Cafe Rio Pork Salad Recipe

So I am posting the recipe I found when I made this salad for my family a few months back. It was sooo yummy. Many have asked for the recipe so here it is.

Tortillas
Cheese
Cafe Rio Rice (see below)
Cafe Rio Black Beans (see below)
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork (see below)
Lettuce (NOT iceberg, use leafy green or Romaine)
Diced tomato, onion, and cilantro (pico de gallo)
Guacamole (optional)
Sour cream
Tortillas Strips
Parmesan cheese
Cafe Rio Cilantro Ranch (see below)


We picked up some of the aluminum cake pans from the store to be able to heap all the stuff on the salad like at the restaurant. Lay a tortilla in the bottom of the pan, sprinkle cheese on it, and put it in the oven @375 for about 5 min. or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven, add beans, rice, pork then lettuce and a little scoop of pico de gallo. Add guacamole and sour cream. Add tortilla strips, or chrushed tortilla chips, a shake of parmesan and serve with the cilantro ranch dressing. Eat and Enjoy!

Sweet Pork:

2 lbs. pork
3 cans Coke or Dr. Pepper (don't use diet!)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced chilies
3/4 can enchilada sauce
1 c. brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc to marinade. Add about a can and a half of soda and about 1/4 c. brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight....I recommend overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can soda, water and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours or until it shreds easily. Remove pork, drain liquid, replace pork and shred.

In food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can soda, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup...you can add a little more or less to your taste). If it looks thick, add more soda little by little.

Add sauce to crock pot with pork and cook on low for 2 hours.



Cilantro-Lime Rice:

1 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh squeezed lime juice
1 can 15 oz. chicken broth
1 c. water
1 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter garlic, 1 tsp. lime juice, chicken broth, and water. Bring to boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 min. 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.



Black Beans:

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. 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 non-stick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over med. heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in cilantro.

(**NOTE** you can add a can of corn, drained, to the beans with a dash of cumin and chili powder)


Cilantro Ranch:

1 pkg. Ranch dressing mix(not buttermilk kind)
3 tomatillos (remove papery skin) rough chop
1 c. mayo
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. cilantro, rough chop
3 cloves garlic
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. green Tabasco sauce
juice from 1 lime

blend together.



I hope that you enjoy this as much as we did!! I'm making some this Sunday...so I'll post some pics to go along with all these recipes later!