Fruit and Stuff

Tag: nopal

• 

  nopal cactus and prickly pear facts

  Posted at 10:46 am by Mary Ann Lesh

  Oct 23rd

  The nopal cactus, native to Mexico, is commonly known in English as the prickly pear cactus (español: nopal y tuna). It is known for high antioxidant, vitamin, and mineral content. Nopales are the pads of the nopal cactus. Sauteed nopales can be added to many dishes, such as salads, quesadillas or scrambled eggs. The sweet and colorful prickly pears, called tunas in Spanish, are delicious just as they are. Just peel and eat. The prickly pear fruit contains the flavonoids kaempferol and quercetin, which are antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

  RECIPE

  Sauteed Nopales

  Nutrition Facts: 1 cup of raw nopal contains
  calcium 141 mg calories 13.8 carbohydrates 2.86 g fat 0.8 g fiber 1.89 g protein 1.14 g sugar 0.99 g vitamin A 198 mcg vitamin C 8 mg vitamin K 4.56 mcg

  Posted in FOOD FACTS | Tagged ANTIINFLAMMATORY, antioxidant, antioxidant foods, cactus paddles, nopal, nopales, prickly pear cactus, prickly pears, tuna fruit

• BEYOND BURRITOS AND MARGARITAS

  Posted at 12:00 pm by Mary Ann Lesh

  Sep 1st

  Tortillas, beans, rice, and chiles are staples in Mexican households and Mexican restaurants all over the world, but people south of the border enjoy many other foods you may not have heard about. Here are a few of them.

  Pitaya

  A deliciously sour-sweet watery and nutritious cactus fruit.

  Guanabana

  Smells like pineapple, tastes like strawberries and apple with a touch of citrus, with a creamy texture, like coconut or banana, and generous amounts of Vitamins B and C.

  Huitlacoche

  A delicious and nutritious edible “disease,” huitlacoche, the fungus known in English as corn smut, can bring a higher price than the corn on which it grows. Raw or roasted, it makes delicious tacos, quesadallas, enhiladas, and other delicacies.

  Flor de Calabaza

  The beautiful squash flower can be cooked or eaten raw, made into poppers, or used as an ingredient in vegetarian pozole.

  Nopales y Tunas

  It may look like something to avoid touching, but this is a desert feast. The tunas (cactus pears) taste as sweet as jam when they are ripe, and they can be found in an explosion of different bright colors. The leaves, known as nopales in the mercado, are a rich source of protein and fiber. They can be scraped, chopped, seasoned, sauteed, and enjoyed in a variety of dishes.

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  (Original article published by M. Lesh in Coffee Talk, September 1, 2019)

  Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged guanabana, huitlacoche, mexican food, mexico, nopal, pitaya, tuna

• About Fruit and Stuff

  When I switched to plant-based living after a lifetime of meals planned around a main course of meat, I immediately felt positive effects and found it surprisingly easy, even fun, to change my habits and explore new ways of enjoying food. Fruit and Stuff is a collection of some of the many things I have learned since I started the journey.

  Even if you are not ready to give up meat, you will benefit from adding more plant foods to your daily meals. I hope you’ll find something useful here.

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