Brazillian Black Bean and Red Pepper Salad

2 to 3 cups of regular dried black beans
1 large red pepper, diced
1 large green pepper, diced
2 to 3 finely chopped carrots
2 to 3 cloves of garlic
1/2 C. finely chopped fresh cilantro or fresh parsley
1/2 C. rice wine vinegar
3 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon of ground cumin (more if desired)
dash of hot red pepper flakes
dash of salt (if desired)

Pick through beans and soak overnight with plenty of water tocover. In
the morning, drain the beans and add fresh water to cover.

Place beans over heat. Add one clove of garlic and bring to a
moderate boil. Cook beans for approximately 30-45 minutes until
beans are tender but NOT SOFT and mushy. The beans should be
firm enough to hold their shape. Keep a close eye on their
progress.

When beans are cooked to the tender stage, remove garlic and drain. Place
warm beans in a large serving bowl.

While beans are cooking, chop and dice the red and green peppers and
carrots. Add them to the beans. In a 2-cup measuring cup (or something
similiar),combine the rice wine vinegar, water, cumin and other
ingredients. Mince the remaining garlic and add it to the rice
vinegar dressing. Stir well to combine ingredients.

Toss the bean and vegetable mixture withtherice wine vinegar dressing.
Cover and refrigerate for a few hours before serving. I think tossintg
warm beans with dressing enhances the flavors more than if using cold
beans.

The rice wine vinegar is fairly sweet and very mild. It makes an
exceptionally delicious replacement for olive oil in just about
any salad dressing recipe. The lemon-y cilantro adds a wonderful
flavor; especially when combined with the cumin. Try to use
fresh cilantro. Dired cilantro just does not have the same impact.
You can substitute fresh parsley if desired.

Serve the bean salad over rice and spoon a little dressing over it. The
red and green peppers add beautiful color and contrast nicely with the
black beans and cilantrol. Together it makes for an attractive
presentation on the plate.

NOTES:
This is a very flavorful and easy salad to make. The cilantro
and the cumin combine to make a tasty dish. It is easy to
make and stays in the refrigerator for about 5 days.