Yuca con Mojo {Cassava with Garlic Sauce} (AIP, Paleo, Vegan, Whole 30)

Long before I discovered the Yuca Slayer, Jennifer Robins from Predominantly Paleo, I remember buying my first yuca (cassava) root because it intrigued me. Having no idea what to do with it, I did what I always do when at a loss with a new ingredient, I googled it. The one recipe that stuck out to me was yuca con mojo, aka yuca (cassava) with garlic sauce.

After trying many different variations of this recipe and making a few tweaks of my own, I found a recipe I truly loved. It is a traditional Cuban recipe that uses yuca (cassava) root, lime, garlic, and olive oil. However, my personal taste buds didn't care for the lime, so I have chosen lemon for my recipe, steering it a little from tradition. I make this recipe pretty often and love to eat it as side with anything really, but I really enjoy it with chicken and big pile of kale.

Yuca con mojo {Cassava with garlic sauce} 

Ingredients

• 1 lb yuca (cassava root) fresh or frozen
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, divided
• 1½ teaspoons plus + ¼ cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons of minced garlic
• ½ garlic cup sliced red onion
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Prepare yuca
1. If using fresh yuca, cut of each end, and cut in thirds. Then, cut off the outside peel. Once peel is removed, cut up into bite size pieces. 
2. If frozen, let sit out for a few minutes until you can cut it down into bite size pieces.
2. Add cut yuca onto a medium size pot and add enough water to cover it. Add in ½ teaspoon of sea salt and 1½ teaspoons of lemon juice.
3. Bring yuca to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 25 mins (or until yuca is tender but not mushy)
4. Combine garlic and ½ teaspoon of sea salt in a small dish
5. When yuca is done, drain, and sift through to remove hard center core. Even the frozen sometimes has a little left over. Set aside.
6. Return saucepan to stove top and set to medium high heat. Add red onion, olive oil, ¼ cup lemon juice, and garlic salt mix to sauce pan. Cook for 5 minutes.
7. Lastly, add yuca to the saucepan and cook for another 5 minutes.
8. Serve and Enjoy!