Cowboy Caviar is sometimes also called Texas caviar or cowboy dip. I love to bring it to potlucks with a big ole bag of corn tortilla chips.
Dietitian tip, this is also a cowboy caviar salad.
Cowboy Caviar Ingredients
Lentils – I always make Cowboy Caviar using at least 2 different legumes. Usually, I use 2 different-sized legumes, but for this recipe, I decided to celebrate the new year by swapping in Lentils.
Beans – I used black beans
Sweet Corn – option to use canned, fresh, or frozen corn
Peppers – options to use green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, or red bell peppers.
Spice tip: You can completely omit the jalapeno or only add 1 to reduce the heat. However, if you want the dish super spicy, don’t remove the ribs or seeds of the jalapeno. This is where most of the jalapenos’ heat comes from.
Onions – shallots, white, sweet, yellow, or red onions work well.
Herbs – I decided to use parsley
Herb Tip: Consider swapping the parsley with cilantro or any other herb you love!
Optional ingredients –avocado, tomatoes, black eye peas, or spicy peppers
Cowboy Caviar Dressing Recipe
I like to keep this dressing simple with only five ingredients – oil, vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper.
Use a flavorful olive oil. There is no actual cooking in this recipe, so there is no need for the extra virgin stuff. For the vinegar, I used a lovely lemon champagne vinegar on hand. You could use white balsamic, champagne, or red wine vinegar, or add some freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice.
Ever been to one of those fancy olive oil and vinegar shops? Those are perfect for a recipe like this. I bought a raspberry white balsamic vinegar that, if I still had it, would have tasted divine in this dish!
Or keep it simple with a store-bought or homemade Italian dressing.
How To Make Cowboy Caviar
First, chop all your veggies. Then pour them in a large bowl. I try to keep my veggie pieces roughly the size of a black bean.
Next, Mix! Add all the dressing ingredients to a bowl or mason jar, then whisk or shake! Then pour the salad dressing over your veggies and mix!
Finally, serve!
How To Serve This Recipe
Some options for serving this yummy dish include:
In an Endive (lettuce) cup
With Crackers or Chips
As a fun and creative Bruschetta
Right out of a bowl!
I enjoy using ramekins as small serving bowls as a side dish with dinner.
Sharper Nutrition Fix: Lentils
Lentils are also inexpensive, healthy, environmentally friendly, and easy to make! It’s no surprise that lentils are a major food source throughout the Americas, Caribbean, and Mediterranean regions.
Let’s dive a little deeper, shall we!?
Why You Will Love Making This Recipe with Lentils
Lentils are an all-star flexitarian staple I always keep on hand in my pantry.
Inexpensive
Lentils only cost about $1.50 for a 16oz bag at Kroger, a local grocery store in Huntsville. Lentils are available for purchase at most grocery stores. Because lentils do not take long to cook, I recommend purchasing dried lentils to get the most bang for your buck!
Healthy
Lentils are high in fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals. Combine lentils with a whole grain, and you have a complete protein source with all nine essential amino acids.
Fun fact: Populations with the greatest lentil consumption also have the lowest rates of cancer, specifically breast and colorectal.
Good for the Environment
Lentils are green, and I don’t mean the color! Lentils work with bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen to useful ammonia or nitrates. They also improve soil fertility and are highly water-efficient.
Quick and Easy
Did you know that dried lentils are quick to whip up? Just 15 minutes on the stove, and you are good to go! Dried Lentils are much quicker to cook than dried beans.
Versatile
You will find many cowboy caviar recipes on the internet. For example, Pioneer Woman Cowboy Caviar uses black-eyed peas instead of lentils. Other recipes include avocado whereas my cowboy salad recipe does not include it. You can get creative with flavors or just use what you have on hand!
Like This Recipe? Try These Flexitarian Dishes, Too!
In a large mixing bowl, combine the corn, black beans, cooked lentils, jalapeno, bell pepper, red pepper, shallots, and parsley.
Make The Dressing
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
Combine and Toss
Pour salad dressing overtop of your veggies. Gently toss everything together until well combined, making sure the dressing coats all the ingredients evenly.
