Healthy Treats | Have you ever eaten Cactus? How about Prickly Pear Shortbread!
Have you ever eaten a Cactus? How about a Prickly Pear?
You know me friends; I’m always living on the edge when it comes to new fruits and vegetables! My trip through the fruit market is always fun and this week it could have been a dangerous one!
Bird, what could be dangerous at the fruit market?
Well, the little fruit which caught my eye was a Prickly Pear! And this guy was prickly, literally! A Prickly Pear or Cactus fruit grows on the tips of the Napoles Cacti leaves! Can you believe it? There are about 200 different varieties of Nopales Cacti, all fruit bearing but not all varieties are edible! So don’t grab the first Cactus fruit you find the desert...it may not be edible!
Photo thanks to Pixabay
I know, I know, who would think something growing on a cactus would be edible!
But they are! And, they’re healthy! The only downside….the skin is covered with fine hair like prickles called glochids. These tiny prickles will easily adhere to the skin and it is painful! They're small and difficult to see once they are on your skin. Cactus Pears can be orange, green, yellow, pink or even red. This dangerous little fruit is full of Vitamin C, B, Magnesium and Potassium. They’re also high in Calcium! Prickly Pears are also full of fiber which we all know promotes healthy digestion. Traditional medicine has used the Prickly Pear pulp to fight inflammation, arthritis and even gout! The fruit is mild in taste, and great in smoothies, juices, jams and jellies
So if it’s covered in fine hair-like prickles…
how do we eat it? Well, you first remove the skin, verrrry carefully. I used a heavy oven glove to hold the cactus pear while I peeled it. Pretty easy actually, I was not going to get one of those glochids on my skin, again. Yes, the Bird found out the hard way, painfully! The fruit is really beautiful and luscious looking don’t you think?
How does a little Prickly Pear Shortcake Bar sound?
The Baby bird is still visiting the Birds nest so when I’m not holding the baby I’m busy whipping ups something healthy for the Bird flock. My daughter requested a healthy sweet treat without chocolate (shocking I know) so I thought a light shortbread crust would be nice with a fruity topping!
All you need!
- Gluten Free Flour (2 cups)
- Stevia or Monk Fruit (1/2 cup)
- Sea Salt (dash)
- Dairy Free Butter (1/2 cup)
- Fresh Prickly Pear (qty 2)
- Fresh Strawberries (qty 8)
- Organic Maple Syrup (2 tbsp.)
- Chia Seeds (1 tbsp.)
The baby was fast…
asleep so I had to work fast! Berries and pears were on the stove in a flash with the Maple Syrup and a dash of water. Simmer, simmer on low! After about 20 minutes the fruit was softened so I added the Chia seeds to thicken the compote.
Now for the shortbread…
Flour, Monk Fruit, Sea Salt and butter into good old Walter my processor. Process until everything is smooth! I reserved one cup of the batter for topping. The balance of the batter was poured into a parchment lined baking dish. Now, into the oven to bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. After 20 minutes I set the shortbread aside for 30 minutes to cool.
The compote looks amazing…
so rich and such a beautiful color! Its ready to be used now, but I decided to give it a quick blend to give it a smoother texture.
Shortbread…
ready? I spread a generous portion of compote on top and sprinkled the balance of the batter on top! And it’s back into the oven for another 30 minutes!
Prickly Pear Shortbread! Enjoy
Just in time, the baby bird is awake and ready to play! Chirping all around the house! I got the nod of approval from my daughter! Life is sweet in the Bird nest! So tasty, buttery shortcake and slightly sweet compote on top! A fun dessert to make, in spite of the cactus spikes!
And as always, blessings to you all!
This one looks so good! Juicy and very pretty :) I have eaten cactus fruit a few years ago and I must say that it wasn't my cup of tea. There were so many small annoying pits inside that were difficult to chew on..
When I saw this fruit for the first time on cactus bushes in Italy I thought they wouldn't be edible but then I saw it on the market and had to try it :)
It could have been a different sort though. Yours don't look like they had those annoying black pits :)
Thank you for sharing your recipe! Have a lovely day!
So glad you stopped by! Seeing those pears on Cacti in the desert I would have never imagined them edible. Such a fun surprise. They do have a mild taste so pairing them with Strawberries or another nice fruit was a good idea. My kids love them, that was what I was try to accomplish. Thanks @delishtreats!
I've had prickly pear candy before and it was one of my favorites -- years ago when there was a marvelous place in Tucson not far from where we lived called Desert Treasures that did all kinds of wonderful things with dates, coconut, etc. They had a prickly pear candy that looked -- and was the consistency of -- Knox blocks. (I think. I've never actually had those <---. ) They tasted very "cherry" -- one of my favorite flavors. I like basically anything red!
But I'll let other people deal with the fruits. Believe me, I respect cactus spines -- especially these tiny little ones so fine you cannot see them. (I just have to dig around the site with a sewing needle and hope for the best, although that usually works. ) One of those in your finger (or foot!!) will drive you wild. Not really painful. Just there -- and so annoying!! Be careful.
I know it's frequently used in candies and I have used it in juices but I thought making a little jam mixture on shortbread would be a nice change. You are right, those little hair like needles are awful. The first time I bought a couple I didn't have any problems but the second time was terrible...I landed several in my and just picking up the fruit! So this time, I was armed, lol gloves on! You can't get those little guys out because as you said you can't see them, crazy. Usually I'll have my husband get splinters and such out but he couldn't see anything. ugh. The gloves worked this time (quite a sight of course) do you see this cactus around NM and Arizona? I thought it would be something fun to share with everyone! (And the kids loved them...)
