Healthy Texas Caviar
Also known as Cowboy caviar, this colorful snack is full of healthy ingredients. Enjoy it as a dip, salsa or salad. Serve with corn or tortilla chips, endive spears or hearts of romaine leaves or cored small baby peppers. Recipe yields a lot of “caviar,” about 8 cups. If you’d like to halve the recipe and you’re using canned beans, use just one type of the beans so you’re not left with half a can. The ingredients will last covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days; just don’t add cilantro, avocado and feta until just before serving.
Servings: 8 cups
Ingredients
- 1 14-ounce cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed, or 1 1/2 cups cooked black-eyed peas
- 1 14-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed, or 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans
- 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut off 2 ears of corn, or organic frozen corn
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes I use 3-4 small organic tomatoes on the vine, about 3/4 pound
- 1 medium red, orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped into ¼-inch dice
- 3/4 cup chopped red onion about 1/2 small red onion, chopped
- 1-2 jalapeños minced
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems
- 1 avocado, peeled, seeded and diced optional
- ½ cup crumbled good-quality feta optional
Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 garlic cloves minced or grated on a microplane
- 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano minced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large serving bowl, combine the black-eyed peas, black beans, corn, chopped tomatoes, bell pepper, onion and jalapeño. Add chopped cilantro, avocado and feta right before you’re ready to serve the dip, so it doesn’t oxidize before you serve.
- In a glass jar, add the dressing ingredients and close the lid tightly and shake well. Drizzle the dressing over the ingredients in the serving bowl and toss until combined. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. For best flavor, let the mixture marinate for at least 20 minutes before serving. (Alternately, you can make the dressing in the mixing bowl before adding the Texas caviar ingredients, and then toss to combine.)