Cactus Salad

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh or prepared cactus paddles or nopales, needles removed
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 Italian Roma tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1/2 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 to 2 medium serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded and finely diced
• 2 bunches cilantro, leaves only, chopped
• 1/2 cup finely grated Cotija or Anejo cheese
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 to 6 lettuce leaves
• 1 avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced for garnish
• 1/4 cup cracked black pepper garnish, recipe follows
• 2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat grill or broiler.
2. Place cactus paddles in a bowl and toss with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.
3. Grill or broil the paddles until grill marks appear on each side, or they turn dark green with black patches, about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
5. Cover and chill 2 to 4 hours or overnight.
6. Cut cactus into 1/2-inch pieces.
7. In a large bowl, combine the cactus, tomatoes, onions, chiles, cilantro and cheese with the remaining 1/2 cup oil, the vinegar, the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.
8. Toss well.
9. Serve on plates lined with lettuce leaves, and garnish with avocado slices sprinkled with cracked pepper garnish.
10. In a small bowl, stir all the ingredients together.
11. Spoon over vegetables or drizzle lightly over dressed salads as a garnish.

nopales, olive oil, salt, italian roma tomatoes, red onion, serrano chiles, bunches cilantro, cheese, red wine vinegar, freshly ground black pepper, avocado, cracked black pepper, cracked black pepper, olive oil, freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt

Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cactus-salad-recipe.html (may not work)