ACE KICKSTART® COWBOY CAVIAR
★ Issue CMSC·25–023 · Published 20 Jul 2025
chickenSaladTex-Mex

ACE KICKSTART® COWBOY CAVIAR.

Black-eyed peas, poblanos, corn, and tomatoes—eat warm, cold, or straight from the bowl

PREP 25 min
COOK 120 min
TOTAL 10:25h h
SERVES —  
HEAT medium
BLEND RATING 5.0 33 reviews · Ace Kickstart®
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You'll need
Mixing bowlSaucepanCutting board

Black-eyed peas, poblanos, corn, and tomatoes—eat warm, cold, or straight from the bowl

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • FOR THE BEANS:
  • 1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight
  • 2 Tablespoons Better Than Bouillon Chicken (or vegetable)
  • 8 cups of water
  • FOR THE VEGETABLES:
  • 1 cup red onion, diced
  • 3 scallions, diced
  • 1 cup plum tomatoes, diced
  • 2 cups corn, fresh or frozen
  • 2 poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, diced
  • 2 Anaheim chiles, stemmed, seeded, diced
  • 1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, diced
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
  • FOR THE DRESSING:
  • 1/3 cup avocado oil
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1 medium lime, juiced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tablespoon Casa M Spice Co® Ace Kickstart®

Method

  1. 01

    Soak black-eyed peas overnight

    480 min

    Can substitute two cans drained and rinsed to skip this and the cook step.

  2. 02

    Boil water with bouillon

    5 min

    Get that broth boiling hard so the bouillon dissolves completely and seasons the water evenly—taste it and adjust if you need more depth.

  3. 03

    Simmer black-eyed peas until al dente

    120 min

    Stir every hour, test texture at second hour.

  4. 04

    Drain and cool the peas

    15 min

    You want the peas cooled enough to handle but still warm, which helps them absorb the flavors of the vegetables you're about to mix in.

  5. 05

    Dice all vegetables and herbs

    20 min

    Onion, tomatoes, corn, poblano, Anaheim, jalapeño, cilantro.

  6. 06

    Whisk dressing ingredients until smooth

    5 min

    Oil, vinegar, lime zest, scallions, garlic, spice.

  7. 07

    Combine peas and vegetables in large bowl

    3 min

    Fold everything together gently so the peas don't break down, then let it sit at least 30 minutes so the flavors marry—it'll taste even better the next day.

  8. 08

    Fold dressing into mixture gently

    2 min

    Ready to serve or chill for later.

From Mike's Notebook

01

Black-eyed peas should bend but not split when done — overshooting turns them to mush.

02

Cool the cooked peas completely before mixing or the warm dressing will wilt the fresh vegetables.

03

Fold the dressing in gently so the poblanos stay visible — aggressive mixing just muddles everything together.

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