Unique green healthy tortilla recipe that is healthy and absolutely delicious that pops in taste and presentation!
In Mexico it is very common to find masa tortilla and flour tortilla. Tortilla is the holy grail in Mexican cuisine.
There's NOTHING they don't eat with tortilla and you can find tortilla shops running in almost every block in the streets of Mexico.
Now that there's a growing interest in healthy food, green nopales healthy tortillas has become more popular in Mexico.
Nopales are cactus paddle that is a very popular vegetable we eat here. It's in the green smoothie (Jugo Verde) and various home cooked meals.
We are going to learn how to make nopales healthy tortilla. Homemade tortilla is much tastier than store bought and I'm going to share you how to make nopales tortillas.
If you're interested in buying them, there are the option of Mr. Tortilla 1 Net Carb Tortillas. This tortilla is the best tortilla seller on Amazon. It is made with only spinach, but I guarantee when you make your own nopales tortillas, the taste and health benefits will be much better!
This post is about nopales healthy tortillas recipe made with nopals and spinach. It is gluten free, vegetarian, and paleo friendly.
What is Nopales?
It is a green edible cactus paddle/leaf that comes from the prickly pear cactus. It is a common ingredient here in Mexico. The texture is very thick, slimy, meaty with a mild acidic flavour. Most similar in taste and texture like okra and and asparagus.
Nopales is a popular ingredient in Mexican cuisine, and shows up in many Mexican grocery store, restaurants, and home cooking.
For all vegetarians in Mexico, nopales acts as a common ingredient as an alternative protein filling like beans and legumes.
Masa Harina (corn flour)
Corn flour is the type of flour we use to make tortilla. Masa means corn dough but mostly referred as corn flour.
Tortilla dough is very easy to make. Measure out the corn flour, mix it with some water, and you get the tortilla dough. How we make nopales corn tortilla is instead of using water to mix the dough, we use a green juice of nopales and spinach.
In Mexico, corn flour not just used in tortilla but in all sorts of dishes as well! For example: tamales, corn cake, atole, puddings, and many more! Masa is an essential ingredient here in Mexico, so if you want to learn how to make authentic Mexican Food, get to know masa.
Above is the flour I use to make tortilla. You can find the exact flour I use on Amazon: White Maseca Corn Flour.
Are Cactus Healthy Tortillas?
Yes it is healthy, and nopales has many health benefits. Nopales here in Mexico can be eaten both raw and cooked. Some benefits you can reap from eating nopals are: protect nervous system, high in antioxidants, regulate blood sugar levels, and reduce cholesterol.
Many people who are diabetics in Mexico know nopales help lower their sugar levels.
Needless to say, eating a small dosage of nopals every week can benefit your health immensely.
How to Make Nopales Healthy Tortilla
Pro Tip #1 Blend Nopales and Spinach Together
Using a high speed blender, blend the nopales and spinach together until smooth and well incorporated. Once it is a smooth puree, we will use it to mix it with the masa (corn dough) to create healthy nopales tortilla.
Pro Tip #2 Use a Tortilla Press
Also known as a "tortilladora" in Mexico. It will save you lots of time and effort making tortilla. This tortilla presser only works on corn dough. Do not expect to use it with a flour dough because flour dough needs a dough roller to flatten it.
You can find one here on Amazon: Cast Iron Tortilla Press. I love using it to make fresh corn tortilla. A good tip when you're using it is when you press down on the corn dough, make sure there's a plastic sheet or wax sheet on the top and bottom of the dough. The masa dough will stick and it will be hard to place it on the stove to cook.
Pro Tip #3 Cooking Time
Corn tortilla take no time to make cook. They are fast and delicious. On medium heat, cook each side 1 minute. When you see the surface is slightly brown or the green has turned a dark hue, it's ready.
To expedite cooking them, I suggest to use a pan with a large surface where you can cook 2-3 tortilla (or more) at once. This way, you can quickly cook them and move on to the next thing.
I have a gas stove here in Mexico and it has a flat metal plate to cook tortilla ir simple toast food on it. you can always purchase a large stovetop griller. This nonstick stovetop double burner griddle withy metal handle is something my moth in law uses often to expedite her tortilla cooking.
Pro Tip #4 Storage
They can be easily stored in the fridge up to three days. They are very good frozen. Just make sure to wrap it in a plastic bag because when they sit out in the air too long it can dry up very quickly.
Things You Can Make with Green Nopal Healthy Tortillas
Once you have some nopales tortillas laying around, there's tons of things you can make.
For example: quesadillas with gouda cheese. Fried them in oil to make tortilla chips. Chilaquiles (Mexican breakfast with fried tortillas with salsa and cheese on top).
Nopales Tortilla
Equipment
- high speed blender
Ingredients
green water
- 1 nopales
- ¼ cup spinach
- 3 cups water
Masa Dough
- 3 cups masa corn flour
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
Green Water
- In a high speed blender, add the nopale, spinach, and water. Blend until very smooth and see no clumps or chunks of greens. About 1 minute.
Masa Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour and salt. Mix well. Make a dwell in the middle and add the green water. Use your hands and start to mix and incorporate the dough until you see no white but all green around. Put a wet towel on top while you get the stove ready. The masa dough dries out very quickly, so keeping it moist is important.
- Heat the grill or large pan on medium high heat.
- Meanwhile take your tortilla presser. Lay two piece of plastic or wax paper inside.
- Roll a small round dough about 1" in diameter and press it between the two plastic sheets. Press hard on the tortilla presser. I like to use my body weight and give it one hard press. Release and peel one sheet of plastic off the dough. gently lift the tortilla and place it on your hand. Lift off the other side of the tortilla from the plastic. Gently and carefully place the raw tortilla on the grill and cook 1 minute on each side or until it is slighly brown. Repeat
- After each tortilla has finished cooking, place the tortilla in between two towels to keep it moist and warm. I recommend to also place it in a container with the towel and tortilla to keep it warm and fresh.