March Foodie Pen Pals and Recreating Cafe Habana's Salad

Can you believe a whole month has gone by?? I was just speaking with a good friend about how we couldn’t believe it was almost April! Time flies! And with this passing of time brings my second monthly foodie pen pal experience! In case you’re new to this blog and are wondering, “what is this whole foodie pen pal business?” Lindsay @theleangreenbean, the brilliant organizer of this program, pairs you with another food loving individual and you get to send and receive a lovely food filled box. The spending limit is $15 dollars and must also include something written. Then, at the end of the month, everyone posts about food gifts they received. Do not fret, if you don’t have a blog  you can still participate. My February experience was so fantastic I was really looking forward to this month…and my pen pal, Carolyn, sent a box filled with delicious goodies.

The box of goodies

I love that she went to such an effort to send me homemade gifts based off local ingredients. Pickles made from cucumbers from Washington, blueberry jam from blueberries she picked HERSELF and homemade granola…love it!

I am a HUGE mustard, sauce, and condiment lover. You should see our fridge…three kinds of mustards, a variety of Trader Joe’s fruit butters (the pumpkin will in fact change your life), and a selection of Asian sauces. So this new to me honey mustard was a huge hit! I recently used it on a cheese sandwich…perfection! I also used the honey mustard in the dressing for a new salad I created. After absolutely falling in love with Cafe Habana’s jicama salad, I decided I needed to have it again, STAT! And not wanting to make a trip to the city and wait in line every time a craving for this fresh and fruity bowl of mixed greens hit, I decided it was high time I made my own version of it. And now, you can too!

Jicama, Mango, and Feta Salad with Honey Mustard and Lime Dressing

Mixed greens

1 mango, peeled and chopped

1 jicama, peeled and chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

handful dried cranberries

feta…as much as you like (and I like a lot!), crumbled

Dressing

2 tbsp honey mustard

juice from 1/2 a lime

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

Combine all salad ingredients in a bow. Mix dressing and toss with salad to coat. Done and done! So simple!

Jicama

If you’ve never have jicama before (as Adam never had) I say run out and buy it this instance. It is basically a cross between an apple and a potato…crunchy and sweet, perfect in salads and slaws. All you have to do is peel it, cut it, eat it. So have a great weekend and try this salad! And a big THANK-YOU to Carolyn for the amazing box of eats! Check out Lisa’s blog to see the box of goodies I shipped off to her. Have a great eating weekend!

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