All the time. They're all over the place. We have several large ones on our property -- one in the back yard (and I'm not going to move it.) It produces yellow fruit. And another one does purple. The flowers are lovely. I look forward to them every year.
Hey, @birdsinparadise.
That looks really good, especially considering the prickly spikes. :)
My wife loves to eat cactus, but it's not the fruit part, unfortunately. I can eat them, there just isn't much flavor to them.
It sounds like you had fun putting this together, too, even if you were pressed for time. Well worth it, I say. :)
Thanks @glenalbrethsen! Trying new fruits and veggies is a big goal for me. I love to share them with the kids as they tend to eat the same thing all the time, lol. They loved these, especially with the strawberry addition. You're right, it's a very mild fruit but so healthy...the strawberries helped :)
I just love prickly pears, the green variety grows in the Eastern Cape, it's really delicious and so sweet but always eat it just like that! Of course not with the skin, imagine the agony! Only the food inventor @birdsinparadise would come up with a baked treat, looks fabulous!
Well, those little hairs are a nusance.... Are the green varieties mild as well? I have tried them in juices and they're great but the red ones I have tried aren't sweet. Do you cook with them? I'm sure you have an amazing recipe or two up your sleeve :) Thanks my friend!
As they aren't readily available where we live, we hardly see them in the stores, probably does not have a long shelf life. But people mostly use them in preserves or jams and also make a syrup with them. I enjoy them fresh though.
Enjoy your weekend my friend!
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Wow, these look yummy! I love foraging, and we have these growing all over our yard, but those spines are vicious! I dont know if Im brave enough to try using it! Its not the big spines you have to worry about, it is the invisible super tiny ones!
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Dude, you made a prickly pear shortbread cake? Haha… you are incredible. No wonder when your daughter visits she gets the whole family on the tennis court… I can only imagine all of the goodies you make that you don’t post for us on Steemit.
I’ve tried prickly pear by itself, in a smoothie and actually used to make margaritas out of a syrup we’d make from the juice… the margaritas were better than the other things, maybe the tequila helped a little 🤦🏼♀️ Love your creations- when is your cookbook going to drop, Chef?
hehehe, well I do challenge myself to meet their dietary needs when they're here...I'll be on cooking haitus for a bit...the Bird is whipped! lol jk Tennis does help I must say. My youngest daughter is here now, so all new desserts. ;) Yes, you're right, not a lot of taste, but using strawberries knocked the taste up. I wanted to introduce new fruits and veggies to the grandson, it's been great, he'll eat anything and smile while he does it woohoo! How's Panama? Enjoying??? Pics???
Cooking hiatus shmooking hiatus- you couldn’t stay out of the kitchen if you tried. Sometimes it’s more fun to put the camera down though and just create. At least it is for me right now. As we speak I have some killer Italian gravy going- yep, it’s going to be Italian night tonight 😉
I love hearing a mini human who will eat all of the fruits and veggies available to him. It’s so good to show them how to eat when they are young- plus it’s what his growing body and brain need. I bet there’s no shortage of fruits and veggies at grandmas house…
We just hopped into and out of Panama. A very short visit really- we got groceries because they are cheaper there and gas. @dandays talks a little about it in his @foodfightfriday post. Here’s a pic:
… from the beach yesterday. It was raining on us the whole time but the waves were really cool. Haha…
Awesome view @puravidaville! Okay, so I just read @dandays fff post and I have to say I am stunned....what a crazy few days you have experienced. First of all the truck breaking down, were you just sweating bullets at this point? And then to have the police stop you and ask you if you had your "implements?" What is that about? I know, it was because you were white......geesh Now on to your falafel party, which turned out to not be a party but a ????? At least the food looked amazing, and I must say, the falafels were all uniform in size, Julia Childs would be so proud :) Such adventures you are having. I hope you are keeping a journal, it will be an epic book for sure! Looking forward to your next beach experience! Love this! Oh, and yes, this little guy ate everything. He would kind of shiver at a few of the combos but ate anything my little ninja blender made:) Miss the little guy already
I bet he misses you too 😉. Weird week indeed! I find it ironic that when Dandays mentioned God and freely wished the man blessings he changed his tune. Does God not see what is done to a person who speaks and looks differently than you? I don’t know, it was strange. I was happy to have a car full of groceries when we broke down. I sat inside nervously eating coconut cookie after coconut cookie. I could probably go for a weekend cleanse at the Bird house right about now :). I bet mini little bird will remember your epic treats when he is old enough to have a “memory lane” box to speak of. He’s a lucky little guy 😉
What’s so funny is that I was talking about the topic of eating cactus to a coworker a week or two. She looked at me like I had 2 heads. That short bread looks delicious 😋 yummy.
lol that is too funny! I was pretty excited about these little guys. The first time we had them I just used them in morning juice. This time I wanted to make a dessert for the kids. They enjoyed them! Adding strawberries really upped the flavor big time. No, you don't have two heads, lol :)
I just bought 2 cactus fruit from the market and I will make your short cake. Will let you know how it came out. Thanks for the recipe!
Oh my goodness!! What a coincidence! Make sure you pair it with another fruit to up the flavor. It's a very mild taste but because it's so healthy I love using this fruit also in juices and smoothies! Let me know what you think! :)
Gosh, the prickly pears! I have never tasted them, but their colours and textures look super inviting from your post <3 I would like to taste them one day, for sure :)
Im glad you've figured out how to peel those skin away without hurting yourself, too! :D
Yes, after catching a few of those tiny needles in my hand I decided gloves would be the best option...quite a funny sight but since I was alone I didn't care lol Worth it though, with the strawberries the shortbread bars were quite tasty. Perhaps one day you'll get to sample Prickly Pears! I love trying new fruits and veggies....and then sharing with my kids and grandson! Thanks @veryspider!