Vegan Texas Caviar ( Cowboy Caviar)

Vegan Texas caviar, also called cowboy caviar, is a chunky salsa-style salad made from black-eyed peas, black beans, corn, bell peppers, onion and a light vinegar dressing. It is naturally vegan and gluten free, works as a dip with tortilla chips or as a side salad, and is traditionally eaten in the US on New Year’s Eve for good luck.

Why is Texas caviar traditionally eaten on New Year’s Eve?

The first version of this dish is generally traced to 1940s Texas, and people have been enjoying it since as a scoopable dish with tortillas or chips. It is traditionally served on New Year’s Eve in the US, since black-eyed peas are believed to bring good luck for the year ahead.

You can use different flavours and ingredients as per your wish in this caviar to make it tasty, colourful and flavourful. Today, this dish looks and tastes very different from what it was in the 1940s. Nevertheless, it has always left people wanting more. Apart from your favourite vegetables, you can also add fruits to this vegan Texas caviar to lend creativity to the dish.

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Since it is a vegan dish free from glutens, the Texas Caviar is a healthy dish that people of all ages can enjoy. It has a very low-fat content. Additionally, you only use very little oil while making this dish. So, if you are in the mood to make a quick, healthy and tasty snack at home, the Texas Caviar is a good choice for you.

What ingredients go into Texas caviar?

While you can pick and choose ingredients as per your choice and creativity, it is good to mandatorily include the following items to prepare the Texas Caviar the authentic way.

• Beans

As we told you earlier, black-eyed peas and black beans are the mandatory ingredients while preparing vegan Texas Caviar. If you cannot find fresh black beans or peas in your locality, you can also use canned ones. About 1.5 cups (about 260 g) of cooked black beans will give you 4 cups (about 1 litre) of Texas caviar. If black beans are unavailable in your locality, don’t worry; you can use some chickpeas instead, for the same results.

• Bell Peppers

The crunchiness of bell peppers makes the Texas Caviar taste wonderful when you bite into it. While there is no hard and fast rule about using bell peppers, we recommend using the green, yellow and red ones to make the salad colourful and visually appealing. If you cannot find the yellow and red ones, you can use the green ones only. This will not impact the taste of the final dish.

• Onions

Many people wonder about using the right type of onions while making vegan Texas Caviar. While diced red onions do a world of good to the colour and taste of the dish, you can also use green onions if you cannot find red ones. However, you should use only the green parts of the onion for the desired taste.

• Corn

Adding about 1.5 cups (about 220 g) of fresh or canned sweet corn gives a whole lot of meaning to your dish instantly. Corns, with their crunchiness, sweetness and golden yellow colour, make the Texas Caviar look and taste wonderful. Some people have also experienced great results using shoepeg corn.

• Jalapeno

If you are a lover of spicy salads, you can add them to the caviar. For those who love extra-hot salads, you can leave a few jalapeno seeds in the salad for the spiciness to seep into the dish.

• Blend of spices

This is where you can use your creativity to the best extent possible. Garlic powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin powder and salt are the basic ingredients you can use for making awesome spice powder for the Texas Caviar.

• Right dressing

The Vegan Texas Caviar is incomplete without the right type of dressing. Here again, can make any dressing that you wish using your favourite ingredients. However, a simple dressing can be made within seconds by blending a drop of olive oil, some lime juice and a spoon of apple cider vinegar. You can make this dressing healthier by replacing olive oil with two more spoons of apple cider vinegar.

Ingredients

• Black Eyed Peas - 1 can (drained and rinsed)
• Black Beans – 1 can (drained and rinsed)
• Corn – 1 can (drain well before use)
• Bell Peppers -2 (cut into small dices)
• Jalapeno – 1 ( or 2 if you want the Texas caviar to be spicy)
• Red onion – about ½ (cut into small pieces)
• Avocado – 1 (if it is large; diced finely)
• Cilantro – ¼ cup (about 10g, finely chopped)

For the dressing

• Lemon juice – juice of 2 medium-sized limes
• Apple Cider Vinegar – about 3 teaspoons
• Olive Oil – 2 tablespoons

For the spice powder

• Chili powder – 1 teaspoon
• Garlic powder and cumin powder – ½ teaspoon each
• Salt and pepper – as per taste

How do you make vegan Texas caviar?

• Prepare the dressing by mixing the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and olive oil in a bowl. Whisk the contents well. You can also add all the spice powders to this mixture before whisking to blend all the ingredients. This will ensure that the spice powders dissolve well before you toss the dressing over the salad.
• In a big bowl add the black-eyed peas and black beans after draining & rinsing them. To this, add the drained corn and finely diced bell peppers, corn, onion, jalapeno and cilantro. Mix all the contents well.
• Pour the dressing on top of the contents and mix well once again.
• You can transfer the contents into small serving bowls to eat immediately. However, you can also allow the salad to settle in the refrigerator for a while before consuming it chilled.
• If you have leftovers of the Texas Caviar, don’t worry. Transfer the contents to an air-tight container and seal it well. It stays good in the refrigerator for about 4 to 5 days.

Some variations you can try

• Instead of garlic powder, you can also use freshly crushed garlic cloves for additional flavour.
• You can also add tomatoes (fresh, canned, or sun-dried), fresh celery (finely chopped) and sliced olives to this dish.

• caviar
• cowboy
• healthy
• vegan