Cafe Rio Recipes

I've never been to Cafe Rio, but I know everyone raves about it. I hear that these are their copy-cat recipes. My sister-in-law, Remi, first tried these recipes at an enrichment night and then she made enormous batches to feed the enormous family that came to their son's baptism. It was major delish--and not too unhealthy! I made the pork, rice, beans and dressing last week and I am still enjoying the leftovers!

Serve in the following order: tortillas (costco has great, cook your own tortillas in the refrigerator section), cheese, shredded chicken, pork or beef, black or pinto beans, lime rice, red and green leaf lettuce, chips

sides of: pico de gallo, guacamole, fresh cilantro, fresh lime slice, tomatillo dressing

CHICKEN
5 lbs chicken breast, boneless, skinless
1 sm bottle zesty italian dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced

Mix all ingred together in a large crock pot. Cook on high for 5-7 hours.
Remove chicken and shred. Reserve a small amount of juice and pour over
shredded chicken. Keep warm.

PORK
2 pounds pork (we use boneless pork rib meat)
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 use Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness but any will work)
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) or on low for 8 hours. 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!

BEEF

1 large chuck roast, trimmed of fat

1 can coke—not diet

1-1½ T ancho chili powder (in the gourmet spices)

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp garlic powder

Red chili flakes

Lots of salt and pepper

A bit of an estimate on the spices—I had to add more seasoning to mine ½ way through. Cook in crock pot on high 4-6 hours (could be less!), until meat is tender and falls apart when shredding. Take meat out to cutting board, shred & put back into the crock pot. Adjust seasonings as needed. Turn heat to low and cook for approximately another hour in the juices.

LIME RICE
in a saucepan, saute:
2 T butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced

In a large pot, bring to a boil the following:
6 2/3 cups water
8 t chicken buillion
1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
2 tsp cumin
2 sm cans diced green chilies
1 T lime juice
1/2 t pepper
3 cups of rice

(I used my rice cooker & just got the rice ready according to my rice cooker & added all of the spices, cilantro, onion, etc…it burned a little on the bottom, but it was easy and good!)

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.


PICO DE GALLO

4 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t lime juice
1 t salt1/2 t pepper

TOMATILLO DRESSING
1 pkg Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing mix
1 C buttermilk
1 C Mayo
1 to 2 tomatillos (blanched)
1/2 to 1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 to 1/3 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/2 t lime juice
1/2 to 1 small jalapeno, seeds removed!
BLEND together…let sit for at least a few hours for best taste