Cowboy Caviar

I've been making my Hubby of few of his favorites this weekend.  This is one of them.  You probably guessed by the title of this post that this dish is called "Cowboy Caviar".  I love the name don't you?  It is one of those eat off and on through the day sorts of dishes that disappears quickly. It can be served with chips as a bean salsa or as a side dish as a bean salad and it is delicious in either capacity.  It is a hit at "get togethers", and is nice to keep in the fridge to serve to a hungry cowboy with some tortilla chips to take the edge off of a hungry appetite before dinner.  

Here's what you will need: 

1 15 oz can of Black Eyed Peas 

1 15 oz can of Black Beans, 3/4 cup Fresh Corn off the cob or two cobs of corn (Frozen is okay).

1/2 cup red onion, diced

3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 1/2 cups tomatoes, diced (I like to use the little grape tomatoes…but any will work).

1 Pickled Jalapeño  pepper, diced (optional… or you can replace with green chilis).

1 ripe avocado, chopped

6 strips of bacon fried and crumbled

1 cup crumbled feta or chopped queso fresco or cheddar cheese

Cilantro for garnish.

Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Tortilla Chips

Begin by chopping vegetables, frying bacon and cutting the corn from the cob; Reserve 1 Tablespoon of bacon grease after frying, and lightly and quickly brown the corn.  Set to the side until needed.

Drain and rinse your beans and place in a medium sized serving or mixing bowl.

Add peppers,

Tomatoes, onion and corn,

Avocado,

Cheese,

and bacon.

Stir gently.

Whisk together dressing ingredients.

Drizzle over beans and vegetables. Stir until dressing is well distributed.  

Put into a nice serving bowl.

Enjoy!

I love this as a bean salsa and so does Steve.

Num Num!

Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can seasoned black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can seasoned or plain black beans or pinto beans drained and rinsed
3/4 cup Fresh Corn off the cob or two cobs of corn (Frozen is okay).
1/2 cup red onion, diced
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 1/2 cups tomatoes, diced (I like to use the little grape tomatoes…but any will work).
4 or five slices jalapeno pepper slices, diced (optional… or you can replace with green chilis).
1 ripe avocado, chopped
6 strips of bacon fried and crumbled

1 cup crumbled feta or chopped queso fresco or cheddar cheese
Cilantro for garnish.

Dressing:
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1  large lime, juiced (or two small limes juiced)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Fry up bacon and reserve 1 Tablespoon of drippings.
2. Cut corn from the cob and brown quickly in the bacon drippings; no need to cook thoroughly, allow the corn to remain crisp.
3. Chop remaining vegetables.
4. Gently combine all ingredients except Cilantro.
5. Make dressing by combining all the ingredients and whisking together well.
6. Drizzle the dressing over the bean and vegetable mixture, then stir gently.
7. Garnish with Cilantro.
8. Serve with Corn Chips or as a salad/sidedish.
9. Enjoy!

This makes a nice appetizer for a Holiday.  I'm serving a it up for our Labor Day weekend.

Have a nice Labor Day Weekend Every One!