My favorite cactus pad (nopales) recipes

Hmm, I buy nopales at the local market and they are easily handled and spines removed with a knife dragged parrallel to the surface of the pad on a cutting board. I guess the variety found in stores is less gnarly. I started 12 paddles in one gallon pots of cactus mix and hopefully in the spring I can plant out and be eating my own this time next year.

Jambalaya
Substitute fresh, trimmed and cubed (1/2 inch) dice cactus for okra in any jambalaya recipe.
I like to make mine more paleo friendly with very little rice...maybe 1/4 cup of dried rice for a recipe that serves six and really pile in the veggies: tomatoes, green and red pepper, zucchini, celery, onion, okra and nopales. It is a great summer, autumn dish to use up the garden bounty.

I also love nopales diced and lightly sauted and folded into scrambled eggs or as omelet filling with some goat cheese.

They go well in Indian food....substitute for okra... I esp like with tamarind sauce.

The entire paddle is excellent when cleaned, bushed with olive oil and sprinkled with garlic salt and then grilled. I always grill extra to add to tortilla soup or ratatouille or have in eggs.

happy eating,
claire

I do add them to any stirr fry as well, in cubes.

I have also, instead of grilling them, made them in the frying pan.

You are right to use them as okra, to thicken soups etc.
They are said to be good to the guts, as their fruits.

I should do them more, but I can be lazy, when I have to collect them and remove the spines!
I try to collect them when I find some new sprouts, when they do not yet have the hard spines.

My neighbor grills them often - they are delish!