Health Benefits of Prickly Pear Cactus
Meet Prickly Pear, he might be spiky on the outside, but this cactus is packed with healthy fiber, nutrients, and minerals that are very good for your insides. Both the paddles (or nopales) and the fruit are edible. Long known and used by the Mexican people as a food source and in folk medicine, research is finally being done on this promising plant.
One cup of prickly pear contains 30% of the daily value of magnesium, 23% of vitamin C, and about 19% of the daily recommended fiber intake. It’s also high in calcium and potassium. This prickly plant is also chalked full of antioxidants, which have been proven to have protective effect against free radicals - unstable molecules that can damage your body.
In addition to its high nutritional value, there is growing evidence that prickly pear can help control blood sugar and lower cholesterol. A study in which participants took prickly pear fiber condensed into tablets has even shown promising weight loss benefits. (link) The participants who took the cactus fiber absorbing less dietary fat than those who didn’t.
Those of you who have already tried our regular corn tortillas might know that on top of being extremely tasty, they are a healthy staple food you can build your meals around. Gluten free and low calorie, these traditionally made tortillas are a great option for foodies, celiacs, and anyone on a low carb diet. Now we've combined our classic corn tortillas with the super food prickly pear, so you can reap the health benefits of both without missing out on any of the flavor!
Wanting to get into the St. Patricks day spirit? Looking for a way to celebrate that isn't Guinness-centric? Why not use our Prickly Pear tortillas to make naturally green shamrock quesadillas? Most grocery stores now stock Dubliner, a traditional and mature Irish cheese that will take your quesadillas to the next level! (Though you can always sub for whatever cheese you happen to have on hand).
YOU'LL NEED:
3/4 cup shredded Dubliner cheese
1 pack Prickly Pear corn tortillas
2 tsps butter or olive oil
Shamrock cookie cutter or sharp knife
DIRECTIONS
1. Prep the tortillas by cutting them into shamrock shapes. You can use a cookie cutter or just a sharp knife.
2. Heat your frying pan on med-low and add cooking oil or butter, then place the bottom tortilla in - putting your shredded cheese on top of it and then covering with the top tortilla. Fry for about 2 min. Flip it over with a plate and fry the other side for another 2 min or until crispy with the cheese melted.
3. Use a pizza cutter to slice and ENJOY!
