Copycat Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Rice

This is part of the Cafe Rio copycat recipes, and this one is spot on to the real thing.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

1 c. uncooked rice (long-grain, white rice)
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil.  Cover and cook on low 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 and mix in as you fluff the rice.

Copycat Cafe-Rio House Cilantro Ranch Dressing

My children would eat this dressing with a spoon or anything else that I could find.  They LOVE IT!  and that is an understatement.  My daughter literally licks the container clean, I can't believe I'm admitting that.  Yes, it's that good.  Try it, you won't be sorry you did.

3 medium size tomatillos
1 jalapeno, with seeds removed
1 tsp. garlic minced

Place Tomatillos, garlic and jalapeno in a pan with a bit of olive oil and sea salt and roast them on a low to medium heat until soft and slightly brown.

1 cup Buttermilk
1 cup Mayonaise
1 package dry ranch dressing mix
juice of 1 lime
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped

Place all ingredients, including roasted tomatillo's, into a blender or food processor and blend unil completely blended (about 2 minutes)

Copycat Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa

Living in Utah we have a restaurant called Cafe Rio, and if you have never eaten there, you are missing out.  They are a fresh mexican restaurant that serves heavenly food.  This is the sweet pork recipe that I have found that is the closest to the real thing.  This recipe is heaven!! The meat freezes well, and thaws out tasting exactly the same, so don't be worried if you want to cook up a huge pork roast, but don't have an army to feed it to.  It easily can make more of less.  Try it... you won't be sorry you did.

Ingredients:

2 -3 pound pork roast
3 cans Dr. Pepper (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can diced green chilies
3/4 (10oz) can red enchilada sauce (add spicy is you want a little kick to it)
1 c. brown sugar

• Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add about 1 1/2 cans of Dr. Pepper and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.
• Drain marinade. Place pork, 1/2 can of Dr. Pepper, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours, or on low for 8 hours, or until the pork falls apart and shred easily. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any remaining liquid left in the crockpot. Shred the pork.
• In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Dr. Peppe, green 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 Dr. pepper till it reaches the consistency of a runny enchilada sauce.  It will thin out a little when it cooks. 
• Place the shredded pork and the sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours. 
• Serve either with a salad, or wrapped in a tortilla with our copy cat Cafe Rio black bean and cilantro lime rice, or make it into a quesadilla.  Yummy!!

Pork Carnitas/Chile Verde

We had a last minute dinner with friends a few months ago on a Sunday.  We were trying to decide what to eat with the ingredients we had on hand.  My friend Connie raved about her recipe for pork Carnitas, and so we tried them out.  I will never be satisfied with another recipe for carnitas.  This recipe has ruined me for good.  It's so simple, yet amazing!!  I have since made these multiple times and can truthfully say these are a favorite!  Hope you enjoy them!

2lbs boneless pork shoulder or sirloin roast
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Freshly grond pepper
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion chopped or 1 tsp. onion powder
4 cloves of fresh garlic minced, or 1 tsp. garlic powder
1 4oz can diced green chiles
1 diced jalapeno (Optional)
1 orange cut in half


In a small bowl combine salt, pepper, oregano, cumin and olive oil.  rub liberally into roast.  Place roast in slow cooker.  Top with onion and garlic.  Add can of green chiles and jalapeno to the top of the roast.  Squeeze oranges over top of roast, then add both halves of the orange to the slow cooker.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Shred the roast*, then add meat back into sauce.  Remove orange halves and once again squeeze the juice from the orange.  Discard the orange halves.  Serve with tortillas, rice, beans and your favorite fixins. I recommend queso fresco, fresh salsa, cilantro and some fresh lime juice

*If you like your carnitas dry you can fry the meat in a frying pan with oil after it's cooked and shredded and discard the sauce.  However I would tell you that the sauce is what makes these so amazing and it would be a sin to discard it!

Quick and Easy Quesadillas

This recipe came from my dear friend Kristie.  It is one of the simplest meals you can make, and it tastes amazing.  So when you are in a hurry to put dinner on the table keep the following on your pantry shelves to make it seem like you have been busy all day with dinner.

