Cowboy Caviar

Have I mentioned lately that we love Mexican food? I have a lot of it coming down the pipe because we went crazy with it before we left knowing we couldn't have it for 3 weeks, and it is pretty much all I've made since being home. So just a warning, you are going to be seeing a lot of Mexican recipes. I apologize now, but I promise they are all delicious, healthy, and easy to make.

Also, I promise to get a post of pictures from NZ up. I am just waiting on some pictures from our friends we went with, so look forward to that as well.

This dish isn't "Mexican", you would never find it at a Mexican restaurant, let alone in Mexico, but it is American-Mexican and it is delicious. That is what really matters. What else matters is that it is made with ingredients that I usually have lying around the house. There are only 2 ingredients I don't always have around, green onions and red onions. Mostly because green onions are cheap and I only use them in recipes, so I buy them as needed, and my husband hates red onions (how sad). Because of that, I usually replace red onions with something else, but they are needed in this recipe, so he just picks around them like the champion he is.

Anyway, back to the recipe. I love this recipe because it is really easy and quick to make. It has a decent amount of protein from the two types of legumes and healthy fats from the avocados and olive oil. It is a great lunch, dinner, or snack, and it makes a lot. It is versatile - it can be eaten as a dip, put in tacos, over chips like nachos (check out my 5 minute chip recipe), or as a salad (my favorite, just add some kale, spinach, or lettuce and boom, insta-salad). So don't be afraid to get creative with it.

Ingredients

1 c black eyed peas, dry

1 c pinto beans, dry

6 green onions, diced

1/4 red onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 carton cherry tomatoes, or 3-4 Roma tomatoes diced

1 c corn (frozen or cut from 3-4 ears)

1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

3-4 avocados, peeled and diced

1/3 c lime juice

1/2 c apple cider vinegar

1/4 c olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

1 tsp cumin

3/4 tsp chili powder

Directions

1. Soak black eyed peas and pinto beans in 8 c water for 3-4 hours

*If you didn't think that far ahead don't worry, I will add the procrastinator's version too*

2. Drain beans and put into pressure cooker. Add 6 c water, seal, and bring to pressure over high heat. Steam for 8 minutes and do a slow release (remove from heat and open steam vent until pressure is reduced.) Drain and run under cold water to cool.

*If you procrastinate, like me, instead of soaking put beans and black eyed peas directly into pressure cooker with 8 c water. Seal, bring to pressure over high heat, and steam 30 minutes. Do a normal pressure release, see above, drain, and run under cold water to cool.

3. Meanwhile, chop/prep all veggies and prepare dressing by combining lime juice, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder.

4. Combine all ingredients and mix well, add more spices or salt if necessary. Serve immediately or cover and keep cool in refrigerator.

5. ENJOY

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