The Complete Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad

The Complete Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Salad

Ben and I LOVE Cafe Rio. So I found this recipe on line and decided I would try it tomorrow night. We have never tried anything like this before so when I found this recipe I said why not? Anyway here is what the lady said about the recipe that I copied it from, " We have tried and tried to duplicate the Cafe Rio pork salad.. and tonight.. we nailed it! It was DELICIOUS!! We have tried different sweet pork recipes but something seemed to be missing from each one.. so we combined a few and made our own! I promise, we are VERY VERY picky about our Cafe Rio pork and this tasted EXACTLY like it. We also played around with the rice, the beans, and the ranch. At dinner tonight, we felt like we were having Cafe Rio take-out. However, we liked our recipe even BETTER!!! Don't believe us? Try it out for yourself and you will see!"


SWEET PORK

2 pounds pork
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness)
1 c. brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry). Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!


CILANTRO-LIME RICE

1 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.


BLACK BEANS

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro. (**NOTE** we added a can of corn, drained, to the beans with a dash of cumin and chili powder, it was AWESOME! We recommend doing this even though it's not "traditional Cafe Rio")


CILANTRO RANCH

1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalepeno (we like it SPICY so we kept the seeds in it, if you like it mild, just remove the seeds)

Mix all ingredients together in the blender. Thats it!

K so now to make it all PERFECT... Here is how we put it all together: First of all, we bought the aluminum deep-dish pans (they had these at the grocery store, you will know when you see them.. they look JUST like the Cafe Rio tins). Lay a tortilla in the bottom of the pan, sprinkle cheese on it, and put in the oven at 375 for about 5 min or until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven, add beans, rice, pork, then lettuce (we used the leafy green lettuce, NOT ICEBURG) and a little scoop of diced tomato and onions (pico de gallo). We made up some gaucamole and put some of that on the salad (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). We also added a little spoonful of sour cream. Add some crushed tortilla chips (we have yet to find the little tortilla strips), a shake of parmesan cheese, and top with a few cilantro leaves. Serve with the cilantro ranch dressing and there you have it!

Sherrie

Black Bean Soup

Lauren served this at card club the other night and it was so simple and so good. So I thought that I better post it! Enjoy!

Black Bean Soup
1 cup salsa (fresca is best, but any type will do) plus more for garnish
2 15 oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups chicken broth
sour cream, for garnish lime, for garnish

Heat salsa in large saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Stir in beans and broth; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.Cool slightly and spoon half of soup into blender or food processor to puree.Serve with sour cream and salsa. Also good with shredded chicken, tortilla strips, avocado, tomatoes, and cheese.

Kara's Award-Winning Chili

1 lb Ground beef
1 Chopped onion
1 T Minced garlic
2 T Chili powder
1 T Cumin
1 Jalapeno pepper
4 Cans diced tomatoes
2 Cans of chili beans
2 Cans of black beans
1 Small can of tomato paste
¼ c Honey

Brown ground beef, drain fat. Add onion & garlic and sauté until soft. Add chili powder, cumin and salt & pepper to taste. Add jalapeno pepper (I usually just half it and depending on the desired heat I leave the seeds in or not). Add remaining ingredients and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. It’s always better the next day! I serve with sour cream, cheese, fresh cilantro, lime, fresh tomatoes, & onions.

Enjoy!

Kara

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables (Barefoot Contessa)

Ingredients
1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4 inch diced
1 red bell pepper, 1 inch diced
1 yellow bell pepper, 1 inch diced
1 red onion, peeled and 1 inch diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 lb orzo pasta or rice-shaped pasta
For the dressing
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice(2 lemons)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
To assemble
4 scallions, minced(white and green parts)
1/4 cup pignolis, toasted(pine nuts)
3/4 lb good feta, 1/2 inch diced(not crumbled)
15 fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne
Directions
1Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, and pepper on a large sheet pan.
3Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.
4Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender.
5Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl.
6Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.
7For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables.
8Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta, and basil.
9Check the seasonings, and serve at room temperature.

Okay, this is one of my favorites right now! Excellent for summer and it makes GREAT leftovers, enjoy :)

Chari

Chicken Pierre

6 chicken breast

1/4 c flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 pinch black pepper

3 tbsp butter

1(14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid

1/2 c water

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp distilled white vinegar

2 tbsp worcestershire sauce

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp mustard powder

1 clove garlic, minced

In a bowl, combine flour, 1/2 tsp salt and ground black pepper. Coat chicken breasts with flour mixture. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown chicken on all sides. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.

In the same skillet, combine tomatoes, water, brown sugar, vinegar and worcestershire sauce. Season with salt, chili powder, mustard and garlic. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and return chicken to skillet. Cover and simmer 35-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Serve over rice.

* I used red wine vinegar instead of distilled white vinegar.