As we melt in triple digit heat with no air conditioning in our 100-year-old house, we seek out any remedy to melting completely. This nopales slushie has been one of my best strategies. The drink combines nopales (cactus) and any summertime fruit that is available. Peach and orange are my current favorites.
Nopales is a popular vegetable in Mexican cuisine — it is the green “leaf” or “paddle” of the cactus known as “nopal” or “prickly pear.” It actually helps to regulate your blood sugar which may be a great thing in this particular recipe that is half fruit. The green portion of the plant is the vegetable and the “prickly pear” is the fruit. The paddle portion is commonly available in Mexican markets or in more general ethnic markets. Simply look in the vegetable section of the store to find them stacked up in a bin.
If you buy nopales at the market, it is likely to be fairly well cleaned, but it will always have a few spines remaining. Some spines may appear small and inconsequential. Looks can be deceiving, as you will learn if it ends up as a splinter in your fingers. A larger one fell to our kitchen floor and ended up in my foot. Handle the cactus with care.
For the recipe below, I juiced the nopales with the spines intact. My juice extractor sends the spines with the pulp to one end and the juice to the other. It was an efficient way for me to remove the spines. Ideally, you would keep the whole cactus, removing the spines by hand, cutting the cactus in thin slices, freezing it, and popping it in the blender with your favorite fruit. In 100-degree weather, I choose the straightest path from A to B and used my juice extractor instead.
Nopales Juice Smoothie Ingredients
- Three to four medium nopales, juiced (about one cup of juice)
- One cup of cool water
- Two cups of frozen fruit slices or juice frozen in ice cube trays.
Nopales Juice Smoothie Steps
- Place the nopales juice to your blender
- Add water
- Top with frozen fruit
- Blend until smooth, adding a bit more water if the drink is too thick.
If you use frozen nopales strips instead of juice, replace some of the frozen fruit with fresh fruit so that the drink will blend more easily.
As suggested on our Facebook page, this drink is an exceptional base to a cocktail. Tequila takes it to another level on a hot evening. 
This post was shared at Real Food Wednesday, Traditional Tuesdays, Hearth and Soul Hop, Freaky Friday, My Meatless Monday, Make Your Own Monday, Fat Tuesday,
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Wow, I’ve never heard of Nopales before, so thanks for sharing this. I live in freezing cold rainy UK so have the opposite problem trying hard to keep eating fruit while freezing cold. Sorry about your foot. I recently tried to cook globe artichoke for the first time and the thorns in that scared me too. It’s great you thought of juicing it as a solution.
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Sorry if my question sounds a bit silly to some, but I’m a smoothie lover who just happens to be a fitness fanatic as well. So I’m wondering if my beloved protein powder would mix well and taste good with a Nopales smoothie? Thanks!
Arnel,
I’m not feeling it. I wouldn’t add a powder.
Amanda
I used to do a LOT of protein powder as part of a low-carb diet for smoothies and shakes.
I still do not want to eat something that is primarily fruit due to bG issues. I prefer protein and fat with my fruit as much as possible.
It turns out that adding raw eggs from pastured or free-range chickens is a GREAT replacement for the protein powder habit, no oxidized cholesterol, lots of protein, healthy fats including CLA, and vitamins A, D3 and K2. If your eggs are raised so you don’t fear salmonella in them, this is a great choice.
I started off just with making eggnogs, but eventually adding eggs to everything smoothie-like.
Here’s a hint: emulsify the egg with coconut oil in your blender as a first step. Then when you add all your other cold ingredients, the coconut oil won’t turn into little hard chunks throughout your drink.