1 cup = 45 calores

Jicama is a relative of the potato family. It is a popular dietary staple in Latin America. There are many other names for Jicama including; Mexican potato, Mexican yam bean, ahipa, saa got, Chinese turnip, lo bok, and Chinese potato.

How to eat

Jicama skin is usually peeled and the vegetable eaten raw. Raw jicama tastes similar to a pear or apple and does not discolor when exposed to the open air for awhile. Try eating jicama raw by including it into slaws or salads.

When jicama is used in cooking it tends to take on the flavors of the ingredients that it is being combined with. Try jicama as a nice complement to various stir-fry dishes - it blends well with many vegetables and seasonings. 

How to buy

Jicama is available year-round. When purchasing jicama, select tubers that are firm and have dry roots. Make sure that the jicama has an unblemished skin that is not bruised. Once purchased, store jicama for up to two weeks in a plastic bag in your refrigerator.

Sunchokes range in color from dark brown to light brown.

How to eat

When eaten raw, the white flesh of a sunchoke is nutty, sweet and crunchy like a chestnut. Baked in its skin, a sunchoke becomes more like a potato with the mild taste of artichoke hearts.

Try adding sliced sunchokes to marinated vegetable mixtures, or include on an appetizer vegetable platter with dips.

How to buy

The sunchoke/Jerusalem artichoke is mostly grown in gardens in Texas and is harvested in the fall. Widely available in supermarkets, its peak period is September through January, but often continues through the early spring.

Select firm sunchokes that are free from mold and wrinkles. These tubers can be refrigerated, unwashed, in a plastic bag for up to one week.

1 cup = 120 calories

Yucca (also known as manioc or cassava), is a white, starchy tropical vegetable that is widely grown and consumed in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. In many countries, yucca is a dietary staple.

Yucca contains a high amount of vitamin C and carbohydrates and is also a good source of dietary fiber.

How to eat

It is usually eaten boiled, steamed, or in flour form as a thickener or additional ingredient for noodles, cakes, and pastries.

Add yucca with potatoes and other vegetables to beef, chicken, or vegetable-based soups and stews.

How to buy

Fresh yucca is available year round. Look for firm, blemish-free tubers. Store whole yucca as you would potatoes, in a cool, dark, dry place for up to one week. Peeled yucca can be covered with water and refrigerated, or wrapped tightly and frozen for several months.