Hello and welcome to this thing we’re doing where we help you figure out what you’re gonna put in your mouth this week. Some of these are recipes we’ve tried, some of these are recipes we’re looking forward to trying, all of them are fucking delicious. Tell us what you want to put in your piehole or suggest your own recipes, and we’ll talk about which things we made, which things we loved, and which things have changed us irreversibly as people. Last week, we whipped up some hot grits.

I’m not sure if I had just never seen a bunch of cactus paddles in a grocery store before I moved to Los Angeles or if I had just never noticed, but now that I’m here and this is my life I need to learn how to cook these motherfuckers, because I’m just totally and completely intrigued by their prickly exteriors and absolutely delicious spirits.
If you need some help prepping these babies, click here. If you need some inspiration for how to put them in your mouth, scroll down.
1. Cactus Salad with Shrimp

2. Nopale Soup

3. Cactus Salsa

4. Nopales con Chile y Queso

5. Cactus with Chicken in a Red California Chili Sauce

6. Cactus Casserole with Rice, Cheese, and Ancho Chiles

7. Cactus Blossom

8. Cactus Paddles with Pork Ribs and Red Chile

9. Grilled Nopales (Cactus) Huaraches

10. Jalapeño and Cactus Tamales

11. Nopales and Fried Tofu in Red Chipotle Sauce

12. Chile Con Queso With Nopalitos (Fresh Cactus and Mexican Cheese in a Warm Salsa)

13. Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Nopales Salad

14. Stuffed Nopales with Black Beans, Cheese, and Roasted Red Pepper

15. Cactus Fries with Avocado Dipping Sauce

16. Cactus Tacos

17. Chipotle Cashew Chicken Tostadas with Cactus Guacamole

18. Huevos con Nopales y Cilantro

19. Nopales and Tomatillo Stew

20. Stuffed Nopales in Batter

21. Nopales and Cotija Salad with Spicy Cilantro Vinaigrette

22. Chipotle Chili with Venison and Cactus
