Not too long ago we had a town hall at work in which the team, or if you work at Walt Disney World, the Cast put together a menu based on their background and heritage.  With over 60 cooks participating, you can imagine how extravagant and flavorful this lunch was.  I took away a ton of idea’s and a full belly, not to mention a recipe or two.

The recipe for Texas Caviar came from another part of the kitchen team, one of the most important parts- the receiving/ordering team.  They are not chefs, but let me tell you they have more food knowledge then many cooks, form cuts of meat, vegetables in season and which fish are swimming when and where.  Just a reminder to never judge a book by its cover, that everyone you encounter has something to offer.

As all things in Texas, this “caviar’ offers big texture with big flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 each 15.25 ounce can reduced sodium black beans
• 1 each 16 ounce can reduced sodium pinto beans
• 7 ounce white corn kernels
• 2 ounce chopped green chilies
• 1 fresh jalapeño pepper, chopped
• ½ each red and green bell pepper, small diced
• ½ bunch cilantro, chopped
• ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Method

• Drain and rinse beans and corn if using canned.  Combine the beans, corn and peppers in a mixing bowl.
• Make the dressing by putting the vinegar, oil, sugar, garlic powder and salt in a small sauce pot and bring to a boil.   Immediately pour over the bean mixture and stir well.  Add the chopped cilantro and refrigerate until cool.  Serve with fresh cut veggies, tortilla chips, or over a bed of greens.

The flavors grow with time, mixing and mingling and become perfectly balanced between salty and sweet.

This has moved to the top of my list for healthy reception dips/salsas.

Kitchen talk has a wide range, from personal family stories, to tales of out of work shenanigans, to light to heavy teasing of one another, and of course food.  A team of over 60 can bring a lot of ideas and a ton of knowledge, and especially a lot of passion.  It’s easy to forget what a great resource is around you with all the beautiful cookbooks on the shelves and the ease of the internet in our hands or pockets.  More often than not the answers or ideas your search for is under your nose, or paperwork and order sheets in this case.