Nopales

The other day my mom came home with cactus from the mexican market. I did a bit of research and learned that the type of cactus she brought home is native to Mexico where it is called nopales, and comes from the leaf of the prickly pear cactus. Never having tasted cactus before, I decided to experiment and make a side dish of nopales & zucchini for family dinner. The nopales tasted similar to green beans and were a great compliment to the zucchini. I learned the basics on how to prepare nopales on this site.

1. Take a razor blade or sharp knife & remove stickers

2. Cut cactus pods in bite-size pieces

2. Put in pan & cover with water, cook until tender & then drain.

3. Saute in pan with garlic, olive oil & chopped onions. Add zucchinis, I used yellow and green zucchinis that I had already steamed a bit beforehand.

4. Season w/ salt & pepper and serve with dinner!