Festive Bean Salad (aka Texas Caviar)

If you're looking for a delicious and healthy recipe to take to a Fourth of July celebration this weekend, this one fits the bill! You may already be familiar with Texas Caviar since there are a million variations of the basic recipe in circulation. This party favorite is essentially a marinated bean salad/salsa that is fiber rich and also sugar-free thanks to the stevia substitution I've included here. I usually serve this with baked tortilla chips but feel free to experiment with whatever suits your taste.

As for the name....you can rest assured that there is no actual caviar in Texas Caviar! The dish apparently was created by Helen Corbitt, a famed 1950's food consultant who was the head of food service at Neiman Marcus in Dallas. I found this recent article which gives more of the history if you're interested. If you'd rather just cook it...well, then, read on!

Festive Bean Salad (aka Texas Caviar)

serves: many

Ingredients:
1 can black eyed peas
1 can pinto OR hot chili beans
1 can black beans
1 can garbanzo beans

1 16 oz bag of frozen corn (or 2 c. of fresh corn cut from the cob)
1 small jar chopped pimento
1 medium Vidalia onion, diced small
1 c. diced red, green or yellow peppers
6 finely diced jalapeno peppers (seeds removed)
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

Dressing Ingredients:
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. water
3/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. canola oil
10-15 packets of Truvia sweetener OR 1 tsp. PURE Stevia powdered or liquid extract

Baked tortilla chips or other chips of your choice


Directions:
Drain and rinse the first four ingredients in a colander or strainer. Transfer to a large bowl and add next 6 ingredients. Set aside.

In a saucepan, bring the dressing ingredients to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Pour over beans and vegetables and stir to coat. Let cool in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (up to 24). Drain most liquid before serving with chips.