Fiesta Chopped Salad (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)

This fresh, delicious, and super healthy Fiesta Chopped Salad (or is it salsa?) works as a light lunch, side dish, appetizer, or snack anytime. Make this on the weekend and eat on it throughout the week. Eat on its own or scoop it with tortilla chips or crackers.

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Yes, I realize that Polly has already posted a similar recipe called Texas Cowboy Caviar on Thriving Home. But, I wanted one that brought lime juice to the front and center and used all kinds of colors and vegetables. I  also needed some black-eyed peas in there for our friend’s New Year’s Eve party that I was taking it to.

What I got was a mild salsa of sorts–filled with multi-colored peppers, beans, and fresh herbs and tomatoes–that only got better the next day. Then, I discovered that you MUST pair it with these sturdy, additive, whole grain crackers that I found at Walmart of all places called CrunchMaster Multi-Seed Crackers. They are gluten-free, too, if that matters to you.

Now, this isn’t a difficult recipe but be prepared to chop, chop, chop. I got a new chef’s knife for Christmas that I’ve been waiting my whole life for (I didn’t know I was, but I was). It makes chopping vegetable after vegetable a delightful task as it quickly slices and dices anything in its way.

America’s Test Kitchen, my go-to source for unbiased ratings and reviews of cookware and kitchen equipment, highly recommends this particular knife. The best news is that it’s very afforadable on Amazon! I tell everyone to get it and to get rid of their other knives.

I’d recommend making this big batch on the weekend and then having it handy for healthy snacks and lunches during the week. The flavors get better as they hang out longer.

Super Healthy Cowboy Caviar

• Author: Thriving Home
• Yield: a lot…probably 10-12 servings

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Description

This fresh, delicious, and super healthy salad (or is it salsa?) works as a light lunch, side dish, appetizer, or snack anytime. Make this on the weekend and eat on it throughout the week. Eat on its own or scoop it with tortilla chips or crackers.

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Ingredients

• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 red or orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1/2 red onion, minced
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 can corn, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, minced (sub: fresh parsley)
• zest of 1 lime
• juice of 2 limes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• hot sauce, to taste (optional)
• 1 avocado, diced (optional)

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Instructions

1. Add the green pepper, red pepper, jalapeno pepper, onion, tomatoes, corn, beans, peas, and cilantro to a large bowl.
2. In a mason jar with a lid, add all the dressing ingredients (lime zest, lime juice, oil, garlic, honey, salt, pepper, and cayenne) except the hot sauce. Shake until combined. Pour over the salad and stir. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap and store in the fridge until ready to use, up to a day in advance. Try to at least let the salsa marinate for 20-30 minutes ahead of time before serving to give the flavors a chance to marry together.
3. Right before serving, stir in the avocado (so it doesn’t get brown and mushy ahead of time). Taste and season with more salt, pepper, or hot sauce as needed.
4. This will store in the fridge for about 3 days or so and makes for a healthy snack or lunch.