Texas Caviar {Recipe from The Lone Star State}

My favorite beans are dried beans, because they're really cheap, packed with fiber and perfect for so many recipes. On the other hand I also love the convenience of using canned beans for a few recipes as well. 

Instead of choosing which are my favorite I've come to realize that for some recipes it's best to use dried beans, and for others its best to use canned. Canned beans are not expensive, so really both dried and canned beans are both a frugal option. Today I want to share a recipes for Texas Caviar!  

Texas caviar is a popular salad or dip here in the Lone Star State. Not only does it taste good, but it's really quick and easy recipe. All you have to do it pop open a couple cans of ingredients and you have easy appetizer or salad in no time.

The first time I had Texas Caviar was at a friends house about 10 years ago, and I was instantly hooked. I tweaked the recipe just a bit and added a corn!  I think the corn not only gives this salad a great flavor, but a beautiful pop of yellow color.  

This recipe is perfect served with tortilla chips, pita triangles or by itself as a salad or side. If black eye peas are not your favorite just use black beans instead, because it is just as good.

I used Bush's Beans for this recipe because they're my favorite canned bean. Bush's has so many beans to choose from, so if you find a good brand stick with it. I have been wanting to post this recipe for quite sometime. 

Recently Bush's Beans invited me and a few other bloggers to Napa Valley, California for a chili tasting at the Culinary Institute of America, so I thought sharing one of my favorite bean recipes would be fitting. Lets get started on this easy recipe.

These are the ingredients you will need: two cans canned black black beans or black eyed peas, one can of corn, celery, red and green bell pepper, purple onion, pickled jalapenos, cilantro and Italian dressing. Drain and rinse the black eyed peas or black beans in a strainer. Drain the corn and chop up all the vegetables.

Toss everything into a large bowl.and gently mix you can also add a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Then finally add the Italian dressing and mix together. Chill overnight so the flavors will marry together. Serve with tortilla or pita triangles. You can also serve this by itself as a salad.

My favorite way to store this caviar is in a Quart Size Mason Jar in the refrigerator. It makes the perfect jar for gift giving or if you just want to take it to a grill out. I think the mason jar gives it a nice southern touch.

Texas Caviar

Ingredients:
2 - cans (15 oz) Bush's black eye peas or black beans, drained & rinsed
1 - 15 oz can regular yellow corn, drained
1/2 - 3/4 cup diced celery

1/4 - cup diced green bell pepper

1/4 - cup diced red bell pepper
1/4 - cup diced purple onion
1/8 - 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
5 - 6  pickled jalapeno slices, chopped
1 - 8 oz bottle Italian dressing

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together adding the dressing last. Chill overnight.

I usually cannot wait that long and end up digging it right away. *Serve with tortilla chips, pita chips or as a salad.

I have included a recipe for homemade pita chips if you want to use those. So much cheaper to make them homemade versus buying.

recipe source: Nancy Mashburn

Homemade Pita Chips

Ingredients:

1 - 12 oz Package Pita Bread, Split

6 - tablespoons Butter, melted

1 1/2 - teaspoons House Seasoning or sea salt

Directions:

reheat oven to 400. Lightly grease two baking sheets. Cut Pita rounds in half crosswise. Cut each half into 3 triangles. 

Place pita triangles on prepared baking sheet. Brush each with melted butter sprinkle evenly with house seasoning. Bake for 8 minutes until golden brown. 

Cool Completely. Click here for a link for step by step directions on how to make homemade pita chips. Scroll down it is at the end of my strawberry salsa tutorial.

Disclosure: This post is a sponsored post on behalf of  Bush’s Beans. All opinions stated above are 100% entirely my own.