Cowboy Caviar

Cowboy Caviar is an amazing and refreshing summer dip when served with tortilla chips, but it can also be eaten as a side dish. The canned and fresh ingredients meld together to form a perfect Southwestern appetizer. This Cowboy Caviar uses black beans, but when I make it with black eyed peas it’s just as good. If you’re not a fan of black beans or black eyed peas then substitute chick peas or leave the beans out of the mix for a delicious corn dip.

Although Cowboy Caviar has a couple of spicy items like Buffalo Sauce and jalapenos, it’s not super spicy. I always remove the seeds and veins from my jalapeno peppers, but if you’re someone who can’t handle the heat you can substitute the jalapeno peppers for diced green bell peppers.

We usually eat this Cowboy Caviar as a dip or a topping for Burrito Bowls, but it’s also a great addition to chicken quesadillas too.

This is a recipe that is easily doubled or tripled for picnics and family gatherings. Since it needs to be refrigerated after assembly, I think it tastes even better on day two when the flavors have a chance to meld together, but it’s so delicious that we never wait a day to dig in.

I hope that you’ll try this recipe today and that you’ll leave a comment below. Also, for daily updates, follow @lifeabovethecafe on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest using the social media icons found on this page.

Ingredients:

• 2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can of white or yellow corn, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 – 3/4 of a red bell pepper diced
• 1/4 cup of diced purple onion
• 2 medium jalapenos, diced, remove seeds and veins
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup of diced cilantro
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp. of Texas Pete’s Buffalo Sauce
• 1 & 1/2 tsp. of minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp. of sugar
• 1/4 cup of Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup of Red Wine Vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. of salt
• 1/4 tsp. of black pepper

Directions:

Wash and disinfect all the vegetables.  Dry the vegetables and cilantro well.

Drain and rinse the canned beans and corn and add them to a mixing bowl.

Dice the purple onion, red bell pepper, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro up and add them to the mixing bowl along with the minced garlic.  I remove the seeds and veins from the jalapenos.

Slice the lime in half and add the lime juice, buffalo sauce, olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper to the mixture.

Stir everything up gently so that you don’t mash the black beans.  Refrigerate or serve immediately with tortilla chips.