Note: At ViVerde, we have a variety of useful cacti, including Opuntia cacti or “nopales” in Spanish.
Move over kale.
A blood sugar regulator, NOPALES are the perfect veggie for people with elevated blood sugar levels. Nopales assuage fatigue and give more energy by regulating the body’s blood sugar. Packed with riboflavin, vitamin B6, copper, iron, fiber, vitamin A, C, K, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and manganese. Nopales also heal gastric ulcers and are a strong antioxidant for removing toxins like alcohol. This humble plant supports the colon, urinary system, eyes, liver, pancreas and so much more. For those looking to maintain or lose weight, cactus is high in fiber and low in calories. The raw paddles, as they are called, can be juiced for a powerful health tonic or bought in powder form at health food stores for smoothies and soups.
How Do I Cook It?
Nopales have a pleasant sour taste, with a finish of fresh green bean. The hardest part of cooking nopales is removing the spines, although they can be easily cleaned with the scrape of a knife. At less than a dollar a pound, this vegetable is definitely worth a little elbow grease. Once you’ve despined the paddles, they become nopalitos, meaning ‘no spines’ in Español.
Traditionally one can boil, saute, grill or eat the paddles raw. Boil them with cilantro sprigs, crushed garlic cloves and a pinch of salt for 30 minutes or so. This will extract their mucilaginous slime (think okra, not aloe vera). But maybe you don’t like your vegetables to meet a murky, swamp-brown death. Simply chop and saute them with a touch of oil and they will cook perfectly in their own liquid. Find them at your local tienda for about $1 a pound!
Recipe Ideas
Like most good vegetables, nopalitos offer an overwhelming variety of preparations to explore.
- Mix cubed nopalitos into scrambled eggs with a dollop of cotija cream for a fresh, protein rich breakfast or a quick dinner.
- Stuff tortillas with pre cooked nopales and mashed sweet potatoes for comforting enchiladas.
- Or serve grilled slices on top of polenta or black beans and rice.
- Cube raw nopales and make a lively salad with fresh cilantro, minced garlic, chopped tomatoes and onion, the juice of one lime and salt and pepper.
- My favorite is stuffed nopalitos, a decadent treat. Slice the paddles across and stuff with cheese. Batter then shallow fry until golden brown.
Photo of tacos from foodrepublic.com – find the recipe there. Illustration below by author.
