sweet, spicy, crunchy and creamy

the other night,

i made a really,

surprisingly

delicious

dinner -

hot and tender

brown rice,

chickpea chili

in a roasted

sweet potato

and a crunchy,

sweet and spicy

side.

it was a meal that

i thought would be

a throwaway -

one to satisfy the

ever pressing need

to put dinner on the table.

and truth be told,

i cooked up the pot

of brown rice in

case everything else was inedible.

but the garnet yams

that we roasted and

split open were unbelievably

delectable,

and the jalapeno-spiked,

tomato simmered

chickpeas were quite luscious,

especially when topped

with a dollop of

yogurt, a squeeze of lime

and chopped scallions.

i was thankful that

the dinner

was successful,

especially because the entire

plate was crafted

around one ingredient.

i couldn't help it.

as i picked up the

nopales cactus paddles

in the store,

i knew that on some

level, i would regret the

purchase.

not because they're

a lot of work

to prepare,

or because i didn't know

what to expect

from their flavor or texture,

but because i was

committing to something

on a day

that i am not always willing

to commit.

i find it really easy on a

sunday to pick meals for

the week and to stick

to them,

but choosing a meal on

friday for sunday?

that's hard.

you may think that you'll

be in the mood for a

long slow-cook meal,

only to wake up and realize

the sun is shining and

the kitchen is the

last place you want to be.

or you can plan for stir fry

and suddenly find yourself

bored as can be at 3 in the

afternoon, wishing

for a project.

so when i picked up

the paddles, i was worried

that i was stepping into a

trap - a tex-mex trap.

lo and behold,

sunday came and i

just wasn't feeling

them.

but, no turning back.

after complaining and

stalling by making cookies,

i decided they would

be best in alongside

a main meal,

cool and crunchy.

i knew i wanted

avocado

and oranges,

and jicama,

popped into my head, too.

and, i found a recipe

for a nopales, jicama and orange salad

in barbara pool fenzl's beautiful

seasonal southwest cooking.

it's like we shared a brain.

her salad was actually served

atop greens and used canned

cactus paddle,

and no avocado, red onions

or jalapeno were in sight,

but it was close enough

for inspiration.

fresh cactus paddles

need to be dethorned,

by using either a vegetable

peeler or sharp knife,

then sliced and double-

blanched to reduce

the somewhat slime-like

interior and tenderize

them.

yum, right?

once you've done

this, their flavor is

similar to a

tart green bean.

but better.

i think this salad

is worth all its

ingredients, but i also

think it's fair to say

that if you can't

find nopales,

fresh or canned,

and don't want to

use blanched green

beans, the other

components

can stand on their own.

and if you've never tried

jicama, run to the store

for the brown bulb.

its very crisp, almost

like a savory apple.

in all of my time introducing

people to jicama, i've only met

one person who didn't like

the slices

(you know who you are).

they are a great foil

to the juicy sweet oranges

and creamy avocado -

all three of them

benefit from the cayenne

in the dressing.

fenzl says the mixture should

be made just before serving,

and i certainly strengthened

that suggestion by adding

quick-to-brown avocados,

but our next day leftovers

may have been even better.

in the end, i was glad

that i got up on my feet,

found the sweet potato

recipe to round out the meal

and got to work with the

vegetable peeler.

not so bad for a

very pretty sunday

outside.

jicama salad with cactus paddle, orange and avocado

adapted from barbara pool fenzl's seasonal southwest cooking

this crunchy mixture was great with the soft sweet potato and chickpeas, but i think it would also be welcome next to a steak, over greens with shrimp as a light main meal or alongside fish. you can change the proportions according to what you like best. also, maybe i'm a glutton for punishment, but i always like to taste my jalapeno before i add the tiny specks to a dish. the one i used here was potent, so i seeded it and only used half. if it had been less in-your-face, i would have used a whole one and maybe kept the seeds. and the original recipe called for 1/4 cup olive oil - i tend to feel that a lot of oil over mellows other flavors in dressing, so i only used one tablespoon. if you don't want it to be so bright, feel free to increase the oil.

2 tbs. fresh orange juice

1 tbs. red wine vinegar

1 Tbs. honey

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. salt

5 grinds fresh black pepper

1 tbs. olive oil

2 cactus paddles

2 medium oranges

1 medium jicama, peeled, halved and cut into 1/2-inch sticks

1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

1/2 small red onion, diced

1/2 - 1 whole jalapeno, finely chopped

in bowl, whisk together first six ingredients; slowly whisk in olive oil. set aside.

using vegetable peeler or sharp knife, carefully remove prickly parts from paddles. halve paddles; cut each piece into 2-inch long strips. cook paddles in saucepot of salted boiling water 2 minutes; drain and run under cold running water until cool. repeat boiling water and rinsing process one more time. set aside.

using sharp knife, cut ends from oranges. stand oranges flat on cutting board and using your knife, peel skin and white pith from oranges, following the curve of the fruit. using sharp knife, cut supremes by removing edible fruit in wedges and the leaving membrane behind. discard membrane.

in bowl, combine cactus paddle, oranges, jicama, avocado, red onion and jalapeno. drizzle with a small amount of dressing, toss to coat. add more dressing, if necessary. serve remaining dressing on the side or

save for another use.