Maybe you are more familiar with the prickly pear cactus instead of the Nopal Cactus. They have been around the staple part of Tex-Mex and Mexican cuisines for many centuries. These green nopal cactus can be cooked is so many ways. They have been used for one of the ingredients for egg dishes, tacos and also Mexican style salad. However, lately they have been becoming more popular than ever as there have been studies conducted to know the real benefits of these cacti.
The researches have been able to conclude that the nopal cactus is one of the super foods. They can be at the same level of the delicious and beneficial pineapples. Among the benefits of cactus is the fact that they are great antioxidant, contains properties to lower the bad cholesterol in the blood, lowering the blood sugar and is rich in betalains.
The Spanish know the fruit with the name Nopales and they love to add the fruit of this cactus to so many types of dishes. The nopal cactus is easy to find and can be very cheap to buy. Moreover, they also feel the health benefits of the cactus. To eat the cactus, simply cut off the cactus pads, then slice or chop them. The easiest way to cook them is to sauté them with scrambled eggs. Or you can also add it to your omelets. Not only that, the nopal cactus is often used for Pico de Gallo.
This is a hot raw dish or the Mexican style salad. This salad usually contains a medley of fresh vegetables. The vegetables are onions, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeño peppers, cilantro and nopal cactus. Sometimes, the recipe is grilled but sometimes it is sautéed with the onion. Beside eaten raw, the dish can also be the garnish of fajitas.
As for the bright red fruit of the nopal cactus which is often called the prickly pear, it is eaten differently. The fact that the fruit has an amazing flavor of the combination between watermelon and bubblegum makes the fruit perfect for juice and smoothies. Besides that, the fruit can also be eaten raw although not as popular as the drinks. The prickly pear is not easy to peel because it has hard and thick skin. You need to learn the specific way to peel the skin off before you can enjoy the deliciously refreshing taste of the prickly pear fruit.
