California Cactus Salad - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 medium cactus pieces, pads (nopales)
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
4 tablespoons green onions, chopped
4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried chipotle powder (I mince about 1 tbls. chipotle pepper in adobe)
2 medium tomatoes, diced
6 cups leaves lettuce, shredded
6 tablespoons queso fresco, crumbled
3 tablespoons sour cream

Preparation

Peel thorns from cactus pads with a vegetable peeler, leaving the green skin; cut cactus pads into thin strips.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add the cactus and garlic, saute 7-8 minutes or until cactus is tender. Combine the cactus mixture, beans and the next 7 ingredients(beans through tomatoes).
Arrange 1 1/2 cups lettuce on each of 4 plates, top each with 1/2 cup cactus mixture, 1 1/2 tbls. cheese, and about 2 teaspoons sour cream. Enjoy!
Yield: 4 servings.