Cafe Rio Pulled Pork

This is a go-to at my house. I love eating it in salads, or as burritos in some good tortillas (Carolina's if you have a chance!) with fresh cilantro, sliced avocados, and Kraft Green Goddess dressing (I'm too lazy to make my own dressing, and I think this storebought stuff is GREAT with this)

Pork Loin  (Pork SHOULDERS shred the best. I buy the huge ones from Costco and cut them into four roasts)

• 18 ounces Coca-Cola Classic (not diet)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 (7 ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard, dry (heaping)
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1. Remove Chilies from the can of adobo sauce.
2. Rinse chilies and can with the coke to get all the sauce. You are using the sauce and not the chilies for this recipe.
3. Add 1-2 chilies for spice, more if you're daring
4. Put all ingredients except pork in the blender. Blend until smooth.
5. Pour over pork in crock pot.
6. Cook on low for 7-9 hours until it pulls apart easily. After cooking, shred with forks.

Spanish Rice

-2 cups rice
-3/4 c. oil
-1/2 c. tomato sauce
-6 stems cilantro (optional)
-1 tsp. salt
-1 tsp. minced garlic
-4 cups water
-1 tsp. chicken flavored bouillon cube
-Dash of cumin
-Dash of garlic pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oil in large frying pan on medium heat.
2. Add rice and cook until golden brown.
3. Add 1 chicken flavored bouillon cube to 4 cups water and microwave for 3 minutes.
4. When rice is brown, add water, tomato sauce, salt, garlic, cumin and garlic pepper to pan.
5. Stir and cover pan. Let simmer for 30-40 minutes.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

This recipe is different than the one I usually use. Sounds loverly with the turkey & pico de gallo...

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lb Ground Turkey Breast Extra Lean
• 1 cup Fresh Pico De Gallo
• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 tbsp Low Sodium Soy Sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp Grill Mates Montreal Chicken Seasoning
• 4 medium raw Green-bell Pepper
• 4 tbsp Original Taco Sauce
• 3 oz Sliced Fresh Mushrooms

Directions

Top bell peppers and scoop out seeds.
Chop up the pepper tops and sliced mushrooms and add to pico de gallo.
Season turkey with Montreal Chicken seasoning, and sauté in skillet with olive oil and soy sauce.
Once meat begins to brown add pico de gallo mixture (chopped onions, tomatoes, cilantro and chopped bell pepper)
Meanwhile coat the hollow bell peppers with olive oil, place in glass baking dish and roast for 15 minutes at 350℉.
Fill roasted peppers with cooked meat and return to oven for 5 minutes.
Top each pepper with dabs of taco sauce to taste.

Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas

I just found this recipe again, after making it several months ago. It's a keeper!

6 Tb honey
4.5 Tb lime juice
1 Tb chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 lb cooked chicken, shredded
flour tortillas
colby or monterey jack cheese, shredded
10 oz. can green enchilada sauce

Mix first 4 ingredients together and toss with shredded chicken. Let it "marinate" for at least a half hour. Pour some green enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 10x10 casserole dish or 9x13 pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese. Pour the rest of the can of green enchilada sauce over enchiladas then sprinkle with more cheese. (When using a 9x13 I like to use 1 1/2 10 oz. cans) Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. (Put it under the broiler at the end to make the cheese brown and crispy on the top.)

Appetizers.

Jalapenos, with cream cheese inside, with a chunk of peach and a chunk of pineapple, all wrapped up in bacon and grilled.

MANGO SALSA

Mango salsa is perhaps the most vibrant example of a triad of flavors.

4 mangos, peeled, seeded and diced
2 red bell peppers, seeded and julienned
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Juice from 2 limes
2 jalapeno chili peppers, seeded and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients and toss well. Serve immediately.

Makes about 6 cups

Mexicorn Salad

2 ripe avocados, peeled and diced
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tomatoes, diced
1 1/2 cup Jack/Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can mexicorn, drained and rinsed

Combine all above in a large bowl. Mix the juice of 2 limes, 1 Tbsp. olive oil, a pinch of salt, and garlic powder to taste and drizzle over salad. Serve with corn chips.

Corn & avocado salsa

1 can white corn, drained
1 can black-eyed peas, drained
1/2 bunch green onion, chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
4 med. tomatoes, chopped
3 avocados, chopped
1 pkg. Good Seasons Italian dressing mix

Mix together all ingredients and chill overnight.

Taco Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing

Ingredients
grilled chicken, grilled steak, beans, etc.
vegetables — such as colored peppers, lightly cooked corn, diced tomato, etc.
something from the onion family, like chopped scallions or chopped red onion
shredded red or green cabbage
cheese (a must!) — pepper jack, monterey jack, sharp cheddar, queso fresco, etc.
diced avocado
chopped cilantro
your favorite kind of salad greens
tortilla chips, either crumbled over or served alongside
sour cream, salsa, guacamole — you can serve the salad with a dollop of these toppings, or serve the salsa and guac on the side for chip dipping

For the creamy lime dressing (makes enough for 4 salads):
zest & juice of 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons juice)
1 small shallot, minced
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon cumin
pinch of coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

Directions

Prep all your ingredients before dressing the greens, and have them ready to go.

Make the dressing — whisk together all the ingredients until well blended.

Wash and spin dry your salad greens, season them with a little coarse salt and pepper, then toss them with about 2/3 of the dressing. Divide the dressed greens among 4 plates, then top with whatever toppings you’re using. Spoon the remaining dressing over the top of each salad and serve.

