The jicama is not a pretty vegetable. It's beige and lumpy and bulbous. But when you peel it and cut it, the inside is crisp and juicy.

 

It's a native of Mexico, and my favorite way to eat it is to play up its heritage with a squirt of lime juice and a sprinkling of salt and chili powder.

Since I got a brand spanking new bottle of McCormick Chili Powder from my recent Fitbloggin'-eve trip to McCormick's kitchens, I bought a jicama (usually found in the "specialty" area of the produce section) and doused those jicama sticks liberally with chili powder.

Another cool little trick I learned at the McCormick tour was that when you use a finer grain, you can get away with less salt than

I love chili powder -- it adds a lot of flavor without a lot of sodium and adds just a kick of heat. It's great on chicken breasts, eggs and even trail mix (I shook a little into a bag of trail mix at Fitbloggin').

A whole cup of jicama is only 46 calories and provides 6 grams of fiber. It also offers a decent amount of vitamin C.