Adjust Seasoning and Serve
Before serving, give the cowboy caviar a good stir. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Serve the cowboy caviar as a dip with tortilla chips or as a side salad. It also works well as a topping for grilled chicken or fish.
The No-Stress Way to Eat More Plants (Without Giving Up Meat)
The Flexitarian Diet is gaining momentum among individuals seeking a less rigid approach to vegan and vegetarianism. The Flexitarian Diet also referred to as a semi-vegetarian diet, emphasizes the consumption of minimally processed plant-based foods. It is gaining recognition for its potential to enhance human health, lessen environmental impact, and result in cost savings.
In the U.S. News Best Diets 2024 rankings, the Flexitarian diet secured the top spot in the Best Plant-Based Diets category(1). As expected, it also claimed the second position in the Easiest Diets to Follow category(1). Suggesting the Flexitarian lifestyle is less rigid (or more flexible) and helps people sustain it.
This is probably due to the absence of strict rules or eliminations in the Flexitarian diet, allowing considerable flexibility for adjustments in line with an individual’s lifestyle objectives.
Individualizing Your Flexitarian Diet
Research indicates that beyond achieving targeted weight loss, incorporating more plant-based foods and reducing meat or animal product consumption can enhance overall health outcomes (2-3). This includes reducing the risk of conditions like type II diabetes, heart disease, and cancer (2-3). Moreover, Flexitarian diets reduce meat consumption, and this lifestyle is considered planet and budget-friendly.
If you decide to move toward a Flexitarian lifestyle, consider reflecting on your current diet and ask yourself why you are interested in this lifestyle shift. From semi-vegan to semi-vegetarian to semi-pescatarian, the Flexitarian lifestyle empowers individuals to customize their approach according to their specific goals.
The Flexitarian Guidelines
The Flexitarian Guidelines are simple and as follows:
Focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins.
Incorporate lots of non-meat proteins such as:
Semi-vegan: beans, peas, nuts, and seeds
Semi-vegetarian: the above plant-based proteins but also include eggs and dairy.
Semi-pescatarian: similar to a semi-vegetarian, but it also includes seafood.
Reduce meat portions and frequency of foods such as chicken, pork, and beef.
Limit consumption of added sugars and highly processed foods.
Examples of Mindful Meat Consumption
Mindful meat consumption can mean different things to different people.
Person A might aim to consume 6-8 meatless meals per week, while another avoids purchasing meat at home or out at restaurants, but will dive right into their grandmother’s classic Roast Turkey at Thanksgiving.
Whatever the flexitarian lifestyle looks like, the outcome is the same. Direct your diet to obtain more protein from non-meat sources.
Setting Yourself Up For Success
A poorly planned Vegan, Vegetarian, or Flexitarian diet may be low in nutrients such as protein, iron, vitamin D, and calcium. However, the position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reports a well-designed lifestyle can avoid those deficiencies (4).
Especially, because unlike strict Vegans and Vegetarians, Flexitarians can meet their needs for protein with occasional animal-based protein sources such as meat and milk.
Here are a few tips for success in a balanced Flexitarian diet:
Incorporate protein powders and other nutritional supplements, such as Vitamin D, as needed.
There are seemingly infinite books and resources on the internet geared toward plant-based eating! Just check out Google, Pinterest, and even social media channels like TikTok and Instagram.
I have included a list of some of my favorite resources below.
Clem, J., & Barthel, B. (2021). A Look at Plant-Based Diets. Missouri Medicine, 118(3), 233–238.
Ferguson, J. J., Oldmeadow, C., Mishra, G. D., & Garg, M. L. (2022). Plant-based dietary patterns are associated with lower body weight, BMI, and waist circumference in older Australian women. Public Health Nutrition, 25(1), 18–31. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980021003852
Melina, V., Craig, W., & Levin, S. (2016). Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Vegetarian Diets. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116(12), 1970–1980. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2016.09.025
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Cowboy Caviar Dressing Recipe
