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                      Prickly Pear Cactus Is Spiked With Great Benefits

                      Published by Grace O

                      prickly pear laid on wooden board

                      Sometimes I like to have fun with my guests and serve them something a little out of the ordinary. I enjoy seeing skepticism turn to pleasure on their faces when I introduce them to a new food they’d never imagine eating, but once they try it, they enjoy.

                      Prickly pears, also known as cactus pears, are one of those foods. It’s the fruit of the opuntia cactus, which is the one with the paddle-like leaves (also edible, but more on that later). Prickly pears are popular in Mexico, South and Central America, around the Mediterranean and South Africa. In this country they are at their best April through August and can be found fresh in Latin markets, or even mainstream markets in Hispanic neighborhoods. You can also use canned prickly pear cactus if you can’t find it fresh.

                      The fruit is about egg size and can be pale green to purplish. The taste and aroma of the flesh is melon-like and a little flowery, while the texture is a bit like a watermelon. It’s most often peeled and diced into a fruit salad or fruit pie, or pureed and used in drinks, sauces and jams.

                      Green Cactus Pears on market

                      What puts prickly pears into the FoodTrients category is that they are low in calories and high in fiber while rich in vitamin C, and contain calcium and antioxidant compounds. Consuming foods high in antioxidants may help decrease risk of cancer, heart disease, eye disorders such as cataracts and neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease. There is some preliminary evidence that indicates prickly pear cactus can decrease blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.

                      According to Katherin Zaratsky, R.D., L.D. of the Mayo Clinic, “It’s too early to call prickly pear cactus a superfood and more research is needed to confirm these benefits, but it can be part of a healthy diet.”

                      Prickly Pear with cactus fruits and flower

                      The cactus paddles or nopales can be eaten, too. Remove the thorns (wear gloves!) with a vegetable peeler. Many markets sell them fresh with the thorns already removed. Nopales are usually cut into strips and simmered for about twenty minutes to make them tender. They can also be roasted or grilled, then cut into strips once cooled. The strips are delicious in scrambled eggs, soups, stews, salsas or in salads. I like to add them to ceviche right before I serve it to my guests.

                      Nopales are FoodTrient-worthy as well—one cup is a good source of vitamins A and C and provides significant amounts of manganese, magnesium, calcium and potassium. It’s also an excellent source of dietary fiber, while extremely low in calories and carbohydrates.

                      You could create a whole delicious meal around the cactus plant, from appetizer to dessert!

                      CHARRED TOMATO-NOPAL SALSA

                      Servings: 2 cups

                      Ingredients

                      4 medium (about 8 ounces total) nopales (fresh cactus paddles)
                      2 onions (about 7 ounces)
                      1 Tbs. olive oil
                      1 ¼ pounds (6 to 8 plum or 12 large round) ripe tomatoes
                      5 (12 ounces total) fresh jalapeño or other medium-hot fresh chile
                      ½ tsp. Mexican oregano
                      Salt

                      Instructions:

                      1. Holding a paddle with a pair of tongs, trim off the edge that outlines the paddle, including the blunt end where the paddle was severed from the plant. Slice or scrape off the spiny nodes from both sides of the paddle.
                      2. Heat a gas grill to medium-high or light a charcoal fire and let it burn until the charcoal is covered with white ash.
                      3. Lay the nopales and onions on the grill and drizzle with oil.
                      4. Add the tomatoes and chiles to the grill and cook, turning everything at least once, until the vegetables are charred on all sides and very soft, about 10 minutes for the nopales and 15 minutes for the onions, tomatoes and chiles. Let cool.
                      5. Stem and seed the chiles, then cut them into 1/2-inch pieces and place in a bowl.
                      6. Chop the tomatoes and nopales the same size and add to the bowl.
                      7. Dice onions into 1/4-inch pieces and add to the bowl.
                      8. Sprinkle in the oregano and mix well. Taste and season with salt.
                      9. Serve with chips, grilled fish or chicken.