2 C. Shredded cooked chicken, I use Canned
1 can corn, drained
4 green onions sliced (optional)
1can black beans, rinsed
1 C. chunky salsa
1 C. shredded cheese
8 flour tortillas (I prefer the uncooked ones from Costco)

Mix Chicken, Corn, Onions, Beans and Salsa together in a bowl.  Then place 1/2-3/4 C. of the mixture on half of a tortilla and then top with cheese.  Fold the tortilla in half and then heat in a nonstick skillet on medium high heat.for 2-3 minutes on each side until lightly brown on both sides.  Repeat with the remaining mixture and tortillas until it is all gone.

Chicken Posole

Kevin's dad always makes Posole when we are up  at their house, and I love it.  It is spicy and filling and yummy.  If you have never tried it, you need to!  You won't be sorry you did.  I always love to eat it with raw cabbage and radish, it helps to mellow the spices well.  

Serves 8
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 cans (15 ounces each) white hominy, drained
6 3/4 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey meat (2 pounds)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Assorted garnishes: lime juice, oregano, onions, radishes, avocado, cilantro and cabbage.

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a 5-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add onions; cook until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, and oregano; cook, stirring constantly, until evenly distributed.
2. Add 4 cups water, broth, and hominy. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until fragrant, about 30 minutes.
3. Stir in chicken; season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until heated through. 
4. To serve, divide among bowls, and garnish as desired. 

This can be frozen, which makes it easy to make a big batch like this and freeze 1/2 of it and use it on a night when i'm feeling lazy and don't want to cook.

Mexican Haystacks

Pinterest is a great spot to find lots of new recipes. I want to share a few we've tried that my family really enjoys. Here's one, found over at http://www.jensyummyfun.com/2011/12/mexican-haystacks.html

Mexican Haystacks

8 oz cream cheese
2 C milk
1 C water
1 C sour cream
2 tsp cumin
1 med sweet onion diced
1 Tbl chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Dip
3-4 frozen chicken breasts
2 Can diced green chilies
1 bag frozen corn
2 cans black beans
2 cans Rotel
Fresh cilantro
cheese

This serves a big group 10+ so 1/2 the recipe if feeding a small family

In a sauce pan combine all ingredients except  chicken, beans, corn and Rotel. Heat/stir until smooth and  creamy, then add remaining ingredients and let cook in crock pot on low all 6-8 hours. Stir occasionally.  Once chicken is cooked dice or shred it then add back to the sauce. Serve over tortilla chips and rice . Garnish with cheese and fresh cilantro. This is a crowd pleaser!

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

These yummy things were on our menu tonight for Dinner and let me just tell you that they were super easy to make and very good!! I have had them on my list of recipes to make for quite sometime, they were a recipe that caught my eye when I got my "Our Best Bites" cookbook. And they didn't disappoint! When I say they were easy I mean that, I was watching 5 kids besides my own 2 today and still managed to make 2 large pans of these! Make these for dinner tonight, you won't be sorry!

1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic, or garlic powder
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions
2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepperjack cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

tortillas, corn or flour work well.
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it’s soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or are coming unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can. Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Dip them in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or anything else your heart craves.

Fajita Marinade

I tried my neighbors fajita marinade a couple weeks ago and it was so yummy! Thanks for sharing Leslie.

For Meat:
1/4 c. lime juice
1/3 c. water
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tsp. vinegar
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tap. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. black pepper
dash of onion powder

For Vegies:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 T. water
1/2 tsp lime juice
dash of salt and pepper

In a gallon bag add all ingredients for the Meat marinade. Place chicken, steak or shrimp into the bag and marinade for a couple hours. Cook meat on a hot grill. Cook sliced peppers and onions in a pan with the veggie marinaade until carmalized then mix with meats. Serve with tortillas, cheese and sourcream.

Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

I made these for dinner a few weeks ago for dinner and my family was fighting over the leftovers the next day. This is another new one from my ward cookbook. Thanks Kristy.

