Cactus Paddles

[Guest guest]

I was just in Mexico City a few weeks ago. In the meantime, I have

been trying some vegan Mexican recipes, and this is one I liked from

Nancy Zaslavsky's Meatless Mexican Home Cooking ( St. Martin's Press -

1997).

 

This is a test. (Karen, please let me know if this copy doesn't come

through properly formatted.) Thanks - Lisa

 

{ Exported from MasterCook Mac }

 

Cactus Paddles with Onions, Tomatoes and Chiles (Nopales )

 

Recipe By: (adapted) Nancy Zaslavsky, _Meatless Mexican Home Cooking_

Serving Size: 4

Preparation Time: 0:30

Categories: Main Dishes

 

Amount Measure Ingredient Preparation Method

1 pound nopales paddles, cleaned and trimmed

1/2 white onions

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium white onions chopped

2 jalapeno stemmed, seeded

2 plum tomatoes chopped

3 tablespoons cilantro or epazote, chopped

 

1. Cut the paddles into 2-inch strips at 1/4-inch width. Boil in 3

quarts boiling, salted water with the piece of onion for 5 minutes and

drain. Run cold water over the nopales to eliminate their slimy

texture. Bring another 3 quarts of water to a boil and return the

nopales to the boiling water for 10 minutes, until tender. Drain. If

not serving immediately, run cold water over them to stop the cooking

process. Set aside.

2. 10 minutes before serving: Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the

chopped onion and saute until transparent. Add the garlic and chiles,

cooking and stirring until golden. Add the tomatoes and cook for 10

minutes. Add the cooked nopales and cilantro and heat through.

—————

Notes: Fresh nopales and prickly pears are sold with their biggest

needles scraped off. Scrape off any straggling needles. Cut off the

tough base end, then trim the outer edge around the circumference.

With a heavy knife, scrape off the bumps where the needles grew out of

the paddles -- on both sides -- but do not remove the entire skin.

 

Nopales are slimy, but boiling them, rinsing them, and boiling them

until tender will take care of the slime.

 

You can substitute green beans for the nopales as they are used

interchangeably in Mexico.

 

 

Per serving (excluding unknown items): 107 Calories; 7g Fat (57%

calories from fat); 2g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 12mg

Sodium

Food Exchanges: 2 Vegetable; 1 1/2 Fat

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