Category Archives: Recipes

Festive Bean Salad (aka Texas Caviar)

If you’re looking for a delicious and healthy recipe to take to a Fourth of July celebration this weekend, this one fits the bill! You may already be familiar with Texas Caviar since there are a million variations of the basic recipe in circulation. This party favorite is essentially a marinated bean salad/salsa that is fiber rich and also sugar-free thanks to the stevia substitution I’ve included here. I usually serve this with baked tortilla chips but feel free to experiment with whatever suits your taste.

As for the name….you can rest assured that there is no actual caviar in Texas Caviar! The dish apparently was created by Helen Corbitt, a famed 1950’s food consultant who was the head of food service at Neiman Marcus in Dallas. I found this recent article which gives more of the history if you’re interested. If you’d rather just cook it…well, then, read on!

Festive Bean Salad (aka Texas Caviar)

serves: many

Ingredients:

1 can black eyed peas

1 can pinto OR hot chili beans

1 can black beans

1 can garbanzo beans

1 16 oz bag of frozen corn (or 2 c. of fresh corn cut from the cob)

1 small jar chopped pimento

1 medium Vidalia onion, diced small

1 c. diced red, green or yellow peppers

6 finely diced jalapeno peppers (seeds removed)

3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro

Dressing Ingredients:

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 Tbsp. water

3/4 c. apple cider vinegar

1/2 c. canola oil

10-15 packets of Truvia sweetener OR 1 tsp. PURE Stevia powdered or liquid extract

Baked tortilla chips or other chips of your choice

Directions:

Drain and rinse the first four ingredients in a colander or strainer. Transfer to a large bowl and add next 6 ingredients. Set aside.

In a saucepan, bring the dressing ingredients to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Pour over beans and vegetables and stir to coat. Let cool in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (up to 24). Drain most liquid before serving with chips.

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Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa

A few summers ago my husband and I had a running joke that was based on our observation that we couldn’t look at any decent restaurant menu that year without finding “Mango Salsa” on it! It was like mangoes had been discovered by the chefs in our area and they… were… everywhere! I boycotted mango salsa. I couldn’t bring myself to give in to the wave – the craze – the trend. We concluded that there must have been a big sale on the stuff at the Sysco food distributor or that there had been a bumper crop of mangoes in the tropics that year and they were dirt cheap. Regardless, we were not going to partake of this mango madness.

Oh, what a mistake!

Several summers later (and now very pregnant) nothing sounds more delicious to me than fruit…especially tropical fruits…especially…you guessed it…mangoes. And so I found myself making this Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa – an item I could have ordered straight off the sidewalk chalkboard menu at any restaurant in the city 3 years ago and never did. But THIS year? I had to have it. And I’m so glad I did. I adapted this from a Cooking Light recipe, changing up the salsa a bit by adding kiwi and pineapple in lieu of peppers – you know, because of that tropical fruit thing I have going on.

This recipe comes in at under 200 calories and under 2 grams of fat per serving so it is really light, which leaves plenty of room to pair it up with up a fragrant jasmine rice, a green salad, and maybe a tropics-inspired dessert. Key Lime Pie anyone?

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Salsa
adapted from Cooking Light
Photo Credit: CookingLight.com

serves 4

1/4 c. canned light coconut milk, divided
6 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 4 limes), divided
4 (6 oz) mahi mahi fillets
1 diced peeled ripe mango (about 1/2 lb)
2 diced peeled kiwis
1/4 c. finely diced fresh pineapple
3/4 c. diced, seeded peeled cucumber
2 Tbsp. minced sweet onion
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
3/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 lime wedges

1 – Preheat grill to medium high. Combine 3 Tbsp. coconut milk and 3 Tbsp. lime juice in quart sized Ziplock. Add fish; marinate at room temperature 15 minutes.

2 – Combine remaining 1 Tbsp. coconut milk, remaining 3 Tbsp. lime juice, mango, and next 7 ingredients in a bowl. Add 1/4 tsp. salt; toss well.

3 – Remove fish from dish, place on aluminum foil, and discard marinade. Sprinkle fish with remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper.

4 – Place foil with fish onto medium-high grill and cook 5-7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with mango salsa and a wedge of lime, if you’re so inclined.

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Greek Salad – as eaten in Santorini

Five years ago today, my husband and I were in Santorini, Greece with our six-month-old firstborn in tow to celebrate the wedding of two of our best friends (That’s the happy couple in the picture!). Only for these two would we travel halfway around the world as first-time parents with a still-nursing, not-yet-crawling baby in arms! And so we did. And it was one incredible trip.

We flew into London and spent a few days there before flying to Santorini (one of the Greek Islands). We loved Santorini and took part in just about everything the small group gathered for the wedding celebration had planned. This included, as I recall, a LOOOOONG hike down a STEEEEEEEEP hill accompanied by donkeys to the coast so that we could take a boat out to a smaller island formed by a volcanic crater. We hiked up the hills of that island (baby asleep in the Baby Bjorn!) and took in the incredible view from the top before hiking back down.

On the evening of the wedding, we walked in procession through the cobblestone streets to a tiny hilltop church where the ceremony was (unexpectedly!) conducted entirely in Greek. Then we processed back to the reception site, tourists smiling upon us, as we arrived with our small contingent at the most intimate and beautiful restaurant terrace, where each chair was positioned to have a view of the perfect sunset that evening. It was a night that I’m sure no one present has forgotten.

So as we wish our dear friends a Happy 5 Year Anniversary, I share with you this recipe for an authentic Greek Salad. I developed this recipe to replicate the salad I DEVOURED our first night on the island. I have never tasted anything so fresh, so simple, and so perfectly balanced. I make this all the time when tomatoes and cucumbers are in season (and sometimes even when they’re not!). It’s perfection on a plate…and it always brings back fond memories of that very special trip.

Greek Salad

serves 4

4 medium heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 small cucumbers, cut into same size pieces as tomato
1 green pepper, cut into same size pieces as tomato and cucumber
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced, each slice cut in half
16 kalamata olives
Freshly ground pepper to taste
4 slices of good feta from the thin end of a block (1/4″ thick)
2-4 Tbsp. good fruity olive oil
Sprinkle of dried oregano

Chop the vegetables and toss with olives in a bowl. Season with pepper. Divide among four salad bowls. Top each bowl with a slice of feta, sprinkle of oregano, and drizzle (1/2 Tbsp. – 1 Tbsp.) of olive oil. And that’s IT!



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