NCKAA: 16 Days Until Christmas

Grilled Grinch Hands
(aka grilled cactus)
(aka grilled nopales)

Any number of nopales paddles (1 per serving)
olive oil spray

Carefully hold prickly paddles from the thick end. Using a sharp knife, scrape down the paddle to remove the prickles. Rinse.

Lightly spray olive oil on each side of every paddle and grill 5 minutes each side.

If you really want it to look like the Grinch's hands, cut down each paddle 4 times, to create fingers.

Don't these look like Grinch hands????

Nutritional information: 10 calories a paddle, plus stats from your oil; Protein: 2g; Carbs: 2 g; Fat: 0g

Cuddly as a Cactus Grinch Fingers

4 nopales paddles
1/2 medium onion, cut into strips
3 cloves garlic, minced

Prepare paddles as above. Cut into bite-size strips. Rinse again.

Sautee onions and garlic in large pot. Add nopales and enough water to cover. Bring to boil, let simmer 20 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Great for stews, salads, salsas or as a vegetable side dish.

Nutritional information: 10 calories a cup; Protein: 2g; Fat: 0g

Nopales con Huevos

4 oz. cooked nopales
1 egg
1/4 c egg substitute
1/4 c red pepper, chopped and sauteed

Mix all ingredients in frying pan and scramble together. Top with pepper jack cheese if you're feeling brave. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information: Calories: 135.0; Total Fat: 5.2 g; Total Carbs: 7.8 g; Dietary Fiber: 3.6 g; Protein: 14.6 g


So, this is officially a new holiday tradition for me! Though, technically, cactus season is in the late spring and early summer. I just love the idea of playing off the Grinch song and making it festive. And the left overs are delicious for breakfast!

Since last night was my first time to cook cactus myself, I decided to try grilled and boiled and decide which I like best: Grilled won. MMmmm.

The paddles were a lot easier to work with than I thought they'd be, which was nice. I only got poked by a needle once and that was at the grocery store when I was bagging them. If you buy your own, avoid the limp paddles, by the way. You want them to be sturdy, not slumpy.

Here's more on the awesomeness that is edible cactus.