Tonights dinner was thanks to the recipes from Laura Adams and Amberly Haney! Amberly made this for our family last year and I almost died and went to heaven! This meat is so incredibly sweet and amazing and the salad is not really a salad, it's dessert on lettuce. So good. Thanks Laura, Julie Funk and Amberly for sharing!When 3 people tell you to try something, you listen! If nothing else, the pork recipe is incredible! Most of these recipes are from the website www.thepickyapple.com which is an awesome website!
Cafe Rio Salad
Here is how to assemble a Cafe Rio salad, first lay a tortilla on the bottom of a pan and sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted at 375.
Then add your beans, rice, pork, lettuce, guacamole, crushed tortilla chips, a shake of parmesan cheese, and top witha few cilantro leaves. Serve with the cilantro ranch dressing.
Of course you can skip a few of these steps and it will still be heavenly!
PS: my sweet pork looks overly saucey because I "oopsed" and added too much tomato sauce/juice. Follow directions, or yours will look like mine! haha.
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork
2 pounds pork (I used pork tenderloin)
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 RED 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. Marinate 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 crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours. That’s it!
Cafe Rio 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 (I used a few tablespoons of tomato sauce instead)
1/4 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 (about 1 or 2 minutes). Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.
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.
Cilantro Ranch Dressing:
1 pckge Hidden valley ranch dressing (dry mix)
1 cup buttermilk
½ cbunch of cilantro, chopped
1 small jalapeno (seeds removed) optional
1 cup mayo
1 tsp lime juice
2 tomatillos (remove papery skin)
1 garlic clove
Blend all ingredients in the blender. Set aside in fridge until ready to serve.
EnJOY!
