During the Long Walk, there was little food.
At least 200 Navajos perished on the journey.
One of those plants was the leaf of the nopal (prickly pear) cactus.
Photo: Nate Lemuel
The Navajos grilled the leaves over the charcoal embers of the fires they lit at night for warmth.
Food rationing was implemented and there was never enough to eat.
Completely foreign foods, such as coffee beans and white flour, along with rancid meat, were distributed.
Nate Lemuel
Approximately 1,500 more lives were lost due to starvation, sickness and exposure.
Each tribal community chooses which foods they want distributed to their community members.
Those that were part of the Long Walk didn’t know how beneficial those cactus leaves were.
Today, cactus is used as more than just food.
(Fiber helps maintain stable blood sugar levels and reduce how much cholesterol is absorbed into our bloodstream.)
Holding the bottom of a cactus pad, gently scrape off thorns with a sharp knife.
Place on a cutting board and trim the edge around the entire perimeter of each cactus pad and discard.
Scrape off the remaining prickly bumps using a knife or spoon.
Grill bell pepper, turning occasionally, until blackened all over, about 10 minutes.
Transfer to a heatproof bowl and cover with plastic wrap; let steam for 5 minutes.
Grill the cactus, flipping halfway, until nicely charred, about 6 minutes.
Transfer to the cutting board and let cool for 5 minutes.
Thinly slice the cactus.
(You may notice that the leaves release a slippery liquid, which is normal.)
Remove and discard the skin and seeds from the bell pepper; thinly slice the pepper.
Trim ends off oranges so they sit flat on the cutting board.
Cut away the skin, rotating the orange until all the skin and pith is removed.
Cut in between each segment, letting them drop into a small bowl.
Whisk jam, vinegar, water, mustard and salt in a medium bowl.
Transfer 3 tablespoons to a small bowl.
Add the cactus, bell pepper and orange segments to the medium bowl.
Drizzle with the remaining 3 tablespoons vinaigrette and sprinkle with pinon nuts.
- Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient.
