It was not until I moved to Texas that I became aware of the southern tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year's day to bring good luck.
And sure enough... black-eyed peas are featured in all the local grocery stores.

So this year I made some Texas Caviar. This can be served on Bibb lettuce as a side salad or can be served with tortilla chips for dipping.

2 15 oz. cans BLACK-EYED PEAS
1/4 c. roughly chopped CILANTRO
1/4 c. EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
1/4 c. RED WINE VINEGAR
1 clove GARLIC, finely chopped
1 SERRANO CHILE, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1/2 RED BELL PEPPER, cored, seeded, and finely chopped (I used yellow and orange bell peppers)
1 TOMATO, seeded and finely diced
1/4 RED ONION, finely chopped
SALT and freshly ground BLACK PEPPER, to taste

Combine all ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
Refrigerate for 4 hours before serving.

Leftovers would also be good as an ingredient in tacos or quesadillas.

HAPPY NEW YEAR Y'ALL!