Cowboy Caviar

Giddyup!

I can think of no better way to introduce a recipe with cowboy in the title than "giddyup!"

I made this for Mom2Mom on Sunday night, and while there weren't any cowboys there, the mommies sure did like this!

And speaking of mommies, this is my Mom's recipe.  I feel like there are one million recipes for Cowboy Caviar, but naturally, I think this one is the best :)

For the dressing:

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar

I like to make the dressing first, because it has to cool.  Combine the dressing ingredients in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil and boil for one minute.  Remove from heat and cool completely.

For the beans and veggies:

2 cans shoepeg corn, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced bell peppers (I like a mix of red, orange, and yellow)
1/2 cup diced red onion

A note about the dicing:  I cut the veggies to be bean sized for the sake of continuity.  And because I think I saw that on Top Chef once. 

A note about all those beans:  I'm a die hard fan of the mighty, yet humble black bean.  But, black eyed peas?  I think it's in the bean family, but I'm not even sure.  I've never consumed one outside of this recipe.  Don't let it freak you out!  Take the plunge!  Do it!  Do it!  (that was the junior high boy "do it!  do it!" chant)

A note about shoepeg corn:  I don't know what in the heck a shoepeg is, but the corn sure is good!

Aaaaaaaanyway, enough with all of those notes!  On to the good stuff :)

Combine the beans and veggies in a large bowl.  Pour in the cooled dressing and stir to combine.

The recipe says that you should let this chill over night, but nobody's watching you, so you can let it chill for however long you want.

I like to serve this with plain Sunchips.

I like how delicate yet somehow sturdy the Sunchips are, and I love how the saltiness inter-plays with the subtle sweetness of the Cowboy Caviar.  There's a bit of earthiness to Sunchips that I enjoy as well.

That being said, you can totally use tortilla chips.  Or, I think this would be excellent served on top of fish or chicken or pork.  You could even toss it with roasted sweet potatoes...now that sounds really good!  OR, you can eat it plain...like a little ol' bean salad!

I do recommend that you serve this with a slotted spoon to minimize the dressing running all around the plate.

This recipe just feels like summer to me, too!  This would be perfect to bring to a barbecue or family reunion or even just to snack on while watching ridiculous summer reality TV shows.

Not that I would do that ;)

Either way, you should just make this!

Giddyup!