Veggie Caviar

At the last crop Mom went to, I popped in and our friend Judy had made a black eyed pea salad with corn, onions & bell peppers. I tasted it, and it was scrumptious. I didn't ask for the recipe, but have been craving it for a couple of weeks now, so I came up with my own take on it. I've chosen to call it "caviar", simply because it sounds as good as it tastes! Here's my version...

Veggie Caviar

1 can black eyed peas, drained & rinsed

1 can whole kernel corn, drained & rinsed

1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained

1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped

1 rib celery, finely chopped

1/2 fresh tomato, finely chopped

4 scallions, thinly sliced, including green part

Mix all together in a large bowl and pour viniagrette over it and allow it to marinate.

Viniagrette

1/4 cup vinegar (I used roasted garlic rice wine vinegar)

1/2 cup good olive oil

kosher salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper to taste

red pepper flakes to taste

herbs (whatever you like - I used an all purpose herb blend)

Pour everything into a pint jar with a lid, screw the lid on tightly and shake, shake, SHAKE!! You can tell when the dressing is well emulsified. This makes more than enough dressing - I only used half on my veggies, and the rest I'll save for the next batch.

This is really wonderful with either corn chip scoops or tortilla chip scoops. Enjoy!!