Written By Erika Hazel aka The Bizerkeley Vegan
When transitioning to a plant based diet, letting go of dairy can be tough or maybe it’s seafood, but oftentimes cutting out animal meat can be the most difficult in the phase of transitioning to a plant based diet. When it comes to the world of meat replacements, there is a huge variety! Long gone are the days of sprouted wheat gluten patties, now there are Impossible Burgers for your cookout days and Beyond Sausages on a bun with sausage and peppers! For those who are more interested in whole foods plant based meat alternatives there are still many to choose from!
A great alternative that you may have never thought about, CACTUS or as its known in the Spanish language, nopales! Nopal or prickly pear cactus can be made into a variety of dishes including a hot salad that consists of sauteed nopal, garlic, cilantro, onion, and tomato. Or try nopal steaks fresh off the grill seasoned and cooked to perfection, with grill marks criss-crossing throughout.
But the best way to try nopal? Tacos! For your next taco tuesday, saute chopped nopales pads with onion and cilantro. After that top on your favorite things, maybe some avocado, salsa verde, and jalapeno! No matter how you build the perfect taco, next time don’t forget the nopal and continue to test out new ways to incorporate the nopal cactus into your plant based diet!