Pico De Gallo

Ingredients:

Five plum (Roma) tomatoes (firm, not soft)
1/2 large or 1 small onion
3 jalapeno peppers
cilantro
lime juice
and salt

These quantities are approximate; you might need to increase or decrease the numbers, depending on the size of the vegetables you find.

Begin by cutting the ends off the jalapenos and chopping them into a small dice.

Throw ‘em in a bowl, seeds and all. If you’re nervous about spiciness, you could decrease this amount at first, adding more later if you think you can handle it. Or, you can scrape the seeds from the jalapenos and discard them, as that’s where a lot of the heat resides.

Now begin dicing the tomatoes. First cut them lengthwise into thin wedges. Then rotate the wedges 90 degrees and slice them into a fine dice. Then throw ‘em into the bowl with the jalapenos and stir.

Now it’s time to dice the onions. First turn the peeled onion on its side and make vertical slices. Then rotate the onion 90 degrees and slice downward to dice. And throw it on top of the jalapenos and tomatoes.

Now chop up a nice-sized bunch of cilantro. Don’t be stingy here! You can cut off the long stems before you start, but there’s no need to peel the leaves from the stems. Chop until it’s relatively fine, but not minced. Throw it into the bowl with the other yummy ingredients.

Then squeeze half of a small lime into the bowl. Add salt to taste. A couple of shakes should suffice. Stir together.

Tortilla Roll Ups

8 Ounces cream cheese
8 Ounce container of sour cream
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1 small can of chopped green chilies
1 small can of chopped black olives
1 bundle of green onion chopped
garlic salt and accent to taste

Mix all of this yummy creamy thigh sticking goodness together. Spread out over burrito size tortillas and roll up. I wrap them is saran wrap and keep overnight in the fridge. Slice them up (easier when chilled) and serve with your favorite salsa for dipping.

The Soup Nazi’s Mexican Chicken Chili

1 lb chicken breast fillets (4 fillets)
1 Tbs olive oil
10 cups water
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 potato, peeled & chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 cup frozen yellow corn
1/2 carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, plus liquid
1/4 cup diced canned pimento
1 jalapeno, diced
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
dash cayenne pepper
dash basil
dash oregano
On the side
Sour cream
pinch chopped Italian parsley


1 Sauté the chicken breasts in the olive oil in a large pot over medium/high heat. Cook the chicken on both side until done — about 7-10 minutes per side. Cool the chicken until it can be handled. Do not rinse the pot.
2 Shred the chicken by hand into bite-sizes pieces and place the pieces back into the pot.
3 Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and turn heat to high. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 hours. Stir mixture often so that many of the chicken pieces shred into much smaller bits. Chili should reduce substantially to thicken and darken (less orange, more brown) when done.
4 Combine some chopped Italian parsley with sour cream and serve it on the side for topping the chili, if desired.

Best Black Bean Dip Ever

1 can black beans drained
1 green bell pepper
1 small onion
2 or 3 cloves garlic
1 tsp seasoned salt (or more to taste)
1 heaping Tbls ground cumin
dash cayenne pepper
1/4 c oil

In food processor- onions, pepper, garlic and beans. Add spices and mix well.

Heat oil in skillet - pour in bean mix. Cook over medium to high heat stirring constantly. Cook approx. 20 minutes or until bean mix has thickened. Serve hot, warm or even cold with chips, veggies or warm tortillas. Makes an awesome quesadilla filling too.

Jason's Fantastic Salsa

· 2 cans of Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with Zesty Mild Green Chilies (14.5 oz cans).
· 8 medium/large real ripe tomatoes. Skinned, and diced.
· 1/2 of a large red onion, chopped fine.
· 1/2 of a bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped fine.
· 1 large jalapeño, or 2 small ones. I take out the seeds, and chop fine. Want it hot? Leave 'em in.
· 1 fresh garlic clove, pressed or minced fine.
· 1 juicy lime – squeezed juice.
· Salt and Pepper to taste.

Mexicali Pizza

1 (10 oz.) prebaked thin-crust Italian pizza crust
1 (15 oz.) can black beans
6 oz. (1 1/2 cups) shredded Mexican cheese
1/2 cup salsa
1/3 cup chopped cilantro or sliced green onions

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place pizza crust on ungreased sheet. In medium bowl, combine all remaining ingredients; mix well. Spoon over crust. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. To serve, cut into wedges.

South of the Border Wraps

1 cup cooked rice
1 15 oz. Can Kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 1/2 oz. Can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup chopped orange bell pepper
1 8 oz. Jar thick and chunky salsa (1 cup)
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
8 flour tortillas
1 cup shredded taco-seasoned cheese (4 oz.)

Mix rice, beans, corn, bell pepper, salsa and cilantro. Spread 1/2 cup of the rice mixture over each tortilla to within 1 inch of the edge. Sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons cheese.
Fold opposite edges of each tortilla toward center over filling.
Roll up open end of tortilla toward opposite edge.

Place 4 wraps, seam side down, in square microwaveable dish,
9X9X2 inches. Microwave uncovered on high for 2 to 2 1/2
minutes, rotating dish 1/2 turn after 1 minute, until heated
through. Repeat with remaining wraps. Makes 4 servings.

Black Beans

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 cup tomato juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons 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.

Cilantro-Lime Rice

1 cup uncooked rice
1 teaspoon butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon lime zest
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, lime peel, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook 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.

Cafe Rio Dressing

1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)
2 tomatillos (tomato like vegetable with a husk around them)
½ bunch of cilantro
1 clove garlic
Juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (Use the seeds too if you like it spicy. You could substitute a few drops of green Tabasco for the jalapeno.)

Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate.* be warned... this makes a ton of dressing, but it will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.