Cowboy Caviar BBQ Salad

Yom Ha'atzmaut officially marks the launch of BBQ season, lighter meals, and outdoor entertaining.

Tossing meat, chicken, fish and even vegetable kebabs onto the grill covers the bulk of the meal, but it's the side dishes that set your BBQ efforts apart.

Enter the creatively named 'Cowboy Caviar' which is the perfect BBQ companion.

Amazingly quick to make - many of the ingredients are canned and the dressing is simply whisked together by hand - it stretches to feed a crowd and keeps well for days.

Celebrate 70 in the company of a cowboy and say goodbye to limp, lackluster greens.

Ingredients:

• soaked bulgur or prepared couscous (see notes)

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 can chickpeas or mixed beans, drained and rinsed

• 1 can corn, drained

• 1/2 red onion, finely diced

• 1 yellow pepper, finely diced

• 1 red pepper, finely diced

• 2-3 cucumbers, diced

• 1/2 cup chopped coriander (cilantro), or parsley if preferred

• Large tortilla chips to serve for scooping (optional)

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup red or white wine vinegar

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 2 tbsp sugar

• 1 tsp crushed garlic

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• Pinch of chili flakes

• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Place dressing ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously to blend, or whick together well with a fork.

2. Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl (see notes). Pour over half of dressing and toss to combine.

3. Drizzle remaining over salad and garnish with extra chopped coriander or parsley just prior to serving.

Cooks Notes:

This is delicious served on it's own and is much like a traditional Israeli salad with a Texan twist. However you can make it more substantial with the addition of bulgur or couscous, which soaks up the dressing beautifully.

Bulgur is super easy as you simply cover the grains with water in a bowl and leave it for an hour or two until the water is absorbed and bulgur is tender. Couscous isn't much more difficult. Feel free to play around and take out or replace an ingredient or two - I like adding a diced avocado for extra creaminess. Cowboys are very forgiving and you truly can't go wrong.