Cafe Rio Sweet Pulled Pork Salad or Tacos

Have y'all ever been to Cafe Rio and had their sweet pork salad? If you have, this recipe is pretty spot on, if you haven't well then it's your lucky day because this rocks as dinner. I got this recipe from an old friend from Portland. She has a recipe blog (click here) that I LOVE. I love these recipes and I just get hungry every time I think about them. I love all of the fresh flavors and combinations you get and it can be thrown together as a salad or as a taco. So here it is in all of the different levels. I am going to put the recipes in the order you would assemble your salad if you want to go that route.

Shredded Sweet Pork (Cafe Rio)

Ingredients:

2 lbs. pork*

Marinade:

about 2 1/4 c. (or 1 1/2 cans) Pepsi (not diet, but we were good since I'm pregnant and bought caffeine free and it works just as well)

1/4 c. brown sugar

To cook the pork:

2/3 c. (or 1/2 can) Pepsi

garlic salt

1/4 c. water

Sauce:

2/3 c. (or 1/2 can) Pepsi

1 can diced green chiles

3/4 can enchilada sauce

3/4 c. brown sugar

*I read that you should NOT use a pork roast for this recipe. The pork should be a more fatty cut. We used boneless pork shoulder ribs, but I also heard that pork butt works well.

Directions:

Place pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag and add 2 1/4 c. Pepsi and 1/4 c. brown sugar. Marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight (I chose overnight). Remove pork from the bag and place in slow cooker. Discard the marinade. Pour water and 2/3 c. Pepsi over the pork. Sprinkle with garlic salt to taste. Cook on high for 3-4 hours (or on low for 8 hours) until pork can be easily shredded. Remove pork and shred (try doing this in your kitchen aid with the dough hook, make sure you don't over shred though). Empty excess liquid from the slow cooker and place shredded pork back in it. Prepare sauce by mixing 2/3 c. Pepsi, enchilada sauce, green chiles, and 3/4 c. brown sugar in a blender until sauce is smooth. If it seems too thick, add more Pepsi (mine was not too thick). Pour sauce over shredded pork and cook on low for 2 more hours.

Cilantro Lime Rice (Cafe Rio)

Ingredients:

2 c. uncooked rice - I used instant and it worked great :)

1/2 T. butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. fresh lime juice

1 can chicken broth (14 oz)

1 T. fresh lime juice

3 T. fresh chopped cilantro

2 t. sugar

If needed: water

Add chicken broth, garlic, 1 t. lime juice, and butter. Boil and then add the rice. Once the rice is done cooking, combine the remaining lime juice with the cilantro and sugar. Pour over the cooked rice and fluff it to combine.

Black Beans (Cafe Rio)

Ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. ground cumin

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 1/3 c. tomato juice

1 1/2 t. salt

2 T. fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:

Heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cumin and stir for a minute or two (until the garlic becomes aromatic). Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Stir frequently until heated through. Add cilantro just before serving. Serve with a slotted spoon to drain off excess tomato juice.

Creamy Tomatillo Sauce (Cafe Rio)

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix (TRADITIONAL not buttermilk)

1 c. mayonnaise

1 c. buttermilk

2 tomatillos, husks removed, diced

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

juice from 1 lime

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix under sauce is smooth. Refrigerate until needed.

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:

3 roma tomatoes, diced

1/4 onion, diced 

1 1/2 T. fresh chopped cilantro

1/4 jalapeno, seeded, diced 

juice from 1/4 lime

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pinch garlic powder

1 pinch cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and refrigerate until needed (at least three hours according to the recipe, but it was still good after 1 1/2). Feel free to taste and add spices as desired.

To assemble your salad you first put down a tortilla, sprinkle on some shredded chedder cheese, add your meat, add your rice and beans, add your romaine salad, add your Pinco de Gallo, Pour on your Dressing, and then sprinkle on your tortilla chip strips(i used Frito's) and sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese. When it is all done, it looks like this...

A big thank you to Jennifer Peterson for putting this on her blog. I believe she got it from Favorite Family Recipe.

Ham and Pea Casserole

Ham and Pea Casserole

This is a casserole I like to use after I have cooked a big ham. We can never eat the whole ham and leftovers aren't that exciting after a while. I just made it up and throw the amounts in, so it really is up to you on how much you make.

