Cowboy Caviar

This is a great appetizer, snack, or side dish. 

It's fresh and healthy. 

And it's really good.

Cowboy Caviar

Ingredients

Dressing:

1 Tbs sugar

2 Tbs vinegar (plain white/ distilled)

2 Tbs vegetable oil

Juice from 1 lime (about 1 Tbs)

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Mix these together and let sit. 

After making dressing, prepare these:

4 avocados- diced

2-3 tomatoes- diced

2 cups frozen corn

1 can black beans- drained and rinsed

1 can black eyed peas- drained and rinsed

2 cloves garlic- minced

Toss allthese  ingredients in a medium/ large bowl.  Drizzle dressing over top, give it a quick stir to fully incorporate. 

Let sit in fridge for a few hours. 

Then serve with tortilla chips.

Here is a quick tip for easy avocado dicing.

Slice avocado in half, remove pit. 

While still in the peel, use knife to cut through avocado, but don't cut through the peel.

Go both directions, cutting into desired size chunks.

Use a spoon to scoop diced avocado out. 

Carmel Corn

One of my favorite treats is homemade carmel corn. 

 I'm not a BIG fan of popcorn, but if you give it to me like this, I'll never turn it down. 

This carmel corn recipe is super easy. 

You don't need a candy thermometer. 

You don't have to know what 'softball' stage is. 

What you do need is:

a glass (pyrex type) dish/ measuring bowl

popped pop corn

a brown paper grocery bag

and the actual food ingredients...

So, first pop that popcorn. 

 Sift the unpopped kernels out, those aren't so fun to bite into.

Your teeth will thank you. 

Put the popped corn into the brown grocery bag. 

In the glass bowl (should easily hold 4 cups), add the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. 

No need to even mix it, yet. 

Pop that in the microwave for 1 minute 45 seconds. 

Stir.  Put back in microwave for 1 1/2 minutes. 

Stir.  Add baking soda and vanilla, stir to combine. 

 It will get a littke foamy and look like this:

Now, pour the carmel over the popcorn, in the bag. 

Jiggle the popcorn around lightly to help coat it with carmel. 

Roll the top of the bag down.  Now shake like crazy.  Turn the bag all around (while holding it shut) to coat all the popcorn. 

Keep the bag rolled, and put the bag in the microwave for about 1 minute and 15 seconds. 

Take the bag out and shake it again. 

Return it to the microwave for 1 minute and 15 seconds again. 

Take it out and shake it again. 

Grease a cookie sheet and pour the contents of the bag onto the sheet. 

Let cool. 

Once cooled, you can break it up and eat it!

It's so good. 

Carmel Corn

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter (1 cube)

1/4 cup corn syrup

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 gallon popcorn (that's popped corn!)

Put sugar, butter, corn syrup, and salt in microwave safe bowl and cook 1 min. 45 seconds in mocrowave.  Stir to combine.  Return to microwave for 1 min. 30 seconds.  Stir.  Add baking soda and vanilla, stir again.  Pour over popcorn.  Jostle the bag while pouring the carmel to help coat all the kernels. 

Roll the top of the bag down (to close it) and shake again.  Place the rolled down bag in the microwave and cook for 1 min. 15 seconds.  Shake the bag again.  Return to the microwave 1 last time for 1 minute 15 seconds.  Shake again, then dump out onto a greased cookie sheet.  Let cool, then break up into indiviual pieces.