A total diet overhaul can be scary, but a Scranton plant-based eating group aims to show how simple – and fun – it can be. Empowered Eating, organized by Scranton Beets founder Jean Hayes, meets at ...

Nopales, also known as cactus pads or paddles, have long been a part of my California culinary life. I've had periodic bursts of enthusiasm over their slightly lemony flavor and firm-to-the-bite flesh ...

If your heritage is Mexican, you already know about nopales – the pads of opuntia ficus-indica, the prickly pear cactus. This species also produces the spiny, fruit-like reddish-purplish-green “pears” ...

Cactuses aren’t just part of the scenery in South Texas. For centuries, the fruit and paddles from the prickly pear cactus have fueled the people who live there, and they’re still easy to find on the ...

The scent of chiles toasting hung low like a sweet, spicy cloud swirling around the kitchen. I worked with one or two dried chiles at a time for the most control, flipping, then flattening them with a ...

Prickly desert cactus sounds like the last thing you’d want to eat. But -- surprise! -- once the spines are off, cactus is juicy and tender, great in anything from salads and soups to main courses and ...

NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with food writer Maria Melendez Ayala about nopales, edible cactus plants that are a staple in Mexican cuisine. People across the country are out grilling this weekend. And ...

I grew up in Monterrey, Mexico, with a backyard filled with more than 200 nopales, or cactus plants. But as a kid, I wasn't a fan. My mother loved nopales—she even ate them raw and used them in ...

The history of Cinco de Mayo is a David-and-Goliath story — it commemorates the triumph of an ingenious Mexican army over a formidable enemy, France, in the Battle of Pueblo on May 5, 1862. Four days ...

The first flush of nopalitos, or prickly pear cactus stems, are multiplying at a succulent near you. A popular vegetable while in season -- usually from early spring into fall -- it's a staple for ...