Fresh, colorful, and fully customizable, this delicious cowboy caviar dip recipe is packed with nutrients you’ll need to get your energy back in the summer heat.
Does the heat of the summer ever make you feel so lazy you can’t even be bothered to cook? Well, if you’re looking for an easy recipe for a light but healthy snack or main meal, cowboy caviar is for you.
Ideal for sharing at a BBQ, you can pair this versatile cowboy caviar dip recipe with corn chips, eat is as a salad, use it as a side dish, or even a topping. Although this recipe doesn’t take long to make, the black beans will absorb other flavors really well, so the longer you leave this salad before eating the better.
What Makes Cowboy Caviar So Good For You?
Despite its name (which it gets from the appearance of the beans), cowboy caviar contains much more nutritional value than you would assume from its fancy namesake. The black-eyed peas contain vitamin K and aid in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, and avocados contain omega-3 fatty acids – just to name a few of the benefits of this delicious vegan recipe.
Black beans are also one of the best sources of protein for vegans and vegetarians. Like other legumes, both black beans and black-eyed peas contain generous quantities of dietary fiber. Dietary fiber not only protects the colon mucosa but has been shown to reduce blood cholesterol levels.
As always, it’s important to be sure to buy as many ingredients as you can from local, organic farms. If there is something that you can’t find fresh, try looking in the frozen organic section in your supermarket. Avocados are a bit of a problematic superfood; it’s especially important to buy them only if they are in season and if you can get them from a responsible source. Black beans can also be bought dried; if you’ve never used these before, check out our articles on how to cook dried beans; if you have some left over at the end, you can use them to make these tasty vegan black bean burgers.
How to Make Cowboy Caviar
Ingredients:
Dressing
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp hot sauce or ½ tsp cayenne
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
Cowboy Caviar Dip
- 1 can black beans, drained
- 1 can black-eyed peas, drained
- 1 can tomatoes or 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups sweet corn
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 avocado, chopped
- ½ cup jalapeño, chopped
- ½ tsp garlic salt
- ¾ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions:
- Whisk together dressing ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add the black beans, black-eyed peas, tomatoes, sweet corn, onion, bell pepper, avocado, and jalapeño and toss to coat.
- Season with garlic salt and cilantro and toss again.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
How to Serve?
This dip is great on its own as an afternoon snack at home or to pack up and bring with you to the park. It’s the perfect thing to munch on in the evening while watching a movie or having drinks with friends. If you’re having a dinner party, cowboy caviar dip complements any kind of Middle American or Tex-Mex food perfectly. Try serving alongside vegan pozole, vegan chili, vegan quesadillas, or vegan birria tacos.
Read More:
- Can You Freeze Garlic? Whole Clove, Peeled, or Chopped
- 3 Easy & Tasty Ways to Prepare Adzuki Beans
- Delicious 12 Ingredient Vegan Borscht Recipe
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