Jicama, Cucumber and Mango Salad

I saw this recipe in a Natural Health Magazine in the waiting room after one of my allergy shots. You are required to hang around the doctor's office to ensure you don't go into anaphylactic shock. I didn't but about 40 minutes later, my right forearm only was covered in hives; thankfully they went away after another 20 minutes.

Chronic inflammation is bad for the body and this salad is supposed to help fight it. Hives, acne, arthritis, heart burn, colitis and many other ailments are in some instances caused by inflammation and an overactive immune response.

This salad is delicious and particularly refreshing in the hot, hot, heat of the midwestern summer (although its totally beautiful tonight).

LISTENING TO: Gas- no more hiroshima, Nas -illmatic, Crow- neurotic organization. Fuck, it ain't hard to tell used to be my jam.

Prepare dressing first

1/4 c. brown rice vinegar
1/4 c. water
2 tblsp agave nectar
1 1/2 tsp fresh lime juice
salt to taste but not more than 1 tsp.

Stir all in a small sauce pan, heat on the lowest of the low heat until the liquid is clear, probably not more than 5 minutes. Once the dressing is clear, put in a covered dish in the fridge to cool.

1 large cucumber - peeled, quartered, seeded and cut into half inch pieces
2 champagne mangos or one large conventional mango cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1 jicama - peeled and cut into 1/2 in cubes

3 tblsp coarsely chopped mint

Throw it all in a covered tupperware and toss together. Let it chill for at least a half an hour before eating.

A couple of things.

Invest in the brown rice vinegar and the agave nectar. Sometimes when I go to the grocery store I can't believe I am spending money on all these things but its an investment in your health, plus this stuff is just delicious.

Seeds in cucumbers hold a lot of GAS, so you and those in your general vicinity will be a lot happier if you cut the seeds out.

I find mangos to be a pain in the ass to chop. The "pit" just fucks up the whole process. To make it easier on my self, I cut the whole thing the long way down and "strip" the meat away from the "pit" in three or four sections. Then its pretty easy to cut the flesh into chunks while its still in the skin.

Jicama is delicious but it tastes best if you get all of the woody peel off. Normally, I am not a perfectionist but it really makes a difference in this raw salad.

Half a lime should do it for this recipe. Squeeze out the amount you need and squeeze the rest into chilled water, its fucking delicious and just a little different than lemon water and more soothing in the summer heat...you will totally impress and surprise your guest with this...

I was lucky and got to use mint from my garden for this one.

One other hot weather treat that is easy and impressive is cubed watermelon with chopped mint, sweet and delicious.