Seriously, I am truly enjoying these Taco Tuesday posts so much! Coming up with new ideas, trying them out at home and sharing them with you! It’s been a lot of fun and added a new angle to my blog I hope you are enjoying as much as I am! I have so many more ideas rolling around! Do you have any favorite Mexican dishes you would like to see made THM friendly?
Chorizo y papas. Chorizo and potatoes. YUM! This is comfort food! Spicy, filling so very satisfying! I have always loved chorizo, a spicy sausage, very traditional in Mexican cooking. When I ate eggs, chorizo and eggs was a favorite. It is very high in fat, so it is definitely an S food. However, if you want an incredible crossover, add it to your refried beans. I could eat it all!
Chorizo is usually found in the deli meats section. Usually where you would find hot dogs and such type meats. It comes in beef and pork. We use the beef variety. There is also a meatless variety, which does have off plan ingredients, but I still do use it on occasion as I love the spices in it.
I kept thinking about how much I enjoy chorizo and papas and started thinking up creative ways to make the dish work. *Jicama* That’s what I thought of! I think jicama could make a reasonable sub!!
I made this for dinner and my husband was in LOVE! He said it was fabulous, and I have to agree, it is really yummy. Just so you know, the jicama doesn’t soften up as much as a potato does, so there is a delightful crunch in this dish. While I thought I might be disappointed because it didn’t have the soft potatoes, I found I really liked it!
This recipe comes together quickly, is inexpensive to make and doesn’t even take any special ingredients! It’s very allergy friendly and you get a wonderful serving of vegetables! Oh, and in case you are wondering, jicama has about 4 grams of carbs per cup! So you can have a generous serving without worry! If I could enjoy a low carb tortilla with this dish I would totally add that too. If you or someone in your home can have eggs, this dish is even better with a couple of fried eggs laid on top. So delicious.
Begin by frying up your chorizo….here is an affiliate link to a similar product to what I used. It can also be found where it is not crumbly and you would need to dice it up. After it is cooked, remove any bits left into a bowl for later. You don’t want it to burn, but you need all that beautiful fat for frying your jicama.
Next you will work with a big beautiful jicama! Find a nice sized one if making this for a family.
That’s a jicama! In case you have never seen one. Mine was about the size of a smaller cantaloupe although you can buy them smaller. They are a bit of a challenge to peel, but once you have done that they cut up pretty easily. Before I peel a large one I usually cut it in quarters to make it a bit easier and safer. They are also yummy raw and dipped in hummus! (or anything else you like, try them in a veggie tray!)
Sauteing up that jicama in a mix of butter and refined coconut oil. I chose refined because I did not want the mix of flavors from regular coconut oil. I always keep both in my kitchen. I chopped my jicama in to cubes, like I would potatoes. My pan already had some fat in it from the chorizo, but if you feel you need more add a bit of the refined coconut oil and butter. The butter lends a lovely depth of flavor. While the pan is hot add in your jicama, stir occasionally as it begins to brown. After I sauteed for about 10 minutes, I placed a lid on top and checked it every few minutes stirring. The steam produced helped to soften a bit more. I cook this over medium heat.
Return the reserved bits of chorizo back to the pan with the jicama and stir until all is warmed up and well mixed.
My story continued from last week; I had the opportunity to meet my dads siblings, his sister who lived in Mexico once, his brother I met a handful of times as well as his sister. I had never met my cousins in Mexico, I never even knew if they knew me! I had a lot of questions growing up, but my dad was not one to really share about his life or his family in Mexico. In high school I did take Spanish classes all 4 years. I have spent time researching Mexican culture, and without a doubt, I love Mexican food lol. It wasn’t until a little over 2 years ago that everything changed….
Chorizo Y "Papas"
Ingredients
- 1 package beef chorizo
- 1 large jicama
- 1 Tablespoon refined coconut oil
- 1 Tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Saute chorizo over medium heat. While sauteing, peel and chop jicama into cubes. When chorizo has completed cooking, remove any bits left in the pan to a bowl, set aside. Add jicama cubes, if there is not much fat left from the chorizo in the pan, add some unrefined coconut oil and butter.
- Cook jicama until it is golden, looking a bit like hash browns. Cover about 10 minutes in to cooking and allow steam to help continue to cook jicama. This food will not get soft as a potato, it will remain crunchy, but be softer than when it was raw.
- When it is browned, add leftover chorizo to pan, stir to thoroughly combine.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nanas Little Kitchen Fiesta Roundup!
With Joy ~ Tina 🙂
Jicama softens when you cook it? I didn’t even think to try, we eat it raw all the time! Thanks for the recipe!
It softens SOME, but it does still remain crunchy. I wasn’t sure we would like the texture, but in the end, we all really enjoyed it!! 🙂
I want to try and cook it in my pressure cooker….see if it softens it more!
Everything I’ve looked at online looks like higher carbs in jicama than what you have listed? Not sure about that but wondering how long it took to brown up the jicama? Thanks! I am excited to try it! Especially now that hubby is on plan too!
My app that I use for nutritional info is wonky…and I cannot seem to fix it right now 🙁
Jicama is still considered rather low carb and we have really enjoyed it! It probably took around 10 minutes or maybe 15 to get it to brown. It doesn’t really soften up like potatoes, but takes on a yummy flavor!