Healthy Prickly Pear and Chia Salad Dressing
A healthy, easy recipe for prickly pear (tuna) and chia seed vinaigrette. This luscious, creamy salad dressing is not only beautiful but it's packed with antioxidants, fiber and vitamin C.
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 628kcal
Ingredients
- 3 pink prickly pears also known as tuna or cactus pears
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 5 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 small red onion
- 1/4 cup toasted pepitoria shelled pumpkin seeds
- 3 cups shredded lettuce greens
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wearing gloves, wash the prickly pears (soak in Microdyne solution if you're in Latin America).
- Cut the ends off the prickly pears, make several cuts diagonally in the skin and then peel.
- Place the pulp in a blender and blend briefly. Place the pulp in a strainer and remove the black seeds. Return the prickly pear pulp to the blender.
- Add the mustard, salt and pepper, oil and red wine vinegar to the blender.
- Blend for 2 minutes.
- Add the chia seeds into the blended pulp and oil-vinegar mixture
- You can add a teaspoon or two of purified water if the dressing is too thick. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Arrange the greens and slivered red onion on a plate and then top with pepitoria (raw peeled pumpkin seeds) lightly toasted in a dry frying pan or comal.
- Serve the prickly pear and chia salad dressing on top of the greens with extra on the side.
Notes
- Be sure to remove all the spines from the prickly pear using gloves.
- Strain out the seeds and don't use chia seeds if you have any digestive issues as seeds can become compacted in the bowel and cause health problems.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Nutrition
Calories: 628kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 69mg | Potassium: 647mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 610IU | Vitamin C: 15.5mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 3.2mg