Homage to the Southland

Living in Los Angeles gives me the pleasure of fast paced, urban awesomeness. I love (dare I say it) traffic, people, diversity in places; it is amazing. I especially love the bits of nature in the city where I can go, work out, breathe in the beautiful scents of the arid climate and forget for a minute that I live in this bustling city.

Three miles away from my house is the very convenient Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. It is a place one can go if they want a great 300 degree view of the city, from San Pedro to East LA on a good day.

The catch? You have to get up there.

Of course, someone could drive, park, pay $5 and enjoy the view, but what's the fun in that?

Being at the top of the "stairs" (as they are called out here) with calves, quads and lungs burning while enjoying the breathtaking view of the city, is quite the accomplishment. It's why patrons frequent the place. The stairs are a pretty intense workout and lots of fun, especially with the right music or company, just watch your step! Yelpers have taken some pretty cool photos of the stairs but the best way to enjoy the view is to be there. And you can't just go up once.

In honor of nature and eating fresh and healthy, I decided to make a delectable breakfast dish of fresh vegetables-Mexican style, something that my family (mom, aunts and grandmother) taught me to make.

Nopales (prickly pear cactus) with eggs (and potatoes...did I mention that I love potatoes?). It sounds weird and crazy and everything in between if you've never tried nopales-or tried them when they weren't cooked properly. But they are yummy and smell delicious when cooked!

Of course, I watched my grandmother make this dish on more than one occasion but in all honesty, making nopales terrifies me. I worry that they won't come out right (that doesn't happen) or I worry that someone won't like them (that doesn't happen either). It would be a good idea to google (or bing or ask jeeves or whatever internet search is on your current computer) the health benefits of nopales-oodles of Vitamin C and antioxidant properties that would make you go "hmmm." I was inspired to make this dish last week after my friend ordered it at my favorite restaurant.

Let me give you the ingredients...(and the calorie counts because I'm a bit obsessed).

Serves 4

Nopales Scramble

• 8 eggs (74-90 calories per egg depending on size)
• 1 cactus leaf chopped (14 calories)
• 1/4 brown onion chopped (4 calories in an entire onion)

you can substitute any kind of onion you'd like or have in your home. I have brown onions because they're inexpensive...and in my home at the moment.

• 1 red bell pepper chopped (30 calories)
• 1 green bell pepper chopped (30 calories)
• 1 serrano chile chopped(miniscule calories)
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 1 tbspn butter (I use Smart Balance extra virgin olive oil buttery spread because it's only 60 calories a tablespoon)
• Juice from 1 lime
• 1 tsp salt
• pinch of pepper
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 c cilantro
• 1 heaping bunch of bravery (if you've never had nopales)

Warm up your frying pan with medium heat.

Start off with taking the prickly stuff off the cactus. Run your sharp knife sideways on one side of the cactus like you're trying to spread oil over it (it will start feeling slimy-but no fear that will cook away). Do the same thing for the other side. Then cut around the leaf, taking off the prickles from the outside of the leaf. Once you have a slimy leaf, it's time to start slicing away!

It may be a good idea to wipe off your cutting board (or use another) for the rest of the chopping.

Once you've done that, take a tablespoon of butter and put it into the pan and let it melt, toss in the nopales and onions and let them cook until the onion is translucent. While the onion and nopal are cooking, squeeze in the juice from one lime, add in salt, pepper, and garlic. You will notice that the slime is cooking away at this point.

When the onions are "ready" (and the slime is nearly gone) toss in the bell peppers, chile and let them cook together. If you'd like more heat, add another chile.

While those are cooking, it may be a good time to crack your eggs into a bowl and scramble them. (I add in grated parmesan cheese to add texture and about 1/4 c of milk for creaminess but shh don't tell anyone!).

Right before tossing in your eggs, add in the cilantro and let it cook for about 30 seconds. Add the eggs and scramble! When the eggs have cooked, add oregano at the very end and mix everything together for one last time.

I garnished it with a slice of queso fresco to cool my mouth a bit from the heat of the serranos (the cheese could be crumbled, yes).

Eating the nopal alone will reveal that they have almost no flavor. The lime, salt and pepper enhances the flavor. Bell peppers are sweet and not only add beautiful color to the plate, they add crunch and lots of antioxidant properties. The red peppers add almost a fruity flavor to the dish while the green bell peppers even it out with a hint of bitter (fajita) flavor. My grandmother also likes to chop up tomatoes and add them in, but I forgot to buy one yesterday. Oops.

Mixing it in with the rest of the vegetables makes for a very healthy, low calorie and filling breakfast. You can also put this scramble in a corn torilla and take some to-go tacos or fill a flour tortilla as a burrito.

I had food coma after my meal. I guess I deserve a nap after my workout on the stairs and in the kitchen.