Nopales, also known as prickly pear cactus pads, are vastly versatile, antioxidant-packed succulent plants. While these spiny cactus paddles are staples in Mexican cooking, their uses are endless and ...

Nopales, also known as cactus pads or paddles, have long been a part of my California culinary life. I've had periodic bursts of enthusiasm over their slightly lemony flavor and firm-to-the-bite flesh ...

Nopales, the paddles of cactus plants, get tender, smoky, and soft on a comal or griddle, picking up a strong char from the hot cast iron. High-heat cooking also tempers their natural sourness and ...

Here’s how to harvest, prep and cook the cactus pads. Remember the shmoo? This animal was invented by cartoonist Al Capp and introduced in his comic strip L’il Abner in the late 1940s. Shmoos were ...

A taste of these black beans with nopalitos reveals a deceptively simple and extraordinarily earthy dish. In Mexico, nopalitos are always sold “de-spined.” If you are unlucky enough to have to buy ...

Have you ever noticed a stack of fresh cactus paddles at your local market, but were unsure how to use them — or at least how to keep from getting stuck? The paddles of the prickly pear cactus are ...

Cactus might look intimidating, but once you learn how to clean and cook it to make nopales, you’ll be looking for ways to incorporate this nutritional powerhouse into more dishes Walk around almost ...

Cactuses aren’t just part of the scenery in South Texas. For centuries, the fruit and paddles from the prickly pear cactus have fueled the people who live there, and they’re still easy to find on the ...

The first flush of nopalitos, or prickly pear cactus stems, are multiplying at a succulent near you. A popular vegetable while in season -- usually from early spring into fall -- it's a staple for ...