Nopales and eggs, a classic Mexican breakfast

How many of you have been making breakfast burritos and tacos with our fresh tortillas? An ingredient that is available at Safeway and will add a traditional and healthy flair to your breakfast is nopales (prickly pear cactus pads). You can get them in a jar (labeled nopalitos) and will just need to drain, rinse and dice, then saute with some onion, tomato, and serrano or jalapeno to taste before scrambling in beaten eggs and a cilantro garnish. With a side of refried beans, queso fresco and of course, a warm tortilla del chico blanco you'll be enjoying a classic Mexican breakfast.

Maybe you've tried nopalitos and eggs for breakfast tacos already, or maybe you haven't (in which case, you should!). But cactus isn't just for breakfast. I found this recipe deep in the comments thread in an article about prickly pear cactus (nopales).

6 skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
1 large jar nopales 
1 large can tomatillos
1 can tomato paste
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 small can chopped green chilies;
-OR three to four jarred pickled jalapenos, chopped;
-OR two chopped canned chipotles and a few spoons of their adobo sauce
1 box low sodium chicken broth
ground cumin to taste
cilantro

-Brown the chicken in a heavy-bottomed dutch oven (or similar). Once browned, throw in the onion and cook until soft (a few minutes).
-Drain and rinse the nopales, and throw them in the pot.
-Drain the tomatillos and add to the pot. Try not to pop the tomatillos as you drain them, you don't want to lose the juice and seeds within, but once they're in the pot, break them up with a wooden spoon (be warned, they'll squirt).
-Add the tomato paste, chilies (and adobo if using), and some ground cumin (I usually add about 2 tsp, but it should be to taste). Stir to combine, then add chicken broth to cover the items in the pot.
-Stir, turn down the heat to a very low simmer, cover and let it do its thing for about 35-40 minutes. When you come back to it, stir aggressively to help the chicken shred into small pieces. You'll want this to end up as the consistency of a thick stew -- it should NOT be brothy at all. Keep simmering and stir-shredding the meat until it's the right thickness. Taste and adjust salt/pepper seasoning as needed. If you like a bit of tartness, add a squeeze of lime.
-Chop a large handful of cilantro and stir it in before serving. We like to eat this wrapped in warm Tortillas del Chico Blanco, accompanied by thick yogurt (or sour cream), guacamole, and tomatillo salsa.

PS: You can substitute pork or beef for the chicken. I've even done this vegetarian style for friends who don't eat meat.