Jicama

Enjoy a taste of the islands with these healthful, low-fat tostadas.

Chojín Alma Guillermoprieto of Cambridge, Massachusetts, writes: "My guatemalan grandmother made a salad she called chojín. I remember the taste vividly, but when I went to Guatemala, no one knew the dish. This is my attempt to re-create it." While the ingredients in this recipe are extremely simple, the result is an eye-opening explosion of flavors.

For a main-course salad, add some grilled shrimp or chicken and diced papaya.

This dish — meant to be eaten with your fingers or with wooden picks — is a light, refreshing hors d'oeuvre to complement tequila. The recipe is a take on the jicama and cucumber spears that are a popular Mexican street snack.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The fruit in the salad can be varied with the season. In summer, add cantaloupe; in winter, oranges are good.

Though these dumplings are traditionally cooked in stacked Asian bamboo or metal steamers, you can also use a pasta pot with a deep perforated colander-steamer insert. If your pot has a second shallow colander-steamer insert, you can steam 2 batches at once. The dumplings should be served warm, so reheat them in batches as platters need replenishing.

The dressing gets its beautiful color and smooth texture from pureed mango.

Begin the meal with this crisp and colorful salad. Jicama, avocado and red onion take it beyond the ordinary.

If you cannot find smoked chicken, use smoked turkey instead.