Summer Eats: Texas Caviar

I attended sleep-away camp in central Texas eight summers straight. I've you've never experienced a Texas summer, just think about the hottest day on record in your town and multiply it by 5 months.

The kitchen staff at my camp held firmly to the belief that cuisine knows no season, and served up platters of heavy Texas classics that were completely incongruent with the 98-degree weather. I mean, really...chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes in late June? Biscuits and gravy right before a morning swim? I'm surprised I didn't sink to the bottom of the pool.

As an adult making her own food choices, I try to avoid things like cream gravy and beef stew at high noon on a hot summer day, opting instead for leafy greens, whole grains, pasta salads and fruit. And if I may make a recipe suggestion to the current kitchen staff at my old camp, I submit a lighter Lone Star classic--Texas caviar--also called black-eyed-pea dip.

Adapted from this recipe, you basically just chop up a bunch of fresh peppers, onions, corn, black-eyed peas and a yummy vinegar dressing poured over the top. Light, crunchy, and fills you right up! Maybe this generation of campers can avoid joining Weight Watchers once summer session has ended.