I think that cactus pads ought to be considered much as one would an herb. Add a little bit to almost anything you cook... but generally it's not the thing you eat as a single serving entirely alone.
Here's a recipe I made up to vary my love for cous-cous....
I cooked the cous-cous in the regular way... boil some water and add some olive oil, then the grain. Let it simmer for ten minutes then pull form heat, and leave covered for five minutes or so, and it'll be ready to add to the rest of the mix.
I add almost anything I like as the main mix to go with the cous-cous. Usually I like some cooked peas and corn.... today I decided to add kidney beans and dicded tomatoes along with one cactus pad, scrubbed under running water, then diced.
I added the cactus to the red beans and corn and tomato-spice mix when it was almost done. Our cactus does not really NEED to be cooked, but when everything else is hot, the cactus should be too.
Then when the cous-cous has been placed into a bowl, the cactus/tomato mix is spooned over the top.
Here's one of my favorite ways to eat cactus, fried with scrambled eggs! I also like to fry potatoes and onions until almost done, add the eggs and scramble them until almost done, then add the cactus and cook it long enough to just heat the cactus. Then some salt and pepper and salsa as it is loaded into heated tortilla shells.....
These make excellent breakfast burritos and are an easy thing to wrap and take to work for lunch.
"Nopales are the edible, fleshy pads of the prickly pear cactus. They're harvested shortly after rains when they're plump, juicy and full of nutrients..... Follow this recipe and you'll be enjoying crispy, tempura-style nopales tacos in no time."
This is one of the easiest ways to enjoy edible cactus.
Just slice some potatoes and fry them along with some diced onion.....
when it's almost done add some eggs and stir to get them cooking.... place your diced cactus in as the eggs start cooking. the cactus does not really need a lot of cooking... and if you cook it too long it'll leak out and wither....
after the eggs have set roll the mix into warm tortilla shells to make easy breakfast burritos.
The cactus chunks have a great taste that you can detect in every bite.
Actually.... this and many others can taste even better the next day. So make lots and have extra so you can taste it after it's had a day to meld flavors... each bite of cactus is like a great taste exploding... it's hard to describe it really.... you'll just have to try it to see!
I was picking and packing nopal cactus today and had the urge to take pictures of the nopales pads. We have here Grade-D (juicing Grade) cactus and Grade -C Gourmet grade nopal cactus pads in these pics. This is the quality we've got being harvested right now.
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Yo estaba recogiendo y embalaje nopal cactus hoy y tenía ganas de tomar fotos de los nopales pastillas. Aquí tenemos la categoría D (zumo de grado) y cactus -C GRADO grado Gourmet nopal cactus pads en estas fotos. Esta es la calidad que tenemos está cosechando ahora.
Above we have Grade-C nopales cactus. This is the grade we recommend for most culinary uses. This is an easy-to prepare nopal cactus that needs just a wiping under running water to clean off. They are excellent raw in salsa or a cool refreshing cactus salad. They can also be mixed with other foods as another ingredient in a healthy diet. Add some nopalitos diced-fine to your meatloaf and see how much moister the loaf is. Fry nopales in with other vegetables in a stir fry. Fry some potatoes and scramble eggs in, as the eggs are almost done toss your chopped cactus in, stir and spoon them into tortillas to make breakfast burritos.
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Arriba tenemos la categoría C cactus nopales. Este es el grado que recomendamos para la mayoría de los usos culinarios. Esta es una forma fácil de preparar nopal cactus que sólo necesita un barrido bajo un chorro de agua para limpiar. Son excelentes materias en salsa o un cactus refrescantes ensaladas. También pueden ser mezcladas con otros alimentos como otro ingrediente en una dieta saludable. Agregar unos trocitos finos de nopalitos a su pastel de carne y ver cuánto más mojado el pan. Freir nopales con otras verduras en un salteado. Freír las patatas y los huevos revueltos, como los huevos son casi hecho balancearse en sus cactus en picado, agitar y cuchara de ellos en las tortillas, burritos de desayuno.
This photo shows the Grade D 'Juicing Grade' nopalea cactus we're harvesting right now. The quality and looks changes through the year, it is a plant that grows outdoors after all. These Grade-D Juicing-grade cactus are thicker skinned with more weight per nopal pad. These are the leaves that grew over the winter. They've seen a few storms, but they are full of life. This is the grade people who are going to juice them might want to use. They have a lot more fiber than the younger leaves.
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Esta foto muestra el grado D 'exprimir' cactus nopalea grado estamos cosechando ahora. La calidad y analiza los cambios a través del año, es una planta que crece en el exterior después de todo. Estos Grado D exprimir cactus grado son más gruesas de piel con más peso por nopal pad. Estas son las hojas que crecieron durante el invierno. Ellos han visto pocas tormentas, pero están llenos de vida. Esta es la clase de personas que van a ellos el jugo que desee utilizar. Tienen mucha más fibra que las hojas más jóvenes.
While not strictly vegetarians (not even loosely vegetarians, in fact), we’re always looking for ways to extend Meatless Mondays well into the week. Vegetarian tacos are usually a pretty easy way to do that, though for us, that generally means tofu or fish. In fact, cactus might not have occurred to if not for Jason Wyrick‘s entirely enticing dish in Vegan Tacos. We’re always looking for a reason to go to our favorite Mexican market, and the hunt for nopales is just the one we’ve been waiting for.
“Nopales are prickly pear cactus pads,” says Wyrick, a chef who used a vegan lifestyle to reverse his diabetes and change the way he ate and lived. “They take some care to work with properly, but when you do, they are amazing. They have just a little tang and a nice bright flavor. I usually find the fresh ones at a Mexican market. You can make these either in a pan or on the grill.”
Between this dish and the Wyrick’s many other variations on the vegan-taco theme, our Meatless Mondays (and Tuesdays, and Wednesdays…) are looking a lot more interesting.
Vegan Tacos Authentic and Inspired Recipes for Mexico’s Favorite Street Food by Jason Wyrick
Cactus juice, also known as nopales, nopalitos or prickly pear juice, is a popular beverage in Mexico, South America, India, the Middle East and parts of Europe. This beverage has recently caught on in popularity in the United States.
The fleshy oval leaves of the cactus plant have a sticky liquid that is similar to asparagus, green beans or green peppers. The nectar of this plant is composed of water, sugar and minerals.
The Nutritional Value of Cactus Juice
Cactus juice provides you with beta-carotene, vitamin B, vitamin C, iron, magnesium, calcium and numerous other minerals and vitamins. Additionally, this fruit is rich in amino acids, specifically taurine. Taurine has antioxidants and flavonoids, both of which are beneficial to the body.
Health Benefits of Cactus Juice
Cactus juice has shown to help to prevent inflammation in the muscles, arteries, gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular region.
Cactus juice has a laxative effect and has shown to effectively treat constipation. In addition to easing constipation, cactus juice can reduce inflammation in the urethra and bladder.
Cactus juice is a good source of photochemicals, which can help strengthen the body's immune system.
Additionally, the nopal cactus has high levels of betalins, which are antioxidants.
The American Heart Association has conducted research examining the benefits of cactus juice in reducing cholesterol levels.
Cactus juice has shown to be an effective remedy for non-insulin diabetes. Research shows that cactus juice can help decrease and stabilize blood glucose and insulin levels
Enjoy 1 to 2 tbsp of cactus juice up to three times a day to benefit from the numerous benefits provided by this fruit.
