Spicy Ramyun Black Bean Salad

This is another great dish designed by my son with the idea by my husband to add the spicy noodles to the set, so it’s their combination of something nutritious as well as flavorful.  Without the noodles, having only the greens, it works just as well– a unanimous hit– as long as the garlic oil is used.  What gives it the exceptional touch is the garlic-infused olive oil to sauté the vegetables and black beans, then drizzling with the oil over the salad before serving.  Grape seed oil is excellent for the garlic cloves to infuse, also, which is what I used; my son used olive oil– equally delicious– but this salad has to have the infused oil to top with, not just for sautéing.  The garlic’s got to be smoothly potent to enable this to come together just right.

Crush and slip off the skins of 12 garlic cloves.  Place into 2 cups oil, bring to a good heat; turn off the heat and pour into a separate dish and allow to rest.  This amount of oil will give you enough left over to have in other dishes.

In a large skillet, in the garlic-infused oil, sauté chopped leek and mushrooms.  I also added chopped red bell pepper.  Rinse and drain well 2 15-ounce cans black beans.  

Lightly salt and add lemon pepper to sautéed vegetables.

Heat water to cook this brand of noodles.

When the water reaches a boil, stir this packet of spices into the water with the pasta.  Cook al dente; drain from the water…

Open the other packet and mix contents into the drained noodles.

Place onto a serving plate.

Choose greens of baby spinach, red and green swiss chard, tat soi, arugula, and kale.  Shred your choice of cheese, then drizzle with the garlic-infused oil.  This is very satisfying.

(music artist info for Coalesce)