add the shallots and let it marinate for 15 minutes.
6. Add the carrot, cucumber, jicama, nuts, cilantro, mint, basil and watercress/spinach to the bowl with the rice. Add the dressing and gently toss.

This post may contain affiliate links. Any purchases made by using these links won't cost you any extra and helps keep my content free. These links may be Amazon links as I am part of the Amazon Associate Program.

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The post Sweet Lemon-Herb Quinoa Salad appeared first on Perry's Plate.