A nopal salad

Nopales (from the Nahuatl word nōpalli for the pads) are a vegetable made from the young cladode (pad) segments of prickly pear, carefully peeled to remove the spines. These fleshy pads are flat and about hand-sized. They can be purple or green. They are particularly common in their native Mexico, where the plant is eaten commonly and regularly forms part of a variety of Mexican cuisine dishes. Farmed nopales are most often of the species Opuntia ficus-indica, although the pads of almost all Opuntia species are edible.

Nopales are generally sold fresh in Mexico. In more recent years bottled, or canned versions are available mostly for export. Less often dried versions are available. Used to prepare nopalitos, they have a light, slightly tart flavor, like green beans, and a crisp, mucilaginous texture. In most recipes the mucilaginous liquid they contain is included in the cooking. They are at their most tender and juicy in the spring.^[1]

Nopales are most commonly used in Mexican cuisine in dishes such as huevos con nopales (eggs with nopal), carne con nopales (meat with nopal), tacos de nopales, or simply on their own or in salads with Panela Cheese. Nopales have also grown to be an important ingredient in New Mexican cuisine^[2] and in Tejano culture (Texas).

Nutrient content[link]

Nopales contain insoluble and soluble dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals, such as magnesium, potassium and calcium^{[citation needed]} which may not be biologically available because it is present as calcium oxalate, a non-absorbable complex in the intestine.^[3] According to folk medicine, dietary nopales may affect the glycemic index^[4] and be useful in diabetes management.^[5]

Economic value[link]

A nopales merchant at his stand in the Merced market of Mexico City

According to Reuters, some 10,000 farmers cultivate nopal in Mexico, producing around $150 million worth of it each year. Detection of the cactus-eating moth Cactoblastis cactorum in Mexico in 2006 caused anxiety among the country's phytosanitary authorities, as this insect can be potentially devastating for the cactus industry.^[6]

Lifecycle[link]

Edible Leaf Cycle[link]

• 

  Bud Appears

• 

  Bud Grows

• 

  Bud Continues to Grow

• 

  Baby Pad Grows

• 

  Continues to grow, but some people prefer to eat them at this stage

• 

  "Adult Pad", These pads are ready to be eaten

• 

  Spines Start Developing, but some people prefer to eat them at this stage

References[link]

• http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1996/V3-416.html#Cactus%20Pear
• http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1323115520070416 "Thorny Mexican food staple gains fame as folk cure" (Mon Apr 16, 2007)

External sources[link]

Videos[link]

• Compulsivetraveler.tv: Mexican celebrity chef Zarela Martinez cooks Nopales

Recipes[link]

• Nopales Salad Recipe
• GourmetSleuth - Nopalitos (Nopales)
• GourmetSleuth - Nopalitos Recipe List
• Rivenrock Gardens Cactus Recipe Page

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Tagged since May 2011. It includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Tagged since May 2011. It relies largely or entirely upon a single source. Tagged since May 2011. It may be written from a fan's point of view, rather than a neutral point of view. Tagged since May 2011.

Dolores "Jenni" Rivera (born July 2, 1969) is a Mexican-American singer, better known for her work within the banda and norteña music genres. She's been active in the music scene since 1992 and her recordings include many topical songs and material dealing with social issues, infidelity, and relationships. Her tenth studio album, Jenni in 2008, became her first number-one album in the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart in the United States.

Jenni Rivera plans to record her first Pop song in early 2012 which will feature music produced by Manny and Gil THE LATIN. The new material will be recorded in English and target the general market.

Early Life and Career[link]

Rivera was born Dolores Janney Rivera in Long Beach, CA. Her parents were Mexican immigrants who raised Jenni and her four brothers and sister (including Lupillo Rivera) in a tight-knit musical household. While still in high school she became pregnant with the first of her five children, and eventually married the child's father, José Trinidad Marín.^{[1][unreliable source?]} When she first started singing she was Jenni Rivera. In 1996 she released her first album Chacalosa, on the Capitol/EMI label, which became popular in Mexico and the American Southwest.

Family[link]

Jenni Rivera currently lives in Encino, California with her 5 children, husband and grand-daughter. Her 5 children are Janney Marin(Chiquis), Jacquie Marin, Michael Marin(Trinidad), Jenicka Lopez and Johnny Lopez. Her grand-daughter's name is Jaylah Hope Yanez, who's mom is Jacquie. Jenni Riveras is married to Major League Baseball Player Esteban Loaiza

Achievements[link]

Jenni Rivera is a Mexican-American singer/songwriter raised in Long Beach, has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. Rivera was nominated at the 2003, 2008 and 2010 Latin Grammys. A successful Regional-Mexican artist and entrepreneur, including Divina Realty, Divina Cosmetics, Jenni Rivera Fragrance, Jenni Jeans, Divine Music and The Jenni Rivera Love Foundation. Jenni Rivera became the first female Banda artist to sell-out a concert at the world famous Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA and most recently became the first artist up-to-date to sell-out two back-to-back nights at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California on August 6, 2010 and August 7, 2010. On August 6, 2010, Jenni Rivera was named spokeswomen for the National Coalition against battered women and domestic violence in Los Angeles. A proclamation was given "officially naming" August 6 “Jenni Rivera Day” by the LA City Council for all her charity work and involvement in the community. Jenni Rivera was also the producer to her oldest daughter's (Janney Marin) reality TV show on the cable network MUN2, "Chiquis & Raq-C",and is all around the world, and now stars in her sequel/spin-off show called I Love Jenni.

Discography[link]

Studio Albums[link]

• 2003 Homenaje A Las Grandes
• 2004: Simplemente La Mejor
• 2005: Parrandera, Rebelde y Atrevida
• 2006: En Vivo Desde Hollywood
• 2006: Besos y Copas Desde Hollywood
• 2007: Mi Vida Loca
• 2007: La DIva En Vivo
• 2008: Jenni
• 2009: Jenni: Super Deluxe
• 2009: La Gran Señora
• 2010: La Gran Señora En Vivo
• 2011: Joyas Prestadas (Banda)
• 2011: Joyas Prestadas (Pop)

References[link]

2006- En Vivo Desde Hollywood

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jenni Rivera

• Official website
• Jenni Rivera at the Internet Movie Database