Huaraches are traditionally made with corn masa formed into a thick oval that resembles a huarache or sandal. In our version, we use a griddled (or grilled) cactus paddle as the “sandal sole” that provides the base for beans, cheese, and salsa.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 8 huaraches

　　8 medium nopal paddles, cleaned and spines removed

　　1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

　　4 cups (1 L) cooked Black Velvet Beans

　　4 cups (1 L) Red Cabbage Slaw or shredded lettuce

　　Homemade or store-bought chipotle salsa, to taste

　　6 oz (175 g) crumbled queso fresco

　　

Step 1

Bring a large pot of water to a boil on high heat and add nopales. Cook for about 5 minutes. Remove and rinse under cool water. Pat dry. Lightly score and smear coconut oil on each side of nopal. On a dry griddle on high heat, cook nopales in batches (don’t overcrowd in pan). Cook each side for about 3–5 minutes or until nopales begin to blister slightly. Set aside.

　　

Step 2

In a frying pan on medium heat, mash beans and cook until consistency of a loose paste, about 5 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Place nopales on a serving platter. Spread a layer of beans on each and serve topped with slaw or lettuce, salsa, and cheese.

　　

Grill Option

Step 4

Use a gas grill or outdoor barbecue to cook whole raw nopal paddles: Rub paddles with oil to prevent sticking; scoring is not necessary. Grill nopal paddles about 7 minutes per side on medium high heat.

　　From Decolonize Your Diet: Plant-Based Mexican-American Recipes for Health and Healing by Luz Calvo and Catriona Rueda Esquibel (published by Arsenal Pulp Press, 2015). Excerpted with permission from the publisher.Buy the full book from Amazon or Bookshop.