Cactussalad Recipes

CACTUS SALAD

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Pour canned or jarred nopales into a strainer to drain. Rinse under running water until jar liquid is washed off. Leave nopales in long strips or chop into pieces about the same size as the tomato and onions.
• In a large glass, ceramic, or stainless steel bowl, toss together tomato, onion, nopales, and cilantro.
• Place olive oil, lime juice, oregano, and salt into a small jar with lid on. Shake vigorously until mixture comes together. Pour dressing over salad and toss again, gently but thoroughly.
• Cover bowl and refrigerate salad for at least an hour and up to 24 hours for flavors to meld. To serve, garnish with cheese, onion, and avocado.

CACTUS SALAD

Steps:

• Pare off edges of cactus paddles and slice into ¼ inch strips.
• Bring water, salt, and scallions to a boil.
• Drop in cactus strips and bring to boiling.
• Reduce heat and simmer until tender.
• Drain and rinse.
• Combine vinegar, lime juice, oil, sun dried tomatoes, and oregano in separate bowl.
• Arrange cactus strips and sautéed onions on platter, pour vinegar mixture over salad, sprinkle cheese and chilies on top and serve.

ENSALADA DE NAPALITOS: CACTUS SHOOT SALAD

Steps:

• Begin by blanching cactus pads in salted boiling water until tender, for about 5 minutes; then shock in ice water.
• Julienne cactus pads into strips lengthwise. In a small salad bowl, mix in the green onion, tomato, cilantro, jalapeno, and cactus pads.
• In separate bowl mix garlic, oil and lime juice. Add all the other ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.

ENSALADA DE NOPALES, CACTUS SALAD

Steps:

• Dice the nopales and toss with salt. You want all the cut sides of the nopales to have salt on them. Put them in a colander in the sink and let this drain for 1 hour. When the time has elapsed, rinse the nopales under cold water until they are no longer slimy, which should take maybe 3 to 5 minutes. Pat dry with a kitchen towel put into a large bowl.
• While the nopales are sitting in the colander, mix the diced onion with a little salt and the lime juice and let them pickle a bit. This takes the harsh edge off the raw onion. If you want, you can add the minced chiles to the lime juice, too.
• When you're ready, mix all the ingredients together and serve.

CACTUS SALAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat 1 Tbsp. dressing in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add 3 cups cactus strips; cook 4 min. or until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally. Remove to large bowl. Repeat with 1 Tbsp. of the remaining dressing and remaining cactus strips. Cool completely.
• Add remaining dressing and all other remaining ingredients; mix lightly.

ENSALADA DE NOPALES (CACTUS SALAD)

Steps:

• Place all ingredients except avocado and vegan cheese in a large bowl; toss until evenly mixed.
• Just before serving, add vegan cheese and avocado if desired, stirring gently to mix. Garnish with additional cilantro leaves. Serve with tortilla chips.
• Test Kitchen Tip: Nopales are the tear-shaped leaves of the Opuntia or prickly pear cactus, harvested all year long in warm, dry regions of Mexico. The pads are harvested young and have a delicate, tart flavour and crisp yet slightly chewy texture. The juicy leaves are eaten raw or cooked in a variety of Mexican dishes.

CACTUS SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat grill or broiler. Place cactus paddles in a bowl and toss with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Grill or broil the paddles until grill marks appear on each side, or they turn dark green with black patches, about 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Cover and chill 2 to 4 hours or overnight. Cut cactus into 1/2-inch pieces. In a large bowl, combine the cactus, tomatoes, onions, chiles, cilantro and cheese with the remaining 1/2 cup oil, the vinegar, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Toss well. Serve on plates lined with lettuce leaves, and garnish with avocado slices sprinkled with cracked pepper garnish.
• In a small bowl, stir all the ingredients together. Spoon over vegetables or drizzle lightly over dressed salads as a garnish.

CACTUS SALAD

Steps:

• 1. If using fresh cactus squares, cook quickly in a pan of boiling water to cover, 1 to 2 minutes, to retain the color and crispness and to remove some of the slippery coating. Drain well in cold running water. If using bottled cactus, simply drain through a strainer and rinse very well in cold running water and cut into 1/2-inch squares. 2. In a large bowl, mix the cooked cactus, tomatoes, onion, serrano chiles, and cilantro. Add the oil, vinegar, and salt. Toss to mix. Arrange the lettuce on a platter. Mound the salad on the lettuce, and scatter the cheese on top. From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

SOUTHWESTERN CACTUS SALAD

Steps:

• In a medium size mixing bowl, combine cactus, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and cilantro. Squeeze the juice from both lemons over the mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Sprinkle with garlic salt (if you'd like) and serve.

CACTUS SALAD

Steps:

• 1. To prepare the nopales: If necessary, use a small sharp knife to remove any residual thorns or nodules from the cactus leaves. Bring 8 cups salted water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the nopales, onion, and garlic and reduce the heat to medium. Cook at a brisk simmer until the nopales are tender, about 6 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water. Discard the onion and garlic. Cut the nopales into strips about 1/2 inch wide and 2 1/2 inches long. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
• 2. To make the dressing: Whisk the vinegar, oregano, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season with salt.
• 3. Mix the nopales, tomatoes, red onion, and cilantro in a medium bowl. Add as much dressing as you like (refrigerate any remaining dressing for another use) and toss. Divide the salad among 6 salad plates and top with the avocado and queso fresco. Serve immediately.