Cowboy Caviar

Note: I was sent some products from Bob’s Red Mill, including Orca Beans. All opinions are my own.

There are some ingredients that catch your eye, and you just know you have to use them in a recipe. Orca beans are definitely one of those ingredients. Luckily, Bob’s Red Mill sent me a bag of their orca beans, which are grown in Moses Lake, Washington exclusively for the company.

Orca beans, also known as calypso beans, are black and white splattered, and keep their cool coloring even after cooking. This heirloom bean is high in fiber and iron, and work great in any recipe where you would normally use beans.

But. They are so darn pretty I wanted to let them stand out by using them in a very colorful dish.

Cowboy Caviar seemed like the perfect way to show the orca beans off. Typically made with black eyed peas, cowboy caviar is a bean salad / salsa that is great as a party app, on top of  grilled chicken, or just on it’s own!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dried orca beans
• 4 cups water, plus more if needed
• 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup tomatoes, finely diced
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted
• 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 cup scallions, thinly sliced

Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• the juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Sort and rinse 1/2 cup of the orca beans. Add to a medium size pot and add 4 cups water.

Cover and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 60 minutes, keeping beans covered by water (you may have to add more water, I added another ~2 cups).

After 60 minutes, drain and let cool.

While waiting for the beans to cool, add the black beans, tomatoes,corn kernels, diced red onion, red bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, cilantro, and scallions to a large bowl.

Once the beans are cool, add the orca beans, to the rest of the ingredients, tossing to combine.

Add the olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, cumin, chili powder, salt, sugar, and garlic powder to a small jar. Cover and shake to combine.

Pour the dressing over the bean mixture and toss to coat. Serve with tortilla chips.

 

This was a hit! The beans make it a nice filling party appetizer, but the veggies keep it feeling light.

The texture works really well too, softer beans with the crunch of the red bell pepper and red onion makes for a nice balance.

It was so simple to make too!