MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06 Title: Korean BBQ Dense Bean Salad Categories: Bean salads, Korean Yield: 8 Servings 1/2 c Cooked white rice; - preferably day old 1 tb Extra virgin olive oil 1 1/2 c Black beans 1 c Shiitake mushrooms; sliced 1 ts Sea salt 2 ts Black pepper 1/2 c Korean BBQ sauce 2 tb Ssamjang 1 tb Rice vinegar 1 tb Sesame oil 1/4 c Pine nuts; toasted or - raw are fine 1 1/2 c Kidney beans 1 1/2 c White beans 1 1/2 c Cucumber; diced 1/2 c Red onion; small diced 1/2 c Red bell pepper; diced 1/4 c Scallion greens; chopped 1 tb Toasted sesame seeds Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes A wonderful, nutritious, and hearty salad that packs a punch! Preheat your oven to 450°F. In a small bowl, mix together extra virgin olive oil and rice, using your hands, until the rice kernels are evenly coated. Spread the rice on a baking sheet, declumping as much as possible. Spread the sliced shiitake mushrooms and black beans on separate baking sheets, making sure not to crowd the sheets I ended up using 3 baking sheets, in total, but you may have bigger baking sheets than I do! Sprinkle each of the trays with salt and black pepper.Bake the beans and mushrooms for about 10 minutes, until the beans start bursting and the shiitake mushrooms start browning. The rice will require a bit more time to crisp--roughly 12 to 15 minutes, depending on how well you declumped them--they will be golden brown. Blend the Korean BBQ sauce, ssamjang, rice vinegar, 1 tb of pine nuts, sesame oil, and black pepper until smooth. Set aside until salad is assembled. Add the roasted black beans, red kidney beans, white beans, roasted mushrooms, cucumbers, bell pepper, red onion, scallion greens, crispy rice, and remaining pine nuts to a large bowl. Pour the dressing, reserving 2 tb, and toss the contents until well-combined and evenly coated. Taste and add additional dressing, as necessary. Season with black pepper and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Recipe by Joanne Molinaro Recipe FROM: MMMMM