Nopalito 30 MINUTES | 20 CALORIES | 7 INGREDIENTS

Nopalito Salsa – Prickly Pear Cactus Salsa: Healthy, Tangy and Delicious

Did you say nopalito salsa? Cactus salsa? Yes, amiga, that’s what I said! Okay, first let’s dispel the stereotype that all Latinos eat cactus. They don’t. (You saw it here first!) Nopalitos are of the prickly pear variety, and they are healthy and delicious, and many Mexicans and Mexican Americans, but not all, eat them. Case in point: I once brought a platter of nopalitos con chile to a picnic pot luck in Northern New and not one person ate them. The hostess was kind enough to dip her spoon and take a bite and say something, like, “Tangy,” but that was about it. And nopalitos are tangy, and are made tangier with a squeeze of lemon or lime, but they are an acquired taste and not universally eaten by all Latinos.

But if you’ve had them and like them, try this simple and delicious salsa. And if you haven’t had them, try them! Start with this simple, tangy and delicious salsa. Serve it with corn chips! YUM! Or make yourself a little soft shell with a nice warm . DOUBLE YUM! It is also wonderful as a side dish!

This recipe is “seria.” I say that because it was developed by Lori, La Madrina en la Cocina and she prepared the nopalitos from scratch. You can find fresh-cut nopalitos already prepared and free of thorns at Mexican grocery stores. So you could just buy them all ready to go. But if you’re little lazy, or busy, or both, buy them in a jar. It’s okay not to be so Betty Crocker. Just rinse them before you chop them up for the salsa. Malena, our mera mera nutritionist would tell you, rinsing gets rid of some of the sodium, and that’s a good thing.

We made this nopalito salsa for our end-of-study party in Albuquerque and it was a big hit! Try them today and feed them to your kids. They can go to school and brag about eating cactus!

De Las Mías - Unidas for a Healthy Life | Nopalito Salsa | 1 of 2 Ingredients

2 cups diced fresh nopales, rinsed, thorns removed (or nopales in a jar) 2 large tomatoes, diced 2 jalapeños, sliced ½ cup diced onion 1 lemon, cut in half ½ cup chopped cilantro Salt and pepper to taste Step by step Step 1

Place nopales in a large pot with water and boil until tender, about 15 minutes. Rinse with cold water in a strainer and set aside.

Step 2

While nopales are cooking, in a medium bowl add the tomatoes, jalapeños, onion, cilantro and the juice of half a lemon. Mix lightly.

Step 3

Add the cooked nopales. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the other half of the lemon.

Serving suggestions: Eggs, , soups!

Notes: Jarred nopales have too much sodium. Fresh is best! If you use the nopales that come in a jar, rinse and drain them before adding the rest of the ingredients. Nutrition Information

Total grams per serving: 95g; Calories 20; Total Fat 0 g; Cholesterol 0 mg; Sodium 10 mg; Total Carbohydrates 5 g; Dietary Fiber 2 g; Total Sugars 2 g; Protein 1 g; Vitamin D 0 mg; Calcium 48 mg; Iron 0 mg; Potassium 222 mg. One serving = ½ cup.

De Las Mías - Unidas for a Healthy Life | Nopalito Salsa | 2 of 2