Side Dishes: Ensalada de Nopales (Cactus Salad)

1 32 oz. jar of diced nopales (several Mexican and U.S. brands already distribute in the Southwest)

2 to 4 jalapeño peppers (depending on how much heat you can take)

3 medium size tomatoes

½ cup of diced cilantro

½ small onion

salt and pepper to taste

Rinse and dice the tomatoes, onions, peppers and cilantro. Mix with the nopales, add salt and black pepper to taste and listo!

For a somewhat more time-consuming, but tastier recipe, try Nopales Tiernos...

Side Dishes: Nopales Tiernos (Tender Cactus)

6 to 8 nopales tiernos

2 to 4 jalapeño peppers (depending how much heat you can take)

toreados, meaning to torear the peppers to make them spicier by roasting (more traditional) or deep frying; this is more work but it makes the peppers a lot more
flavorful.

Clean the nopales, roast them in a flat pan and dice them. Roast or deep fry the peppers and dice them. Then follow the same steps as in the previous recipe.

Recipes courtesy of Luis R. Cabrales