Ingredients

1/2 box our a full box of the funnest pasta you can find :)

1 bottle of Alfredo sauce(it doesn't matter what kind, I just don't like ragu)

I can Cream of Chicken

1 cup of frozen pea's

1-2 cups of chopped ham

1/2-1 cup Italian bread crumbs

2 TBS of Butter

1/4 cups of Parmesan

I boil the pasta and pea's together then drain. I add the sauces and ham. Then I mix the bread crumbs with cheese and butter until it is moist. Then I put pasta mixture in a casserole dish and sprinkle crumbs on top. Cook at 425 until crumbs are brown and then serve.

Salsa Pulled Pork

1 pork roast

1 can refried beans 16 oz

1 can salsa 16 oz

Put in your crock pot and cook on high for 5-6 hours until you can shred your pork! SO yummy!!!

Serve in tortillas with olives, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, ranch, and whatever else you can think of!!

Sausage Stuffed Loaf- Taste of Home

2 loaves frozen bread dough (1 pound each)

1 pound Italian sausage

1 package (10 oz) frozen spinach, thawed squeezed dry

2 cups mozzarella cheese

2 cups swiss cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 TBS butter

1 egg lightly beaten

Thaw bread dough until doubled in size. Cook sausage, drain, add spinach, cheese, oregano, and garlic and then set aside.

Roll each bread into 14 in by 12 in rectangle. Put sausage in middle, gently press down and then bring edges up and pinch to seal. Place seam down on cookie sheet and form into crescent shape. Brush with egg. Bake 350 for 20-25 minutes. Let stand 5-10 minutes before cutting.

Argentine Locro (A Soup with Everything in it)

This is a special occasion meal, they make this to celebrate their May Revolution Day in Argentina (25 de Mayo)  it is super filling and loaded with calories.  My kids liked it.  The Quiquirrimichi sauce adds great flavor and kick, and they put a white cheese over top. 



Saute the below ingredients until onions are translucent and meat is cooked
11 oz Italian sausage or chorizo (cut into ~1 in pieces)
11 oz stew meat--beef
11 oz smoked bacon (cut into tiny pieces)
1 white onion diced
2 cloves garlic (diced)

ADD to meat:

2 cups white corn (I used frozen, but fresh is best)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp black ground pepper
dash of salt

stir over medium heat for 5-10 minutes then pour into a crock pot with:

2 cups boiling water and 1 cube vegetable bullion
1 large can hominy (with juice)
1 cup cubed butternut squash
1 cup cubed sweet potato
1 cup cubed baking potato
2 Roma tomatoes in wedges
2 cans Navy Beans

Let cook in crock pot for 3-5 hours on high, during the last hour mash the soup to desired thickness.

Serve with cheese (I used mozzarella) and quiquirimichi sauce (put on a little or a lot depending on how much heat you want)

QUIQUIRIMICHI SAUCE:

Saute:
3T olive oil
1 red bell peppers (finely diced)
1 medium white onion (finely diced)
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp red chili flakes (or to taste)
a pinch of chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Shredded Pork Sandwiches

Shredded Pork Sandwiches
1 Boneless pork shoulder roast (3-4 pounds)
1 ¼ cup ketchup
½ c water
½ c diced celery
¼ c diced onion
¼ c lemon juice
3 T vinegar
2 T Worcestershire sauce
¼ c b sugar
2 t ground mustard
1 t salt
1 t pepper
Hamburger Buns
Slow cook in slow cooker for 6 hours or until you can easily pull meat apart.

Bean and Ham Soup!

Ingredients

• 1 pound dry great Northern beans
• 8 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 ham hock
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1/2 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups chopped ham
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Directions

1. Rinse the beans, sorting out any broken or discolored ones. In a large pot over high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and the beans and remove from heat. Let beans sit in the hot water for at least 60 minutes.
2. After the 60 minutes of soaking, return the pot to high heat and place the ham bone, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, mustard and bay leaves in the pot. Stir well, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 60 more minutes.
3. Remove ham bone and discard. Stir in the chopped ham and simmer for 30 more minutes. Season with ground white pepper to taste

SO I got this recipe off of All Recipes and I LOVE it! I did it a little bit differently though.

I used canned white beans and I don't think it made any difference. Also I didn't use the ground mustard because I didn't have any. When I do it again I am going to make sure I have it on hand because I think it was defiantly missing something and I think the mustard would help. Other than that, the soup was so hearty and yummy. It was a good soup for a "yucky" day. I was really nervous about using a ham hock, but I think it made the soup that much better. So go out and buy them. They look yucky but they are worth it in the end. Plus they don't cost to much.