Cowboy Caviar Party Dip

I try to be budget conscious in what I feed my family, but when it comes to party dishes, sometimes I find myself spending more than I'd like. Enter this month's Recipe Redux theme: Putting the P(ea) in Potluck. In other words, legumes. And legumes can be cheap--especially if you make them from dried beans. It's a little more work, but it saves a lot. I've used canned beans in this recipe, but you could make the substitutions easily.

While we are calling this a party dip, it really could be a great healthy meal or a side dish packed with nutrition. There's really nothing unhealthy in it! It can be served on tortillas, with chips, or just plain. My family seemed happy with it, which is always a bonus, plus you get a lot of vegetables and fiber in one dish. :)


Ingredients

Dressing:
1/4 C olive oil
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp minced garlic
Juice from 1 lime
2 T chia (No one knew it was in there, but it makes it even healthier! Of course, this is optional.)

Salad:
1 large can white shoe-peg corn, drained
1 can black-eyed peas, drained
1 can black beans, drained
6 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 C fresh cilantro, chopped
2 avocados
6 green onions cut up small
1 1/2 C brown rice, buckwheat, and quinoa (I cooked 1 c. brown rice 1/4 c. Buckwheat 1/4 c. quinoa with 4 cups of water) (This is optional, but it tastes great and makes the meal go even further.)
15 slices of jalapenos (I bought the sliced jalapenos in a jar)


Directions
1. Mix all the ingredients of the dressing together. Set aside.

2. Mix the vegetables, beans, and rice mixture together. Then gently stir in the dressing.

3. If you let it sit for a little bit, the vegetables, rice, and beans pick up more of the flavors from the dressing.

4. Serve!