Texas Caviar

I realize that to most people, Texans seem like a pompous breed who never shut up about the glories of their state. As a native Texan living in the Midwest for the last decade, I’m sure I have deserved the eye rolls and slightly annoyed shrugs when I rave about kolaches, REAL Tex Mex, Longhorn football, and the magical utopia of a city named Austin. However, we Texans take our chips and dip extremely seriously…and so should you. (See the cockiness coming out? Man, it just pops up out of no where and feels like a comfortable old sweater.)

Texas bean dip, or Texas caviar, can help anchor an entire meal. You can serve it with fish, on top of tacos, or even wrap it in lettuce for a vegetarian lettuce wrap. We make it for almost every party we host, and usually the bowl is scraped licked clean by the end of the night. A certain BFF of mine, who shall not remain nameless calls me nearly every month to get the recipe again since she loves it so much, but for some reason has never taken the time to write it down. (Tanya, this post is for you.)
Ingredients:

1. Open beans, peas, and corn. Drain, rinse, and drain excess water. Add to a large bowl.

2. Finely chop onion, bell pepper, and a handful of cilantro. Add to the bowl.

3. In a small bowl stir dressing, sour cream, hot sauce, and ranch powder until combined.

4. Add to veggies. Cover and chill for an hour before serving.

Anytime I make this dip Stu hangs out in the kitchen so as not to leave any lag time from when it’s finished to when he can eat. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the whole bowl will be consumed during one episode of Sports Center. (Oh, do you see that lil’ cutie just chillin’ the background? Bonus!)

As soon as I was approached with the Kraft campaign, I was excited and knew exactly what I was going to make. I buy the Zesty Italian dressing every time I make Texas caviar. Using dressings like this in dips is great because it’s a quick way to add oil, vinegar, and seasonings without measuring each out individually.

Have you seen the ad below with the oh-so-hunky man? Hah! Am I offended by their overt use of the male figure to lure females to the joys of salad dressing? No. Men have Hardee’s, Victoria Secret and a million other commercials. It’s time we had one too, ladies.  Zesty!