California Beef and Black Bean Chili

Prepare the red pepper by washing, cut in half and remove seeds and membranes, cut into small strips. Wash lettuce, spin or blot dry and place in plastic bag with a paper towel; seal bag and refrigerate. Cut peeled jicama into strips such as French fry-size and refrigerate until serving time. In saucepan, bring 1 quart water to a boil. Add the bean sprouts and blanch for two minutes. Remove and run under cold water briefly. Immerse in a bowl of ice water for one minute, drain well. Mash boiled egg or put through a sieve. Refrigerate. In a small bowl, blend vinegar, sugar and salt. In a large bowl, combine bean sprouts, diced cucumbers, strips of red pepper and avocado cubes. Add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil if desired and blend this mixture well. Add the vinegar mixture to the bean sprout mixture and toss to combine. Cover bowl tightly and refrigerate 1 hour. To serve, tear lettuce into bite sized pieces and divide equally among 4-6 salad plates. Top with the sprout mixture, sprinkle with the chopped egg, and arrange the jicama strips on one side of salad. Needs no further dressing to be a delicious and healthy dish.