Coonhound Caviar

A good bit of my kitchen repertoire is based on dump and run recipes. You know the technique – a couple of cans of easy to acquire ingredients, combined with a few fresh ones, some time in the fridge or on the stove, and voila!

This one is extremely loosely based on a dish a co-worker brought to a potluck. Known as Texas Caviar or Cowboy Caviar, there are literally hundreds of recipes out there.  It’s usually presented as a side salad or a dip for Fritos or those bowl shaped Tostitos.

The problem with all of them is they are loaded with a lot of fat, salt and high carb items. A few years ago, we radically changed our food plan because we were dealing with the carb counting challenge that a Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis brings. (BIG DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor or a nutritionist. Consult one or both for best management of a major health condition).

So we tweaked the basic recipe to something that eliminated the high carb/low nutrition elements (I’m looking at you, corn and you, bottled salad dressing), and upped the flavor components.

What we have is a simpler dish, still good cold as a side dish or dip. It’s also good heated in a soft taco (or low carb wrap). As a general rule, anything is good in a quesadilla, and this also can morph into soup if you add a can of crushed tomatoes and more spices.

Oh yeah, that weird name? We used to have a big, long-eared Black and Tan Coonhound named Norton. And I’m a big, big fan of alliteration. So Coonhound Caviar it is.

Recipe:

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well
• 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chiles (or haberno, if you like more bite). Drain most, but not all the liquid this comes in.
• Diced red onion to taste (I usually use a very small amount to not overpower the dish
• Splash of Lime Juice
• Spices: Chili Power, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir well (or put the lid on and shake vigorously). Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. This gets better with age.