WHAT’S A CACTUS SALAD?

LunchBreakLIVE with the Cowhugger couple! Patrick Burwell & Stephanie Terronez are making a delicious Cactus Salad & showing us their curated line of cruelty-free fashion including upcycled bags and wallets & pineapple leather!

Nopales are the name given to the cactus paddles that are part of the Opuntia Cacti, the Prickly Pear Cactus,  known in Spanish as Nopal. Their surface is covered with lots of prickly spines, but underneath is crunchy, healthy goodness loaded with fiber, antioxidants, and minerals.   Unless you know how to skin the spines off, it’s best to buy them in the store where you can get them already removed. They are easily found in Latin stores where you can purchase the paddles or for the easiest prep – in bags where they are already cleaned and sliced into strips or squares.  There are at least four cups worth in the bag and at $2.99 a bag, it goes a long way.

RECIPE FOR CACTUS SALAD.  A MUST-TRY!

Let’s take a look at how to throw this simple vegan meal together.  It is healthy, full of nutrients, unique, and totally delicious.  You will definitely be coming back for more once you give this a try.

CACTUS SALAD

PREP

2 Cups Nopales

Kosher salt

1 Bunch Radishes

½ cup Diced Tomatoes

¼ cup Diced Onion (White or Red)

1 Jalapeño or Serrano

¾ – 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

Oregano to taste

Thyme to taste

Granulated Garlic to taste

Salt to taste

Fresh Cilantro

1 Avocado

1) Put Nopales in a large bowl and sprinkle with Kosher salt covering them well by tossing with a spoon.  Set aside and let sit for 20 minutes.

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2) Prep your veggies and set aside so you can add as much or as little as you like:

Dice Tomatoes and Onions;  Slice Radishes; Mince Jalapeño (we used about a ¼ tsp in the video); Chop  Cilantro

3) After 20 minutes – Rinse the Nopales well with cold water to remove the slimy texture and all the salt.  Drain and place in a bowl.

4)  Add Diced Onions and Tomatoes and Radishes and Jalapeño to Nopales and mix.

5)  Drizzle Olive Oil over and mix.

6) Sprinkle Oregano, Thyme, Granulated Garlic and Salt to Taste

7)  Add chopped Cilantro, and top with sliced Avocado

   Chill in the fridge for an hour and serve as a side to beans and rice, as it’s own salad or wrap it in a corn tortilla for a Nopal Taco.

¡Buen Provecho!

PS – the extra Nopales in the bag can be sautéed with a little vegetable oil and onion and spices, until they are a dark green, to make a hot side or add to tofu for a cool scramble.