Naturally GF: Cowboy Caviar

This recipe comes from my pals Marla and Sam (who are wonderful cooks, they make the most amazing meatballs) and is posted in honors of Stephani (I only promised you this recipe eight months ago!). It's a dish that doesn't look particularly appetizing, but the combination of all the flavors is delicious. Perfect for a party, this is a considerate choice since it's both GF and vegetarian.

My cat wasn't involved in making this dish (for anyone who feels a little nervous they may have ingested large quantities of cat hair, she just watches. Promise.), but I'm two days away from a Madison reunion and couldn't resist posting a picture of my kitchen helper!

Cowboy Caviar

• 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (4 oz.) chopped ripe black olives, drained
• small onion finely chopped, about 1/4 cup
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (if you aren't a huge garlic fan, one clove would be fine)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• the juice from one lime
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 2-3 green onions, sliced
• 1 package tortilla chips (I recommend Tositio's crispy rounds)

This is really easy. Mix together all the ingredients except the cream cheese, eggs, green onion and chips at least two hours ahead, but the night before is really better- gives the flavors more time to meld. Spread the cream cheese on the serving plate, try for an even layer. Spoon bean mixture over cream cheese. Sprinkle the eggs and green onions over the bean mixture, you could make a pattern, but I prefer a light sprinkling all over. Serve with tortilla chips. Have copies of the recipe handy.