Weekends are cheat days, but I wanted to go vegetarian and gluten-free anyway for my Sunday experiment. Magneto and I have often marveled at pupusas from Ruby’s in North Hollywood, crisp on the outside and stuffed with delicious fillings. After watching a video on Facebook about making them, I figured I’d give it a try.

I’d never worked with nopales before (the pads of the prickly pear cactus), so this was definitely new for me! Griddling them to cook through before chopping them for the filling lent a softness and asparagus-tinged flavor that worked really well with the rest of the dinner.

For just 306 calories for a pupusa, some baked yucca fries, and homemade mango salsa, this tasty experiment turned out pretty well!