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.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 628kcal

Author Michele Peterson

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

US Customary - Metric

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