Category:  Vegetables

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Prep time: 20 to 30 minutes
Serves: 4 (as a side dish) – leftovers are great!

This cactus leaf salad hails from Mexico and is called “ensalada de nopales” (Spanish). Outside of Mexico, you can find the leaves at any Latin American supermarket or ask your local supermarket if they carry the product. You can buy whole leaves with or without thorns and you can buy them precut in a bag.

The nopales taste lemony, fresh and delicious. They compliment any fish, poultry or meat dish and can be part of a vegan or vegetarian meal.

Ingredients:
6 to 7 whole cactus leaves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
-OR-
One bag precut cactus leaves (bag weighs 1 to 1.5 pounds)
1 whole yellow or white onion, peeled & cut in half
3 whole cloves garlic, peeled
4 to 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup finely-chopped red onion
1/2 cup corn kernels (optional)
1/4 cup finely-chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil (drained & optional)
1/3 cup finely-chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon finely-chopped Serrano or Jalapeño pepper (optional)
salt, to taste

Cooking Directions:
1. Using a colander, rinse cut cactus (nopales) leaves very well under cold, running water. The water will turn slimy.

2. Transfer the cut and drained nopales to a 4-quart (saucepot) and cover them in cold water.

3. Add onion and garlic to nopales in saucepot.

4. Bring mixture to a boil – stand watch so as to avoid slimy spillage on stove.

5. Boil nopales mixture for about 3 to 4 minutes or until their color turns light green.

6. Meanwhile, place a colander over a glass bowl or other saucepot in sink (for draining nopales).

7. Drain the nopales in colander and run cold water through them; allow nopales to drain.

8. Once drained, rinse nopales in colander under cold water again. Drain.

9. Remove and discard the boiled onion and garlic.

Preparing the Salad:
1.Transfer cooked and drained nopales to a large glass or porcelain bowl.

2. Stir in the remaining ingredients; taste. If needed, adjust oil, salt and Serrano or Jalapeño pepper levels (you may wish to add more).

3. Enjoy Cactus Leaf Salad (Ensalada de Nopales) as a side dish, as stated above.
Text & Photograph ©2025 Nancy DeLucia Real

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Prep time: 10 to 15 minutes
Grill time: 16 to 18 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6, as a side dish

These summer vegetables are easy to make. Just place them on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt – the oven does the rest! Enjoy these grilled veggies as a side dish or stir them (cut up) into a green salad or pasta!

Ingredients & Supplies:
One extra large or two 18 X 12-inch baking sheets, lined with aluminum foil (opaque side up)
Vegetable oil, for coating lined baking sheets
1 red bell pepper, cut in half (seeds & stem discarded)
1 large carrot, peeled
4 pattypan squashes (they look like flying saucers), tips discarded and each cut in half to make 8 rounds
1 red onion, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds
2 Italian eggplants (they are small and curved)
3 to 4 fingerling potatoes or other small variety
Olive oil
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Fresh parsley sprigs, for garnish

Directions:
1. Place the bell pepper halves, round side up, on lined baking sheet. If using two sheets, as you go along, you will divide vegetables in half among both sheets.

2. Cut the carrot in half, crosswise; then, cut it in half, lengthwise.

3. Next, place the cut squashes, flesh side up, next to bell peppers.

4. Place red onion slices on baking sheet; set the sheet aside as you follow the next instruction.

5. Cut and discard eggplant tips.

6. Cut eggplants, lengthwise, into 1/4-inch thick slices, and place them on baking sheet.

7. Cut the potatoes in half, lengthwise, and place them on baking sheet.

8. Lightly drizzle olive oil over all vegetables, except for the bell pepper.

9. Then, sprinkle all vegetables with salt, to taste.

Grilling the Vegetables:

1. Place oven rack on upper third of oven, about 5-6 inches away from top of oven .

2. Set oven controls on broil (this means the element at stove top will turn red & grill the veggies).

3. If you have double ovens and are using two baking sheets, set both ovens to broil, as stated above.

4. If you’re using one oven, place one baking sheet on upper rack and broil vegetables for 8 to 9 minutes per side.

5. Next, remove baking sheet from oven and set on a trivet.

6. If using two baking sheets and one oven, repeat above grilling instructions with remaining half of vegetables on second sheet.

7. When vegetables have been grilled, transfer them to a serving platter.

8. Sprinkle grilled vegetables with ground black pepper, to taste. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve immediately.

9. Alternatively, the grilled vegetable platter can be covered with aluminum foil and set aside at room temperature for up to 4 hours.

10. Leftover grilled vegetables can be stored in refrigerator, tightly-sealed, for up to one day. They can be cut up and added to a green salad or stirred into cooked pasta (short variety).

11. When stirring cut-up vegetables into cooked and drained pasta, add some olive oil, to taste.

12. Serve grilled vegetable pasta with freshly-grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese.
Text & Photograph ©2025 Nancy DeLucia Real

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Prep time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2

For those of us who avoid carbs and need to “pretend” we’re eating pasta, this recipe featuring zucchini as the pasta works really well. You can pair it with your favorite sauce. Mine is Bolognese (featured in photograph). As you enjoy this dish, you forget it’s not pasta!

