Growing up in Texas, hot sauce and chips were a staple at our house, but it wasn't till much later that I was introduced to a slight variation on the traditional dip/compliment, Texas Caviar. This amazingly fresh, texture and flavor-exploding, colorful little dish now has a place in my top ten southwest dishes for its variety of pairings, adaptability, health value, freshness, and ease to make. This dish can also be made in bulk to last you a full week, without getting boring, since it can be included easily with additional ingredients to make entirely different meals. I mainly use this dish as a dip with my favorite chips, and as a healthy lunch wrap when combined with a freshly cooked tortilla, quinoa, brown rice, and hummus; but, it also often becomes a quick breakfast fix as an egg taquito, or dinner sauce poured over a plump chicken breast! Truly, it is the jack-of-all-trades dish.
Serves 8.
What you'll need:
- Large resealable bowl for mixing and storing
- 3 Cups of chopped Bell Peppers (Capsicums)- A Variety of colors is visually pleasing! (I found some pre chopped bell peppers to save prep time)
- 1 Cup of rinsed Black Beans
- 1 Cup of red Kidney Beans
- 1/2 of an onion chopped
- 3 cloves or 1.5 tsp. of garlic minced
- 1 to 2 avocados, cubed
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1 lime or lemon squeezed over mix, depending on preference
- Southwest spices to taste (I prefer Louisiana Spice that can be found at most supermarkets)
Additional Options:
- Fresh cooked tortilla for wraps (you can get uncooked ready tortillas at Sprouts or even Costco)
- An egg
- Brown Rice
- Quinoa
- Hummus- I found a good organic pre made one at Costco (above)
Step 1: Chop (if not already pre-chopped) the bell peppers and pour into mixing bowl.
Step 2: Chop 1/2 of a large onion and add to mixing bowl.
Step 3: Cut, pit, and cube 1 to 2 avocados. To make it easier to get the meat out as cubes, run your knife around the inner edge of the avocado peel, then grid the meat and scoop out.
Step 4: Rinse beans in the sink with a strainer thoroughly because you don't need any extra juice in the mixture, then add to the mixing bowl.
Step 5: Finely chop 1/4 cup of cilantro and add to the mixture.
Step 6: Press and roll the lime on the cutting board to soften and loosen juice. Then cut in half and squeeze over mixture. Carefully mix all ingredients together so as to not smash the avocado, adding the Louisiana Spice to taste and you are done!
Step 7: Now you can add any additional ingredients to enjoy a variety of meals. Pictured here I have added brown rice, quinoa, tortilla, hummus, and feta cheese to make an awesome lunch wrap I can precook and take with me on my travels! Just add an egg and you have a great breakfast burrito. Get creative and enjoy this amazing dish!