                       

                      GRILLED MEXICAN SHRIMP WITH PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS
                      30 each U-15 shrimp (peeled and deveined)
                      2 Tbs. chili garlic paste, available in oriental markets
                      1 bunch cilantro, chopped
                      2 limes, juice of
                      1 Tbs. peanut oil
                      Salt and black pepper, to taste
                      6 ounces of arugula
                      2 ounces sliced and cooked nopales (cactus paddles)
                      1/2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
                      1 Tbs. olive oil
                      1 cup prickly pear cactus fruit vinaigrette, recipe to follow

                      Instructions:

                      1.      Marinate shrimp overnight in the chili garlic paste, cilantro, lime juice, peanut oil, salt and black pepper.
                      2.      Grill shrimp until cooked all of the way through, about three minutes on each side.
                      3.      While grilling the shrimp: toss the arugula and nopales with the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.
                      4.      Place arugula and hearts of palm salad in the middle of the plate. Arrange shrimp around it. Spoon the vinaigrette around the shrimp.

                      PRICKLY PEAR VINAIGRETTE
                      2 prickly pear cactus fruits
                      1/2 banana
                      2 Tbs. honey
                      1 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
                      2 Tbs. lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
                      2 Tbs. lime juice (about ½ lime)

                      Instructions:

                      1.      Peel skin off of prickly pears and the banana and put the fruit into a blender.
                      2.      Add the honey, vinegar, lemon and lime juices and blend until smooth.
                      3.      Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper. If too sweet for your taste add more vinegar. If too tart, add more honey. If too thin, add more banana. If too thick, add a dash of apple juice.
                      4.      Strain through a fine sieve before serving.

                       

                      PRICKLY PEAR JELLY

                      1 gallon prickly pear cactus fruit, very ripe, deep garnet color
                      4 cups juice
                      4 cups sugar
                      2 packages fruit pectin

                      Instructions:

                      1.      Gather the fruit using tongs and gloves. Put fruit in sink with water. Using tongs, swish in water to remove stickers.
                      2.      Cut fruit in half. Place in large pan.
                      3.      Boil until fruit is shriveled.
                      4.      Mash with potato masher, and then strain through jelly bag or cheese cloth.
                      5.      Bring juice and pectin to boil.
                      6.      Add sugar and boil to jelly stage.
                      7.      Pour into jelly glasses and seal.
                      8.      Serve on whole grain pancakes or waffles.

                       

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                      Grace O
                      Grace O
                      GRACE O is the creator of FoodTrients, a unique program for optimizing wellness and longevity. She is the author of three award-winning cookbooks – The Age Gracefully Cookbook, The Age Beautifully Cookbook, and Anti-Aging Dishes From Around the World. She is a fusion chef with a mission to deliver delicious recipes built on a foundation of anti-aging science and her 20 years in the healthcare industry.

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                      This website is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. FoodTrients – A Recipe for Aging Beautifully Grace O, author and creator of FoodTrients® -- a philosophy, a cookbook and a resource -- has a new cookbook dedicated to age-defying and delicious recipes, The Age Beautifully Cookbook: Easy and Exotic Longevity Secrets from Around the World, which provides one hundred-plus recipes that promote health and well-being. The recipes are built on foundations of modern scientific research and ancient knowledge of medicinal herbs and natural ingredients from around the world. Since the publication of her first anti-aging book, The Age GRACEfully Cookbook, Grace O has identified eight categories of FoodTrients benefits (Anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant, Immune Booster, Disease Prevention, Beauty, Strength, Mind, and Weight Loss) that are essential to fighting aging, which show how specific foods, herbs, and spices in the recipes help keep skin looking younger, prevent the diseases of aging, and increase energy and vitality. Grace O combines more exotic ingredients that add age-fighting benefits to familiar recipe favorites.

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