COWGIRL CAVIAR

I am not a cook.
I cook.
There’s a difference.
I enjoy creating mostly, and the kitchen is the immediate tangible, accessible place to showcase what I can do, and have it get noticed, and even sometimes appreciated.
And of course, the food getting actually consumed and enjoyed is the ultimate prize.
I didn’t spend a whole ton of time in the kitchen with Mama when I was a little girl. Quite frankly, neither did she. She was a working professional; always (and masterfully, I might add) balancing caring for the children in her 4th grade classroom, with managing a home of 5 kids of her own, each with strong opinions, active schedules, and a penchant for doing life their own way.
I think about what she oversaw, coordinated, and eventually executed and can’t conceive it was ever possible.
And, she often handmade our clothing, while also teaching some of us to play the piano, and all of us to be decent citizens, serving the world and handing out the love of Jesus we’d received to anyone we were graced enough to know.

I digress.
It’s easy to do when talking about my Mama.
So yeah, I knew the basics and that was good enough.

So now, 20 years into this married life with a husband who prefers hotdogs over Gardenburgers, and Kraft Mac and Cheese, over roasted red pepper quinoa, I do my best to maintain order, getting something on the table before bedtime, while still holding on to my commitment to being creative and finding joy in food.
I love whole food… mostly plant-based. I get to have what I want once in awhile, but often, I just go with what’s easiest without compromise to my main core values of clean, plant based eating.

Here’s one of those family favorites… for mine and yours. People LOVE this. The ingredient list is a little long, but all you do is pour, chop, and stir, and taste. You’ll not only be making this for your enjoyment, but to share at your next backyard barbecue.

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 can of black-eyed peas (or 6, if you love them like I do :o) - rinsed and drained
1 can of black beans - rinsed and drained
1 can of white hominy (it’s like a corn… sometimes hard to find, so just use yellow corn)
1 can (any size of diced tomatoes - or cut some fresh grape/cherry tomatoes)
1 bottle of Good Seasons italian dressing
1 jar of fresh salsa
1 red bell pepper (or half of one, your choice)
1 yellow bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 small jalapeno pepper
1 small serrano pepper
a few diced chives
salt and pepper to taste

WHAT YOU DO

Chop.
Put in piles.
Open cans.
Pour.
Rinse.
Dump all the things in a giant bowl.
Add the diced this’s and that’s to thy pleasure, dumb in the salsa, Good Seasons Italian Dressing, some sea salt here, and peppercorn there…
Done.

NEXT:

Scarf it as fast as you can before one of the kids gets into it and it’s gone before the picnic starts.
Serve with your choice of chips.
I recommend the organic triangle corn chips from Costco. Good luck only having a few.