Happy Monday! Another weekend has gone in a flash!
Travis and I drove out to Tucson, Arizona last Thursday and had a great weekend visiting his family and celebrating the marriage of some great friends that Travis met in college. We ate well, relaxed a bit, and enjoyed some quality family time. 
I usually dread the drive to and from Tucson, but for some reason it wasn’t so bad this time! I think I was glad to get to enjoy some uninterrupted time with my husband listening to podcasts and talking about life. There’s no escaping it when we have 2 seven hour drives to accomplish!
It’s crazy to think our big trip to the desert has already come and gone, and even harder to believe that it’s going to be MAY tomorrow (can’t help but think of the Justin Timberlake when I say that…).
May is a big month in our house, especially this year! Travis is turning the big 3-0, our puppies turn 2, and I have a birthday at the end of the month as well. We have an exciting trip to Montana planned to celebrate the birthday boy, my brother and his family are coming to town for a weekend, and some other random fun things are on the calendar as well.
Before any of that, though, we have one of my favorite food holidays quickly approaching! I love the celebration of Cinco de Mayo for a handful of reasons…I think the Latin-inspired music is so much fun, the food cuisine is my favorite, and of course…MARGARITAS! I am all over any excuse to gather with friends/family and when there is Mexican food and margaritas involved, I am ALL over it!
We actually have a fundraising event at my work on Cinco de Mayo (which will be a blast in and of itself and catered by my favorite Mexican restaurant…yippee!) so I am planning on throwing together a little Seis de Mayo celebration the next day in conjunction with a birthday party for Travis. I mean, who says we can’t keep the party rollin’ into Sunday?
Anyway, one recipe I will CERTAINLY be serving at our little fiesta will be this Caballero Caviar (more commonly known as Cowboy Caviar). I LOVE making a big bowl of this as an appetizer/side dish for any summer BBQ, but it is especially fitting on Cinco de Mayo.
I love this “salad” for lots of reasons, mainly the taste, but also because it is super healthy, filling, and checks all the boxes for a solid appetizer-it’s basically a super easy combination of salsa, guacamole, and 7-layer bean dip. You literally just chop and throw the ingredients into a big bowl, give it a mix, and serve with tortilla chips or plantain chips to keep it grain free!
I have seen many variations of this recipe online, but I like this one for its simplicity and ease. You can add and subtract different things based on your personal preferences, but this is my favorite combination to date. The fresh ingredients do all the work of making the dip delicious and satisfying. The biggest problem with it is that it’s hard to stop eating! I actually made a batch a couple weekends ago when we had 2 friends over, and the four of us almost demolished the whole bowl (even though it’s intended for a large party :D). Needless to say, I didn’t end up needing much for dinner…
If you are celebrating Cinco de Mayo or even if you are just looking for a delicious appetizer or side dish to serve at or bring to a summer BBQ, this will be your new go-to! You can throw it together in a few minutes and the crowd pleasing factor is off the charts!
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper
- 4 medium tomatoes
- 1 small or 1/2 a medium red onion
- 1 15 oz can black beans
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos (more or less depending on preference)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup corn (Optional-fresh off the cob is best but canned works too!)
- Juice of 3 limes
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- First, prepare all of the add-ins. Dice the bell pepper into small cubes. Remove the stems from the tomatoes and dice them into cubes. Dice the red onion. Drain and rinse the black beans. Dice the pickled jalapenos. Dice the avocado. Chop the cilantro. Add everything to a large bowl as you go.
- Juice the limes over the bowl, and add the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic. Mix everything gently (so not to mash the avocado) but thoroughly to make sure everything is combined well.
- Serve immediately or cover and store in the fridge until ready to eat! Serve with tortilla chips or plantain chips, or even over grilled chicken!
Careful, once you start dippin’ it’s hard to stop! But that’s ok because this bowl of goodness is hearty and healthy, ensuring that no matter what else is being served, I will have something totally satisfying and fresh to fill my belly! 
Enjoy!
A delicious, light, and fresh appetizer, side or topping for your Cinco de Mayo celebration...that may end up being on repeat all summer long!
- 1 red bell pepper
- 4 medium tomatoes
- 1 small or 1/2 a medium red onion
- 1 15 oz can black beans
- 2 ripe avocados
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos more or less depending on preference
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup corn Optional-fresh off the cob is best but canned works too!
- Juice of 3 limes
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper
-
First, prepare all of the add-ins. Dice the bell pepper into small cubes. Remove the stems from the tomatoes and dice them into cubes. Dice the red onion. Drain and rinse the black beans. Dice the pickled jalapenos. Dice the avocado. Chop the cilantro. Add everything to a large bowl as you go.
-
Juice the limes over the bowl, and add the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic. Mix everything gently (so not to mash the avocado) but thoroughly to make sure everything is combined well.
-
Serve immediately or cover and store in the fridge until ready to eat! Serve with tortilla chips or plantain chips, or even over grilled chicken!
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