Ingredients:

1 package (8 to 10 ounces) fresh zucchini, precut into spirals
Your favorite pasta sauce
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese
Crushed, dried pepperoncino

Directions:
1. Bring a 4-cup saucepot of water to a boil.

2. Add zucchini and boil for about 2 to 3 minutes (taste zucchini after 2 minutes to check doneness).

3. Drain zucchini and return it to the saucepot.

4. Add sauce, stir and serve.
Text & Photograph ©2024 Nancy DeLucia Real

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Prep time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4

Aside from serving watermelon as a fruit course, you can use it in a salad. This Watermelon, Beet & Mint Salad goes alongside meat, fish, vegetarian or vegan recipes. Its flavors are refreshing and complement savory and/or spicy dishes. Enjoy this salad all summer!

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh watermelon, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
3 pink or yellow beets, precooked* and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup thinly-sliced red onion
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup slivered fresh mint leaves (this is done by holding multiple leaves in hands and using shears to cut thin slivers)

Directions:

1. In a 3-quart mixing bowl, combine the watermelon and beet cubes with the red onion slices.

2. Gently stir in the olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt and ground black pepper.

3. Taste and adjust seasonings. If you wish, add 1 to 2 more tablespoons olive oil.

4. Stir in 1/4 cup slivered mint leaves.

5. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl; cover with plastic wrap and set aside on counter until ready to serve (up to 5 hours).

6. At serving time, give the salad a stir (oil will have settled at bottom) and garnish with remaining slivered mint leaves.

*TO PRECOOK BEETS:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Cut off beet ends, peel beets and wrap each one in aluminum foil.
3. Set them on bottom oven rack.
4. Bake beets for 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserts easily into one beet.
5. Cool beets on a plate. Use as directed in this recipe.

Text & Photograph ©2024 Nancy DeLucia Real

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Prep time: 16 minutes for roasting eggplant; 15 minutes for filling and 15 minutes for baking
Makes: 4 to 5 rolls

Ingredients for Roasting Eggplant:
One large eggplant
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil for brushing eggplant slices
salt, for sprinkling over eggplant slices

This eggplant recipe is made with fresh vegetarian ingredients. The end result is a surprising blend of flavors inside these Eggplant Rolls. Everyone will love this luscious vegetarian dish!

Directions for Roasting Eggplant:

1. Wash and dry the eggplant.

2. Cut the eggplant (lengthwise) into 1/4-inch thick slices (cut & discard stem & tip).

3. Line an 18 X 12-inch rectangular baking sheet with aluminum foil and then brush it with vegetable oil. WARNING: DO NOT USE PARCHMENT PAPER AS IT WILL BURN WHEN SET UNDERNEATH THE BROILER ELEMENT OF OVEN.

4. Set eggplant slices on the oiled baking sheet.

5. Lightly brush the eggplant with olive oil, followed by a sprinkling of salt.

6. Place baking sheet with eggplant on an oven rack set 6 inches below the top oven broiler element.

7. Set oven on “BROIL” and roast eggplant for 8 minutes or until golden brown.

8. Using a flat spatula, gently turn the eggplant slices over and roast other side for an additional 6 to 7 minutes.

9. Remove baking sheet with eggplant slices from oven and set aside to cool on a cold surface.

10. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.

Ingredients for Filling:
4 to 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped sweet potato (1/4-inch cubes)
1/2 cup chopped zucchini (1/4-inch cubes)
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (1/4-inch cubes)
1/4 cup chopped yellow or white onion (1/4-inch cubes)
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup precooked lentils, drained & cooled
1/4 cup finely-chopped parsley
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
1 cup premade tomato sauce (use your favorite recipe or buy the premade sauce)
Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese, for garnish

Directions for Filling:

1. In a 12-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil.

2. Add the sweet potato cubes to skillet and stir-fry on medium-high heat until slightly charred.

3. When done, transfer the sweet potato cubes to a 4 to 6-cup glass or porcelain mixing bowl; set aside.

4. In same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add zucchini cubes. Repeat the stir-fry instruction as above. When done, transfer zucchini cubes to the bowl with sweet potato cubes.

5. Repeat above stir-fry instructions as follows: in same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add the chopped red bell pepper and onion.

6. Stir-fry about 2 minutes or until tender and onion is translucent.

7. When done, add red bell pepper and onion to bowl with other vegetables.

8. Add the lentils, chopped parsley, salt and ground black pepper to all vegetables in bowl and gently mix together. Set aside.

Assemble & Bake Eggplant Rolls:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a 12 X 12-inch baking dish.

3. Next, add 1/2 cup of the precooked tomato sauce; set aside.

4. Spread about 3 to 4 tablespoons of filling over each eggplant slice; roll up the eggplant.

5. Place eggplant roll in baking dish with tomato sauce.

6. Repeat filling and rolling remaining eggplant slices and place alongside each other in baking dish. You may have leftover filling – this can be refrigerated, heated the next day and enjoyed with bread.

7. When all eggplant rolls have been placed in baking pan, spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the rolls.

8. Bake eggplant rolls for about 15 minutes.

9. When done, serve immediately with a garnish of grated cheese. Enjoy this dish with a green salad side or other vegetarian or vegan side with crusty Italian bread!
Text & Photograph ©2024 Nancy DeLucia Real