COWBOY CAVIAR

                                                                              

Football season is back, and I decided to make what we used to refer to as Texas Caviar.  There were quite a few recipes so I combined some and made my own version of it.  In most recipes it was listed as Cowboy Caviar, and since I'm not very proud to be a Texan these days I have decided to stick with the name Cowboy Caviar.  It is a tasty change from my usual Black Bean and Corn Salsa which we also love.  They are similar but this one has a flavorful dressing and has the addition of fresh tomatoes, avocados, peppers, and red onion.  Saved with good tortilla chips it is a perfect football munchie!

Grape tomatoes (the equivalent of 3 Roma tomatoes), finely diced *

2 avocados, finely diced *

1/3 c finely diced red onion

15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

15 oz can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

1-1/2 c frozen corn kernels thawed, or 1-2 cans shoepeg corn, drained

1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, finely diced

1-2 fresh jalapeños, finely diced, seeds optional depending on how much heat you want

1/3 c chopped fresh cilantro

Tortilla chips for serving

Dressing:

1/3 c good olive oil

2 TB lime juice

2 TB red wine vinegar

1 t white sugar

1/2 t salt

1/2 t black pepper

1/4 t garlic powder

*I made everything the day before and waited to add the tomatoes and avocados until a couple hours before serving.  Since it made a lot, I took out half of the bean mixture and only added half of the tomatoes and avocados to it and saved the rest of the bean mixture for another day.  Will add the remainder of the tomatoes and avocados then.

Combine all the caviar ingredients in a bowl.  Stir so that all ingredients are well combined.

In a separate bowl whisk all the dressing ingredients together.  Pour dressing over the bean mixture and stir very well.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Stir well before serving.