Cowboy Caviar Recipe
This Cowboy Caviar recipe is fabulous stuff. On its face, it just looks like some sort of bean salad. But dip a corn chip in there and you’ll find out pretty quickly it’s much, much more than that.
This can be enjoyed as a dip or as a side dish simply scooped onto your plate. The flavors are wonderful, and totally adjustable. Adjusting your dressing is all you need to do. You can make it sweeter or saltier, depending on your tastes.
WHAT IS COWBOY CAVIAR?
Not to worry, it’s does NOT include fish eggs! On the contrary, this is an accidental vegan dish, and it’s super tasty! At its core, it’s basically a bean salad with dressing. But it’s most often served as a dip with corn chips. It can also be served as a side dish, as a topping for a baked potato or baked sweet potato, or could even be mixed with a grain like rice or quinoa. But give it a try on its own before you mix anything in. This is a truly healthy and delicious dish in it’s own right.
COWBOY CAVIAR DIP
Served as a dip, this is wonderful paired with corn chips. It has a sweet and salty flavor that the chips truly compliment. Opt for the largest corn chips you can find, because these larger chunks (particularly the beans) will need a good solid base to get scooped up with.
Alternatively, you could serve this in small cups or jars in a tray with chips, giving each person you are serving a pre-served serving. It’s a great way to make sure there is enough for everyone!
CAN YOU FREEZE COWBOY CAVIAR?
The short answer is no and yes. While freezing the finished dish is not recommended, you can certainly freeze different parts such as the beans or corn. In fact, I simply thawed frozen corn to make this recipe.
Stored in the fridge, this will last up to 4 days.
USING FROZEN BEANS
I cooked my beans from dry. But you can also use canned beans if you rinse and drain them well. If you are pulling cooked beans out of the freezer (or frozen corn, for that matter), make sure you fully thaw them in the fridge overnight first. Frozen beans can be slightly mushy depending on how they were packed and how long they were in the freezer. But they tend to do really well in a recipe like this. So if you have them, use them!
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Enjoy!
COWBOY CAVIAR RECIPE:
Cowboy Caviar
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked corn
- 15 oz. cooked black beans (drained and rinsed if canned - no sugar added)
- 15 oz. cooked black eyed peas (drained and rinsed if canned - no sugar added)
- 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (chop small)
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes (chop small)
- 2 medium serrano peppers (or 1 jalapeno - minced)
Dressing:
- ¼ cup oil (light flavored)
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. sucanat (or other unprocessed sweetener - real maple syrup would be good too)
Garnish and Seasoning:
- ½ cup fresh cilantro (optional)
- salt and pepper (to taste - I used 1/2 tsp. of each)
Instructions
- Chop all your produce small and combine in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat everything well with the dressing.
- Serve in a big party bowl with corn chips on the side or serve by the spoonful as a side dish on your plate.