Cowboy (Texas Caviar)
Submitted by Marge Kobylinski on Dec 23, 2021

Colorful cold side dish suitable for potlucks, picnics, appetizer

Servings:
10

Complexity:   
Very Easy

Total Time:
10 minutes

Ingredients:
1 can black eyed peas
1 can Kroger's tri beans mix (black, pinto
and red kidney-found at Fry’s)
1 can corn (can also use frozen corn but may
need to blanch for a few minutes before
mixing into caviar)
1 avocado-diced
3/4 c cilantro-chopped
3/4 c green onion-chopped (can be red, yellow
or sweet onion, whatever you have on hand)
1 clove garlic-minced
Handful of cherry tomatoes finely diced OR
my preference is to use pico de gallo (the 99 cent store sometimes carries and Sam’s Club has a nice Fresh Cilantro salsa 40oz container that works well too (or use any salsa you like)—probably about ½ cup but really to taste.

Marinade:
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 c red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
1 tsp cumin (can also add paprika, chili powder, SW mix of spices to taste), salt and pepper to taste
if you don't wish to make a marinade, substitute 1/2 c-1 c Italian dressing

Directions:
Mix all "caviar" ingredients together,then mix together the marinade and add to salad. Refrigerate, stir before using.

Cook's Notes:
Enjoy as a side or with taco chips as an appetizer.

Can be made a day or two ahead as the beans absorb the marinade nicely the longer it can sit. Stays good in fridge for several days.

If you have a leftover cowboy caviar, add 1# of cooked hamburger and some chicken stock, taco spices (cumin, chili powder, paprika, garlic, onion etc., 1 cup salsa and the left over salad to crock pot to make a tasty "Mexican" soup. If there is a lot of marinade in the leftover caviar, drain and/or rinse the beans before adding to crockpot.