Trader Joe’s jicama wraps are a healthy alternative

Americans eat an estimated 4.5 billion tacos every year. And most are dished up in one of two ways — with the fillings tucked inside a hard corn taco shell, or nestled inside a soft flour one.

Trader Joe’s offers a third option for Taco Tuesdays: jicama wraps.

Imagine a giant radish that’s been sliced so thin that you can almost see through each 5-inch disc. That’s what they look like, only they’re made from peeled, raw jicama (pronounced HICK-ahmah), a turnip-like root vegetable with papery, goldenbrown skin and a starchy white interior.

Native to Mexico and long used in Latin American cooking, jicama is prized for its crispy, juicy texture and fresh, apple-meets-water chestnut taste. It works exceedingly well as a taco shell because the slices are easy to fold, go well with both meat and cheese or vegetables, and offer a satisfying crunch.

If you’re diet-conscious, jicama wraps will score bonus points for being naturally low-carb and low-calorie. They’re also gluten-free and keto-, vegan- and paleofriendly. Just about everyone can eat them.

Each two-wrap serving has just 15 calories and delivers 3 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fiber and less than 1 gram of sugar. They can be eaten cold, warmed in the microwave, steamed or heated in a cast-iron pan.

I stuffed the wraps with all the makings of a chicken taco, and my husband — who ate them straight out of the fridge after a long drive on the turnpike — declared them both “fresh” and “very delicious.”

Thanks to their slightly sweet taste, they also would make a great base for fruit wraps, perhaps in your child’s lunchbox.

A 7.48-ounce package ($4.49) comes with at least a dozen wraps (my package had 16). You’ll find them in the refrigerated section.

GRETCHEN MCKAY — PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTETNS Trader Joe’s Jicama Wraps are a gluten-free alternative to flour tortillas. They taste like a crunchy cross between an apple and a water chestnut.