Tropical Cowboy Caviar is a healthy appetizer recipe perfect for Cinco de Mayo celebrations! A unique twist on the popular version featuring orca beans, tropical fruits like pineapple and mandarin oranges & creamy avocado.
I can’t believe that it is already May!! I mean, really, when did that happen?!? Yesterday it happened, if I am being quite literal 😉 Ha ha!! The past few months have been a whirlwind with having a newborn and all that entails. I do have to say that we are very blessed with our baby girl. She is a good sleeper, rarely fussy (unless she is hungry, just like her daddy and me) and has a very sweet disposition 🙂 I really can’t believe that she nearly 2 1/2 months old!!
But it is May and Cinco de Mayo is this Friday, so I thought it would be fun to create a new recipe to celebrate!  We love Cowboy Caviar and I have shared my go-to recipe for it with you HERE on the blog. It is a more traditional version but would be equally delicious for your Cinco de Mayo celebrations…maybe with an ice cold margarita 😉 This Tropical Cowboy Caviar is a little bit sweet thanks to the tropical fruits, a little spicy thanks to the jalapeños and cilantro, creamy thanks to the avocado and all kinds of savory thanks to these lovely little Orca beans!
Aren’t they cute? And the name is perfect because their black and white coloring really does remind me of an Orca’s! Maybe they should call them “Shamu beans” but they are actually also known as Calypso beans 😉 All joking aside, I had never heard of Orca beans until I happened to notice them on the clearance table at the grocery store. They caught my attention because of the gorgeous colors but also because they were half off (being the frugal, aka cheap, girl that I am). I picked them up and learned from the packaging that they are heirloom beans grown in the Pacific Northwest, that they are high in fiber and iron and contain 10 grams of protein per serving. Yay!! I bought this brand (NOT an affiliate link) and they were very good.
Sadly I had forgotten about these little babies…they were lost in the depths of my pantry, but I happened upon them yesterday and decided to put them to good use in this Tropical Cowboy Caviar. I hope you enjoy it as much as I am (there is still a bowl of it in my frig that I am munching on) 🙂
Here is your recipe for Tropical Cowboy Caviar:
- 2 cups Orca Beans
- 4 cups Water
- 8 oz. pineapple chunks
- 8 oz. mandarin orange pieces
- 1 medium jalapeno, seeded and chopped
- 1 avocado, pit, skin removed and chopped
- 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped
- Zest and juice of one lime
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. cumin
- Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- Sort and rinse beans.
- Place beans in a medium saucepan and cover with water.
- Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, approximately 1 hour. Be sure to check the water level throughout the cooking process and add additional water if needed to keep the beans covered.
- Drain and rinse with cold water.
- Chill until completely cooled.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked beans, pineapple, mandarin oranges, jalapeno, avocado, cilantro, lime zest and juice, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.
- Serve chilled with tortilla chips, as a topping for tacos, burritos, fajitas, etc. or eat alone for a great snack!
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Oh yes ! Love the idea ! Thank you so much !