J

Jambalaya, Jicama, and a Jelly Roll

 

Jambalaya was an easy one to choose for our J-meal.  Mary made up a batch of the special seasoning in a jar, so I'm pretty sure that we'll have this one again.  Or something that tastes the same, at any rate.  The only really odd thing about this dish was that we made it in our crock-pot bowl, but actually cooked it in the oven instead of letting it slow cook all day.  It took a little longer than we expected, but the end result was perfect.

  

Jicama was the mystery ingredient this time.  Neither of us had ever eaten any, so we weren't sure what to expect.  My impressions : crisp like an apple, or possibly a pear.  Not mealy, though, and not sweet.  In fact, not much of anything except crisp and hydrating.  If you were in the desert and dug one of these up, you would be refreshed by eating it.  We soaked slices in lime juice, then dusted them with cayenne pepper.  The lime juice added sweetness and tang, and the cayenne woke us up.  Pretty decent, overall.

  

The real triumph was Mary's Jelly Roll.  Yet another recipe that we'd never attempted, but that turned out wonderfully.  The best thing about it was that it involved no oil or milk products.  It turned out light and sweet, which was excellent after some heavy, spicy jambalaya.