Name: Cowboy Caviar with Lots of Spices
Ingredients: 15.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed; 2.25 oz can sliced black olives, drained and chopped; 1/4 cup chopped onion; 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped; 2 tbs each olive oil and lime juice; 1 clove garlic, chopped; 1/4 tsp each ground cumin, salt and cayenne pepper; 1/8 tsp black pepper; 8 oz pkg cream cheese, room temp

Why it works: Lime and cumin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,216 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Cowboy Caviar with Lots of Spices

Time2 hours

Ingredients

15.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2.25 oz can sliced black olives, drained and chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 tbs each olive oil and lime juice
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp each ground cumin, salt and cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp black pepper
8 oz pkg cream cheese, room temp

Directions

Prepare the bean mixture

Mash beans slightly and place in a bowl.
Add olives, onion, jalapeño, oil, juice, garlic, cumin, salt and peppers.

Chill

Refrigerate covered 2 hours.

Assemble and serve

Spread cream cheese over the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate.
Spread bean mixture over the top.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with cracked pepper crackers.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

417Calories

12 gProtein

26 gFat

40 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 11 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Black Bean	1/2 cup canned (120g) drained	114
Cream Cheese	1 oz (28g)	99
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Cumin	1 tsp ground (2.1g)	8
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Olive	1 large (4g)	4
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Lime + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,216 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Beans + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together1,188 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Garlic + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,082 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Jalapeno + cumintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together688 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Black beans: Provide the bulk and creamy body of the dip, and hold the other flavours.
Cream cheese: Forms a rich, creamy base layer that adds fat and mild tang.
Black olives: Add salty, briny flavour and a soft texture that contrasts with the beans.
Olive oil: Adds fat and smooth mouthfeel, carrying flavour through the mixture.
Lime juice: Adds acidity that brightens the flavours and balances the richness.
Jalapeño: Adds fresh, green heat that builds through the chilled mixture.

The step that matters

Bring the cream cheese to room temperature before spreading. Cold cream cheese is stiff and tears or drags across the pie plate, so a softened layer spreads evenly and stays a clean base under the bean mixture.

Swap the clove

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (beans, olive, onion, jalapeno, lime, garlic, cumin):

Corianderfits better
Oreganofits better
Turmericfits better
Clovethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against beans, olive, onion, jalapeno, lime, garlic, cumin. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Cowboy Caviar with Lots of Spices