Chili Garlic Bean Salad Recipe

This was supposed to be a three bean salad.

I went to the pantry and grabbed three cans of beans, drained and rinsed them and added them to the mixing bowl. It wasn’t until I was halfway done making the recipe that I looked down and thought – wow, all those dark beans look the same. It turns out I grabbed two cans of black beans instead of one black and one can of kidney beans. It seems I have a problem with attention to detail.

Oh well, you are getting a little less variety, but not at the cost of good flavor or a darn easy recipe.

I figure we have, what, a few weeks left to have a good picnic? And then after that there are always football parties. Regardless of what the occasion might be, you can stir this salad together in less than 20 minutes and be on your way.

I’ve been infusing olive oils quite a bit lately and that is what gave me the idea for this simple bean salad. This time I infused the oil with lots of garlic and one Thai chili for a little bit of heat. That, and a little salt and pepper are all you need to dress just about any type of salad.

Don’t let what you have on hand keep you from making this. You can use just about any kind of bean, add some bell pepper, cut out the tomato all together — it’s really up to you. The shallot, cherry tomatoes and cilantro were the winning combination for me after a stop at the farmers market yesterday. This dish is headed with us to a dinner party with friends tonight so here’s hoping they like it as much as I do.

Chili Garlic Bean Salad Recipe

MAKES: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 to 2 Thai chilis, sliced
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 shallot, sliced
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
3/4 tsp fine ground sea salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

PREP

Place the oil in a small saucepan and add the garlic and chili. Heat over medium, just until it starts to sizzle. Remove from the heat and let sit for 15 minutes.

Add the black beans and chickpeas to a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, shallot and cilantro. Stir to mix the ingredients.

Pour the olive oil over the salad and add the salt and pepper. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

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