Texas Caviar

- 1 can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
- 1 can chopped green chiles, drained and large, annoying pieces of skin removed
- 1 large red bell pepper (or half a red and half a yellow pepper), seeded and diced
- 1 can vaccuum packed corn, drained
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 clove garlic, pressed
- 1 finely minced jalapeno
- 1 small tomato or 5 cherry tomatoes, seeded and diced (very optional--if the tomatoes aren't beautiful, please omit!)
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (optional--better for salad, not necessary for salsa)
- salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together in a large bowl. Allow to stand, covered, at room temperature for at least an hour for best flavors. Serve over greens as a salad (baby spinach is particularly nice), or with chips for a chunky, nutrient rich salsa. Also fantastic over basmati or brown rice. I don't bother to heat it. I just serve up the room temperature Texas caviar with the fresh, hot rice. Seems like it might also be good over fish or chicken, especially if you added some fruit. Peaches would be nice (preserving the Texanness), or mango. Cucumbers are good in there, too. They add a nice crunch if you're eating it as a salad.