Nopal salad

Today I decided to make something fulfilling but very healthy ;)

I came up with this recipe myself, right at the moment :p
So if you give it a try I hope you will enjoy it!!

Ingredients:

2 nopales (cactus) 

1/4 c red onion

1/4 c green pepper

1/4 to 1/2 c of cooked beans

The juice of 1/2 a lime

Fresh cilantro to taste 

1/4 c green pepper

pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Bring one cup of water to boil. Once is boiling put a pinch of salt (to cut on some of the mucus from the vegetable) reduce the flame to the lowest and add the nopales (add them chopped into thin slices), cook them for about 15 minutes in low heat or until light green and tender. 
2. Chop the onion in thin slices, the cilantro and the green pepper in small peaces.
3. Let the cactus chill until room temperature.
4. Now mix in the cactus with the onion, the beans, the pepper, cilantro, the salt and the lime juice and mix it until well mixed.
5. Lastly let it chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so all the flavor combine. 

If you don't live in Mexico, you may find the nopal in your local market if not than try to visit a Mexican market. 

This is a great salad to calm craving or as a side dish since is very low in calories and is fulfilling like I said. If you are just trying to be healthy you can have the salad with some tortilla chips or just a warm tortilla or crackers but if you are on a diet than just have it alone or with some source of protein. Here I grilled a chicken breast and a tortilla with the salad as lunch. 

If you don't know what exactly nopales are here I leave a link to the explanation of what it is.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/507469-what-are-the-side-effects-of-eating-nopales/

This link shows some research about the side effects but I think those side effects may be possible only if you eat it in very large quantities and very often, I have never experience any of those side effects nor any of the people I know; and when you cook it boiled or saute is totally fine. 

Fish Soup

Since it has been such a cold rainy day, I wanted to have something warm and fulfilling so I decided to make a soup and I came up with this mix of ingredients which I give thumbs up. Hope you like it ;) 

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots*
• 1 handful spinach*
• 2 medium zucchini* 
• 1/4 c of fresh peas 
• 5 mushrooms*
• 10 green beans*
• 2 fish fillet 
• (1 stalk of celery, cilantro, onion, garlic) 
• 2 1/2 c of chicken/vegetable stock

*All chopped in small pieces so they can cook faster 

Directions: 

1. In a pan place the chicken/vegetable stock with the stalk of celery, one clove of garlic, some cilantro, a small piece of onion and bring it to boil in medium heat. This is to give more flavor to our liquid. Once it is boiling turn the heat to low and add the fillet, once the fillet is cooked you can now turn the heat off and drain the liquid (save the fillet).
2. Put the drained liquid back into the pan and add the chopped carrots and turn the stove in low heat, once it is boiling you can add in the green beans and the peas let it cook for 7 minutes than you can add in the zucchini and mushrooms and let it cook for another 7 minutes. Once you see all the vegetables are cooked you can add the spinach and let it cook for 3-4 more minutes.
3. Lastly you add the fillet and let it boil for 3 more minutes and you are finally done.

What is nice about this soup is that is very flexible since you can swap ingredients for the once you like the most.

Enjoy!!