Jicama and Hemp Seed Tabouleh

I had a craving for tabbouleh  but all the recipes I kept coming across use cauliflower as the main ingredient. It’s like once they figured out that cauliflower made a great raw rice they started using it for everything! Cauliflower is great and all but I believe in mixing things up a little bit. Besides I’ve got some die-hard anti-cauliflower vigilantes around here who are just not having it! If I’m ‘un-cooking’ for the masses I need to get crafty. So I used jicama instead. You do have to chop it with a little more effort than the average cauliflower head, but it rices up real nice and everyone loves it! It’s especially great in this dish; the flavor is clean and just slightly sweet. Mixing in hemp seeds lends an unexpected high protein punch that makes it especially meal worthy, even for kids. It even ups the tabbouleh texture of everything! Parsley is a powerhouse of vitamin K and C and it’s got its fair share of Vitamin A, folate and iron too. Great taste and great for you: it’s a potent combination. Serves 4-6.

RAW VEGAN RECIPE: JICAMA AND HEMP SEED TABOULEH

1 large jicama, chopped slightly

10 scallions, white and half of green, chopped

6 roma tomatoes, diced

2 bunches parsley, chopped fine

1/3 cup hemp seeds

1 large cucumber, diced

1/4 cup mint, chopped

Juice of 2 lemons (or 3, to taste)

1/2 cup olive oil

Himalayan sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

In a food processor, put in small chunks of jicama and process by pulsing until jicama has the approximate consistency of rice. Process jicama in two batches for best results.

Put the riced jicama in a bowl and mix with tomatoes, parsley, cucumber, scallions, hemp seeds and mint. toss together thoroughly.

Mix lemon juice and olive oil till well incorporated. Pour over tabouli and mix again.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste.