Did You Eat Your New Year's Day Black-eyed Peas? Cowboy Caviar

I love traditions and so for years I've tried to be a good little New Year's girl and eat my black-eyed peas but the truth is I don't really like 'em.  Until now. I finally found a recipe that I feel like enhances the taste so that I'm willing to down them not only on New Year's Day but on other days of the year as well.

The recipe is called Cowboy Caviar and there are a million variations. This is mine. I tailored the idea of a cold bean salad to accommodate my personal tastes and to incorporate some of my new eating principles.  There are beans, veggies, and olive oil, a trifecta of good for the body and a treat for the tastebuds.  I served this as a side dish on New Year's Eve but we also played around with it as a salsa-type appetizer eaten with tortilla chips, and I mixed some with some cooked brown rice I had in the fridge that I'll be taking in my lunch box at times this year as an entree and eating for lunch on New Year's Day today.  Yummy and versatile.

 

Cowboy Caviar

Recipe by Glenna Anderson Muse

Ingredients:

1 15.5 oz can Black beans, rinsed and drained

1 15.5 oz can Black-eyed peas,  rinsed and drained

1 11 oz can White shoepeg corn,  rinsed and drained

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

6 medium radishes, finely chopped

5 green onions, finely chopped

1/2 medium sweet green pepper, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finley minced

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar

1 tsp Cavender's No Salt seasoning, or other Greek or all purpose seasoning

Salt and Pepper to taste

Sriracha (Rooster) Sauce to taste (I used 3 drops, just enough to give some taste but not heat)

Directions:  Mix all ingredients together and chill for at least two hours to allow flavors to mingle. Serve as a side dish or as an appetizer salsa with tortilla chips.  Makes 6 cups.

Nutrition per 1/2 cup serving:   Calories:  109 Protein:  5    Carbs:  12   Fat:   5   Fiber:  3