Cowboy Caviar, also known as Mexican Caviar, or Texas Caviar is a fantastic dip typically made southwestern inspired fresh veggies, beans, and a tangy vinaigrette. It is simple to make and requires zero cooking. It is perfect for munching on poolside, while camping or tailgating!
Hey, y'all! I'm so happy you stopped by! How's your summer treating you? We just got back from a super relaxing weekend of camping up in South Georgia. Well...as relaxed as you can get when you're worried about getting eaten by an alligator the entire time. Nobody told me we were right across the street from the Okefenokee Swamp! Lord, y'all! My nerves were a hot mess every time I tried to swim in the lake. Look, this Florida girl isn't usually scared of gators (they are my football team after all!) but dang, knowing we were in the swamp just heightened my anxiety. It's a good thing I had a bunch of sangria and mimosas to calm my nerves some!
We used to camp every summer as a kid, some of my best childhood memories are from our camping trips. I have to say...we eat pretty well when we're camping. My mom and I are both planners so we sat down, came up with a menu and then divvied up the groceries. I brought pasta salad, fruit salad, my famous Southern Corn on the Cob with Milk & Honey, Nana's Ranch Oyster Crackers, sangria and Cowboy Caviar.
Cowboy Caviar, also known as Mexican Caviar, or Texas Caviar is a fantastic dip typically made southwestern inspired fresh veggies, beans, and a tangy vinaigrette. This stuff is one of my favorite munchies! I mean, anything you can eat with a tortilla chip is a winner in my book. I'm such a dip junkie, and I'm not afraid to admit it! Since this "dip" is so loaded with veggies, you can feel less guilty about eating the entire batch in one sitting.
This stuff is incredible. You can eat it as a dip, or even as a salad. You can also pile it on to tacos and it tastes AMAZING on a fajita. Oh...and I had the genius idea of stirring this into queso and OH MY GOD.
I'm salivating. I need to calm back down.
So, one of my co-workers makes the absolute best Cowboy Caviar and I tried my very best to figure out what in the world she does to make it taste so freaking good. I think I've got it figured out. The key to making the ultimate Cowboy Caviar is the dressing. Don't skimp on the spices in the dressing recipe, you'll regret it! Without a good dressing, you are basically eating a very bland, veggie and bean salad.
Are you ready to dive in? Making Cowboy Caviar requires zero cooking skills (yay!) but it does require a bit of prep. There are quite a few veggies that need to be chopped and a quick dressing that you'll need to whip up to pull this dish altogether. When you're chopping your veggies, the key is to make them all the same size. Remember, you're going to be scooping this up with a tortilla chip so you'll want your veggies nice and small. Think pico de gallo or salsa sized veggies as you're working.
Obviously, it'll take a little longer to quarter all of your cherry tomatoes and finely dice all of your vegetables, but it's worth it.
Tip: Did you know that the longer your onion sits in the salad the stronger it will become? By soaking your chopped onion in water and adding it last, it will help tone down the strong onion taste.
My motto has always been work smarter, not harder. By using canned beans and canned corn, you'll cut your prep time tremendously because really, who has time to cut corn off the cob and to soak beans all day? I strongly suggest using seasoned black beans, it'll help bring a lot of extra flavor to the dip. I use Bush's Black Bean Fiesta, but you can use whichever you prefer. I love the little bit of heat that comes off of these chipotle style beans.
Ingredients:
1 can of corn, drained 1 can black eye peas 1 can black beans (see note above) 1 3/4 cup small cherry tomatoes, quartered 1/3 cup red onion, diced (see note above) 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced 1 jalapeno, seeded, ribbed and diced 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
Dressing:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tbsp lime juice 2 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp chili powder 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp sugar Salt + Pepper, to taste
Instructions:
1. Drain and rinse the black eye peas. Add the black eye peas, black beans, and corn to a large bowl.
2. Finely dice all of your veggies. The goal is to have all of the veggies roughly the same size as the beans. Add veggies and cilantro to the bean and corn mixture.
3. Place all of the dressing ingredients into a mason jar (like all true southerners do), screw the lid on tightly and give the dressing a little shake. Do not add until right before serving.
4. Once ready to serve, add dressing to the salad mixture.
Be sure to save this pin for later! You're going to be craving this incredible dip! Give me a like on Facebook or follow me on Twitter for more quick and easy recipes. See you next time!
Use #mandmcooks on social media so I can see how your dish turned out!