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Chili Lime Cowboy Caviar is the BEST dip, salad or side dish! Vegan AND gluten free.
A great light and healthy snack, this Cowboy Caviar is a combination of a dip meets side salad meets a bean salsa all in one. You can also serve it like a salsa or Pico de Gallo! It was only fitting to pair this with my popular dressing from this Grilled Chili Lime Chicken Fajita Salad.
So easy to make, it’s just a matter of chopping up veggies and tossing everything together!
COWBOY CAVIAR
A bowl full of health! Black-eyed peas (also known as black-eye beans), black beans, sweet corn, grape tomatoes (or you can use cherry tomatoes or finely diced Roma tomatoes), peppers (capsicums) and avocados make this one incredibly fresh big bowl of flavours perfect for get togethers, pot lucks, barbecues, or anything you need it for. Mixed through with the best tasty dressing I created two years ago.
DRESSING
The dressing is so simple, yet filled with so many incredible flavours:
- olive oil
- fresh squeezed lime juice
- brown sugar (balances out the acidity of the lime juice. Substitute with honey if you wish).
- red chilli flakes
- cilantro (or substitute with parsley)
- garlic
- cumin
All of the ingredients combined together are sensational. Serve with corn chips or nacho chips to get that saltiness mixing through the tang and sweetness with every mouthful.
At first glance it may look like a Pico de Gallo or a loaded chunky salsa, but with one bite, you will no doubt become addicted and fall in love. Especially when dipping in your tortilla chips: the saltiness of chips combine with the sweetness of tomatoes, the crispness of the pepper, the kick of chili mixed through the subtle lime and garlic…pure heaven.
Make it anytime: for Easter, Christmas, game days or any day!
The smaller you chop your ingredients, the better it is. You want nice-sized mouthfuls to enjoy as a topping with your chips OR enjoy straight out of the bowl by the spoonfuls!
Everyone who tries this cowboy caviar falls head over heels and asks for it again and again… the bowl gets scraped clean in no time!
Looking for more side salad recipes? Try these!
Avocado Greek Salad & Greek Salad Dressing
Honey Dijon Apple Bacon Cranberry Salad
Corn Avocado Tomato Salad
Cowboy Caviar Video
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Chili Lime Texas Caviar (Cowboy Caviar)
Ingredients
SALAD:
- 15 ounce can black eyed peas rinsed and drained
- 15 ounce black beans canned, rinsed and drained
- 15 ounce sweet corn canned, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 red bell pepper finely diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper finely diced
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 2 cups grape tomatoes halved (or cherry tomatoes or 2 Roma tomatoes)
- 2 avocados ripe, diced
- ⅓ cup Cilantro or parsley, finely chopped
CHILI LIME DRESSING:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lime juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tablespoons cilantro freshly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon red chilli flakes adjust to your preference of spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
TO SERVE:
- 5 carrot sticks celery sticks, nacho chips, tortilla chips, etc
Instructions
- Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together to combine. Set aside.
- Whisk dressing ingredients together in a smaller bowl, until well combined.
- Pour dressing over salad, stir through, and serve with chips or veggie sticks.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Would the dressing keep the avocado fresh, if you wanted this over a couple of days? Or would it be better to just add it to the portion you would serve that day?
Hey Paul, I would suggest leaving the avocado out if you plan on storing the dish for a few days to prevent it from browning and turning to mush. Hope this helps!
THE BEST! I add some tiny diced fresh jalapeno too.
Thank you for this deliciousness 🙂
This is one of those better than the sum of its parts recipes. The sugar/acid balance of the dressing is perfect. I omit tomatoes and spice and sometimes reduce the cumin and replace some of it with coriander. It’s so good.
I have made this before and absolutely love it! Everyone enjoyed it so much. Love that it is vegan, vegetarian and gluten free too. Besides black beans what other beans do you recommend? I have small white beans and chick peas.
Is this best made the day before an event or the same day with a couple of hours refrigeration?
We love this recipe! We eat it with chips, but I also add it into our spinach omelettes, and chicken quesadillas. Delicious!
Delicious!!! Hits every flavor profile I love – fresh, limey, zesty, spicy, salty mhmmm
I can literally eat the entire bowl of this myself 😂
I made it for a get together with my girlfriends and I can’t believe how well it went over. I served it with small tortilla chips and it was absolutely fantastic! I was looking for something gluten free and dairy free, and finally so happy to have something everyone could eat. Everyone had this recipe by the end of the night!
I used romano beans intead of black eye peas because I couldn’t find them and the creamy texture complimented the mix perfectly.