Café Rio Style Shredded Pork & Fixings

Café Rio Style Shredded Pork (see other post for ratings and pictures)
5 lbs pork roast
salt
pepper
garlic powder
1 can Coca Cola
15 oz can green chile enchilada sauce
1 can (use can from the green chile) brown sugar (not packed)

Sprinkle roast all over with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Pour Coca Cola in crock pot and then place roast in crock pot. Cook on low 8 hours.
After cooking, take roast out and shred with fork.
Dispose of remaining cooking liquid.
Place shredded pork back into crock pot.
Add the enchilada sauce and brown sugar, mix all together and heat through.


Black Beans
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 Tbs finely minced onions (or 1 Tbs dehydrated onions)
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 Cup tomato juice
3 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil

Fry onion, garlic, cumin in olive oil. Add beans, tomato juice, cilantro and salt. Heat through.

Cilantro Lime Rice

3 Cups Water

3 Cups Rice

3 Chicken bullion cubes

1 tsp salt

¼ Cup lime juice

½ small onion

2 cloves garlic

½ bunch cilantro, remove stems

1 small can green chilies

Place water, rice, bullion cubes, and salt in pot. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, place lime juice, onion, garlic, cilantro, and green chilies in a blender and puree. Stir into rice. Turn heat down and simmer rice, covered, for about 25 minutes or until rice is tender and fluffy.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)

3 tomatillos

1 jalapeno

1 clove garlic

½ bunch of cilantro

juice of 1 lime

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove the papery covering from the tomatillos. Cut each tomatillo in half and place on a greased cookie sheet. Using disposable gloves cut jalapeno in half, remove seeds, and place on cookie sheet with the tomatillos. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes. Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate. (If you are in a hurry you can skip roasting the vegetables).

Recipes from Amanda J

Other recipes to complete your meal:
Fresh Salsa
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Guacamole

*To make pictured enchilada, place meat, beans, rice, and some cheese in flour tortilla.  Pour enchilada sauce over top, sprinkle some cheese on top.  Warm through in oven until bubbly.  Serve with salsa, dressing, and guacamole.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

1 buttermilk ranch dressing packet (make as per recipe)

3 tomatillos

1 jalapeño

1 clove garlic

½ bunch of cilantro

juice of 1 lime

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove the papery covering from the tomatillos. Cut each tomatillo in half and place on a greased cookie sheet. Using disposable gloves cut jalapeño in half, remove seeds, and place on cookie sheet with the tomatillos. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once during roasting. 

Remove blackened skin from tomatillos and jalapeño, be sure to save the juices to add.  Use a food processor to blend all the ingredients well. Refrigerate. (If you are in a hurry you can skip roasting the vegetables).

*This was good, but didn't have quite the same texture has Cafe Rio's dressing.  The only change I'll try next time is using sour cream in place of the mayo when making the ranch dressing.  Again, this will make enough dressing to feed an army, but it will keep for a couple of weeks.

Cilantro Lime Rice

3 Cups Water                                       

3 Cups Rice

3 Chicken bullion cubes

1 tsp salt

¼ Cup lime juice

½ small onion

2 cloves garlic

½ bunch cilantro, remove stems

1 small can green chilies

Place water, rice, bullion cubes, and salt in pot. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, place lime juice, onion, garlic, cilantro, and green chilies in a blender and puree. Stir into rice. Turn heat down and simmer rice, covered, for about 25 minutes or until rice is tender and fluffy.

*I actually used only 2 cups rice, 2 cups water, 2 bullion cubes, 1/2 t salt, 3 T lime juice, keeping the other ingredients the same.  This made a lot of rice, more than enough to feed a dozen people.  Next time I make it for my family, I'll cut it to a third.  Rivals Cafe Rio for sure! 

Adapted amounts:

1 c water

1 c rice

1 chicken bullion cube

1/2 t salt

2 T lime juice

1/4 small onion

1 clove garlic

1/4 bunch cilantro, remove stems

1/2 small can green chilies

Café Rio Style Shredded Pork

5 lbs pork roast

salt

pepper

garlic powder

1 can Coca Cola

15 oz can green chile enchilada sauce

1 can (use can from the green chile) brown sugar (not packed)

Sprinkle roast all over with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Pour Coca Cola in crock pot and then place roast in crock pot. Cook on low 8 hours.

After cooking, take roast out and shred with fork.

Dispose of remaining cooking liquid.

Place shredded pork back into crock pot.

Add the enchilada sauce and brown sugar, mix all together and heat through.

*I used a 4 lb pork roast and this made a lot of meat.  This could easily serve 10 hungry adults.  It is so good!  I did add back some of the cooking liquid and eyeballed the brown sugar.  Use it up in lots of ways--tacos, burritos, enchiladas, salad.

Black Beans--Cafe Rio Style

1 can black beans, rinsed
2 Tbs finely minced onions (or 1 Tbs dehydrated onions)
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 cup tomato juice
3 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil

Fry onion, garlic, cumin in olive oil. Add beans, tomato juice, cilantro and salt. Heat through.  Serves 4 to 6.

*I used cumin seed as the recipe didn't specify. Also, I substituted 1/2 cup tomato paste plus 1/2 cup water for the tomato juice. Be sure to start cooking the onion for a few minutes before adding the garlic as garlic cooks more quickly.

*These were the best black beans I ever had--they were great by themselves as well as in these burritos. To make these burritos: 1. Spray baking dish. 2.Place meat (I used leftover Cafe Rio Chicken), rice (again, leftover from another meal), and black beans in tortillas. 3. Roll tortillas and place in baking dish. 4. Pour leftover sauce strained from beans over tortillas and sprinkle with cheese. 5. Back at 350 degrees until warmed through (20 minutes). 6. Serve with salsa, lettuce, sour cream, etc. These were a definite favorite at our house, Ivan kept asking for more!

Café Rio style chicken

3 lb boneless, skinless chicken breats
½ bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 cloves garlic

Cook in crock pot for about 4 - 5 hours on low. Shred chicken with a fork when done.

From Amanda J.

*I made this with Italian Dressing Mix.  We ate it like chicken tacos with fried tortillas, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, and sour cream with mangos on the side--can't go wrong with those ingredients so of course we enjoyed it.  I don't think it was quite like Cafe Rio, but then I didn't use the real dressing either. 

*Burrito variation.