Texas Caviar, zested up….

It’s a Southern tradition to eat Black Eyed Peas on New Years Day to bring good luck for the coming year. There are many different theories in Southern Folklore as to why these are considered to bring good fortune, one of the more prevalent is that by eating these you are conquering all of the “evil eyes” out there.

Here is some insight into the tradition of serving these beans in the new year from Sheridan Alexander at About Travel, “The practice of eating black-eyed peas for luck is generally believed to date back to the Civil War. At first planted as food for livestock, and later a food staple for slaves in the South, the fields of black-eyed peas were ignored as Sherman’s troops destroyed or stole other crops, thereby giving the humble, but nourishing, black-eyed pea an important role as a major food source for surviving Confederates.” Click on Splendid Tradition for the complete story.

But these legumes are so delicious and low in fat and cholesterol, why not enjoy them all year long?

In the winter months, I find my self craving the bright colors and fresh flavors of citrus, call it a need for vitamin “C”, a love of edible sunshine or just the fact that citrus is at it’s peak right now, so a wide variety of the bright and beautiful orbs are piled high in the markets.

I was making a batch of my standard Texas Caviar the other day and decided to zest it up a bit, including a hearty dose of freshly grated lime zest ~ I’m so glad I did because it really brought so much more flavor to the mix. This micro~plane zester makes it easy to get piles of downy, fragrant zest in seconds.

This “dip” is easy to throw together {no cooking involved} and tastes better if it is allowed to sit for a few hours or over night.  These great blue corn tortilla cups, are the perfect vessel for this tasty, nutritious “caviar”.

A half cup of cooked Black Eyed Peas {which are actually a bean} is equal to one serving of lean meat or protein. In addition to using this as a flavorful dip {that would be splendid with tortilla chips and a pitcher of margaritas}, I like to keep a bowl in my refrigerator to spoon onto salads, serve as a side dish with dinner or serve with eggs for a refreshing, protein powered, breakfast or brunch.

Splendid Texas Caviar, Zested

1-15 ounce cans of black eyed peas, drained and rinsed

 juice of one lime

1 tablespoon lime zest {about 1/2 a lime zested}

1 ripe tomato, chopped

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

3 tablespoons of good quality salsa verde
a few drops of your favorite hot sauce
(green Tabasco gives nice flavor without heat)

Sea salt to taste

Mix together all of the ingredients together and {preferably} allow them to sit in the refrigerator for 5 hours or overnight.

I wash the full sprigs of cilantro in a salad spinner {this collapsible version is a real space saver} and allow it dry wrapped in a paper towel before picking off the leaves and chopping them.

When you’re ready, just scoop and serve into tortilla cups or just put it out with a bowl of your favorite tortilla chips and let people to serve themselves.

Wishing you the best of luck and fortune for all of 2022!