Texas Caviar

You’ve had it…the beans, the oil, the sugar, the calories! I’ve cut the calories by slashing the sugar & cutting the oil out.  I also subbed out the refined sugar for unrefined sugar (maple syrup).  It’s still full of flavor, color, and now you can call it a healthy appetizer!  This appetizer can also please just about everyone with some sort of dietary issue: vegan and gluten free!

I love making this dip to bring to parties, as well as having it left over on top of salads or baked sweet potatoes! It’s light and refreshing! Adding in-season basil really livens up the dip, but use whatever fresh herbs you have. This would be great with cilantro, but I live with a cilantro hater, so none for me 🙁

Beans are amazing sources of plant-based protein, fiber, magnesium, and potassium, all of which are great for heart health and help to regulate blood sugar levels.  Most appetizers are loaded with fats and empty calories. Not this one! You can feel great bringing this along and eating a bunch! You can serve this with homemade baked tortilla chips, or good scooping veggies like cucumbers, peppers, kohlrabi-you name it!

Did you know: Black-eyed peas are supposed to grace you with good luck and fortune?! I feel that all beans grace you with good health-so it makes sense! 

Ingredients:

• 1-15 oz. can pinto beans (or 1 3/4 cup cooked beans)
• 1-15 oz can black eyed peas  (or 1 3/4 cup cooked beans)
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn (raw), if frozen, thaw by running water over and strain
• 1-15 oz can diced tomatoes or 2 cups fresh chopped tomato
• 4 oz of pimentos-drained
• 1 large chopped red/orange or green pepper-about 2 cups
• 1 cup scallions, chopped or 1/2 cup minced red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley/cilantro/ or fresh minced basil, or combo

Sauce:

• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar +2 tbsp
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Drain and rinse beans if using canned, adding pimentos, tomatoes (with juice), peppers, scallions, and basil/parsley and place in a medium sized bowl
   
2. Bring sauce ingredients to a boil in a pot and pour over caviar ingredients
   
3. Chill 2 hours-overnight.  Best the next day. Serve with homemade baked tortilla chips, fresh scooping veggies, or topped on some greens or sweet potato for a great main meal!

Nutritional Benefits:

• Anti-inflammatory: garlic & parsley both aid in circulation and reduce swelling
• Full of anti-oxidants: parsley, peppers, tomatoes, garlic
• Gluten Free & vegan-anti-inflammatory
• High in Protein: great for healing and repairing tissues; beans are an excellent source of protein while being low in fat
• virtually fat free(.5 g/serving) and low in sugar/no refined sugar
• Good source of fiber: great for digestive & heart health, regulates blood sugar levels
• High in Vitamin C: great for increasing immune function; peppers are packed with Vitamin C-1 cup = 19% of daily needs, as is parsley

Texas Caviar

 

Print

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

2 mins

Total time

12 mins

 

Texas Caviar gets a healthy redo

Author: www.gardenfreshfoodie.com

Recipe type: Appetizer

Cuisine: Dip

Serves: 15

Ingredients

• 1-15 oz. can pinto beans (or 1¾ cup cooked beans)
• 1-15 oz can black eyed peas (or 1¾ cup cooked beans)
• 2 cups fresh or frozen corn (raw), if frozen, thaw by running water over and strain
• 1-15 oz can diced tomatoes or 2 cups fresh chopped tomato
• 4 oz of pimentos-drained
• 1 large chopped red/orange or green pepper-about 2 cups
• 1 cup scallions, chopped or ½ cup minced red onion
• ½ cup chopped parsley/fresh minced basil or cilantro, or combo

Sauce:

• ½ cup apple cider vinegar +2 tbsp
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper

Instructions

1. Drain and rinse beans if using canned, adding pimentos, tomatoes (with juice), peppers, scallions, and basil/parsley and place in a medium sized bowlMixing Sauce For Texas Caviar
2. Bring sauce ingredients to a boil in a pot and pour over caviar ingredients
3. Chill 2 hours-overnight. Best the next day. Serve with homemade baked tortilla chips, fresh scooping veggies, or topped on some greens or sweet potato for a great main meal!

Notes

265 mg potassium, 51% Vitamin C, 21% Vitamin A, 7% iron. 3% calcium

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1/15 Calories: 80 Fat: .5 g Carbohydrates: 16.3 g Fiber: 3.5 g Protein: 4 g Cholesterol: 0 mg

3.5.3226