Good Luck Texas Caviar
Well, this sure is a strange time of the year. Social distancing, flattening the curve, all terms we probably have not used in our lives before but now we hear them constantly and that is almost considered the new norm. We are all working from home. We all cannot see our friends and family. But I don’t think I have ever been more thankful for the internet, because I can still work from home, I can still do live workouts, and we can video chat with friends and family to still see digital versions of their faces.
Well, I’m baaaaaaaaack! Obvi. The reason I have been away is due to my life getting busier and busier when we were prepping for the wedding that should have been next month. Notice the past tense here? Yep – we had to postpone it due to the global pandemic. Of course, it was a hard decision to make because it’s been something we have had been planning and preparing for the last two years, but we knew it wouldn’t have felt right if our parents, friends, loved ones couldn’t make it, so it was the best call to make. And the plan is to have everything the same as it was originally supposed to be, just around a calendar year later. Things could be worse… BUT in good news, that means that I have some more time now to dedicate to the blog!
I cannot speak to how often I can make blog posts these days, but I will try to ramp back up to something that is comfortable within my lifestyle and often enough to help inspire you to get in your kitchen to cook! Possibly more important than ever right now as well. As a vegetarian, I’m VERY comfortable and used to cooking with canned beans as my main source of protein, so I will try to give you guys ideas for how to use beans, but I’m also open to other suggestions for ideas you might need help with in these trying times!
A few years ago for my birthday, Nick took me to a cooking class at Central Market. My birthday is at the end of the year, so they were making recipes that were good for New Years’. We know black-eyed peas to be a good luck food to eat on New Years, but I wanted to extend that good luck to this time of our lives, so why not eat black-eyed peas now? Go with me here – that’s how my brain works. We need all the luck we can get, plus of course good vibes and people staying at home to reduce the spread, but if good luck comes through the food we put in our mouths, let’s do it.
I made my black-eyed peas from dry beans I got for about a dollar at the grocery store. But canned is just as good and either are still considered pantry staples! There are some fresh ingredients to add to the texture and flavor of this dish, but I know you can still get groceries delivered or picked up where you don’t have to go inside, so I hope you can find reasonable substitutes or make it a plan to add these fresh items to your list to make this as is intended. As always, please share your recreations on social media @nommingwithnicola as I would love to hear what you think! Stay safe out there everyone, and I’ll be back soon!
Good Luck Texas Caviar
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried black eyed peas, cooked (about 6-7 cups if using cans)
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 4 bell peppers a variety of colors makes this dish more visually appealing
- 4 jalapenos, finely minced seeded optionally
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 4 tbsp fresh cilantro or parsley, minced optional
- 2 tsp creole seasoning*
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the black-eyed peas with the olive oil, red wine vinegar, onion, bell peppers, jalapenos, fresh herbs if using, salt, pepper, and creole seasoning. Mix well to combine.
- Serve with chips, eat on it's own, in a baked sweet potato, whatever your heart desires!
- Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Will last up to 5 days.