Alabama Caviar

Alabama Caviar - Image Courtesy: teamsugar.com

Here’s a quick, simple, recipe for Alabama Caviar (or black-eyed pea salad if you must.) It’s full of bright, bold flavors that fit in perfectly well at a picnic or a summer covered-dish dinner. There are probably hundreds of recipes out there, but I made this one with a few special ingredients that give it a twist. It’s simple, healthy, and relatively inexpensive.

Ingredients:

4 cans Black-Eyed Peas, Drained and rinsed
1 can Whole Kernel Corn
1 pint Grape or Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
1 Jalapeno, Minced
3 Bell Peppers, Chopped (I use Red, Yellow, and Orange)
½ Medium Red Onion, Chopped
1 Small Handful of Cilantro Leaves, Roughly Chopped
1 Jalapeno, Seeded and Minced
5 pods Mild Pickled Okra, Ringed
½ bottle Zesty Italian Dressing, Large Size (24oz)
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp Cayenne Pepper Sauce
½ tsp Garlic Powder
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Black Pepper

Directions:

Prep all ingredients and mix in a large bowl. Let rest, covered, in the fridge for at least 12 hours. As with any marinated salad, chili, soup or stew, the old adage holds true: “The longer it sits, the better it gets.”

Spicier:

For a spicier dish, add 2 more Jalapenos, sub the mild pickled okra for hot, and increase the hot sauce amount to 3 tablespoons.

Serving:

Serve as a dip with corn chips or serve on toasted bread (for a southern style bruschetta.)

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