1 lb cooked chicken shredded
8 oz cream cheese
4.5 oz green chilies
12 flour tortillas
20 oz green enchilada sauce
1 c. shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 400. Mix cooked chicken, cream cheese and green chilies in saucepan, heat over medium until blended. Pour some enchilada sauce into shallow dish and dip tortillas in sauce then fill with chicken picture. Place in 9x13 pan, pour enchilada sauce over top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes until bubbly.

South of the Border Casserole

This one is delicious, my kids gobbled it up!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 1/2 cups salsa

Cooking spray

6 cups cooked rice

16 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

2 cups crushed tortilla chips

Directions

In medium bowl, combine sour cream and salsa; set aside.

Coat a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Layer bottom of dish with 3 cups rice.

Top with half of the sour cream mixture, then with 1-1/2 cups cheese. Add layer of beans, remaining rice, and remaining sour cream mixture. Bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes; remove from oven.

Mix remaining cheese with chips and sprinkle on lasagna. Return to oven and bake 5 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Honey Lime Enchiladas

My family loves these enchiladas. Try them for Cinco de Mayo. You'll love 'em!

6 tablespoons honey
5 tablespoons lime juice (4-5 small limes)
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2-3 chicken breasts
8-10 flour tortillas (good with corn tortillas, too)
2 cups monterey jack and Colby Jack cheese, mixed and shredded
2 (10 oz) cans ounces cans green enchilada sauce
1 cup heavy cream

Mix the first four ingredients and toss with cooked, shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (I tossed mine together in a Ziploc bag in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator all day). Combine the enchilada sauce and cream. Pour about 3/4 cup on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese and 1-2 tablespoons of the mixed sauce (green enchilada sauce and heavy cream) and roll. Fill pan with rolled enchiladas. Pour remaining sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with leftover cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Walking Tacos

Ingredients

1½ pound ground sirloin
1½ pound ground chuck
3 (1.25 ounce) packages taco seasoning mix
3 cups water or beef broth
24 INDIVIDUAL SIZE bags of tortilla chips
TOPPING INGREDIENTS:
3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, seasoned or regular
6 cups finely shredded lettuce
3 cups salsa and/or taco sauce
3 pints sour cream
3 cups guacamole
6 cups grated Mexican Four Cheese (or any other cheese)
3 cups finely diced tomato
3 cups finely diced onion
2 cups sliced black olives
plenty of sliced jalapenos

Directions

• Fry ground meat in a large skillet.
  When meat is browned, add taco seasoning mix and water or broth.
  Simmer for about 10 minutes, until liquid is reduced down.
  This is where the fun begins!
  Keep the meat mixture hot in a crock-pot.
  Have all the topping ingredients next to the crockpot, so each person can make their own “walking taco”.
  Instruct everyone to crush an individual size bag of fritos for themselves, then open it up and start adding in all the toppings they want (or can get in the bag), starting with the meat first.
  When they have their toppings in the bag, fold over the top and shake vigorously. Open the bag, grab a fork, and walk around with your meal in your hand!

Chicken, Tomatillos and Poblanos

Just trying to use up some Tomatillos from my garden, this is another great recipe, roasting the chiles takes a little time, but otherwise it's a quick fix for dinner. I got this from allrecipes.com and it's a great blend of flavors, depending on the heat of your poblanos it might be pretty mild or fairly hot seasoning wise.

• 3 fresh poblano chile peppers
• 3 Anaheim chile peppers
• 3/4 pound tomatillos, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2/3 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 2/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Roast peppers for about 25 minutes, until the skins can easily be removed. Remove skins, and chop peppers.
In a medium saucepan, combine chopped peppers with tomatillos, onion, red pepper, green onion, and garlic. Stir in chicken broth. Heat to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Dredge chicken in flour, then saute briefly. Pour tomatillo mixture over chicken. Season with oregano, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Simmer for 25 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Stir in the cilantro just before serving. Serve over rice.

Green Salsa

My garden is overflowing with Tomatillos, and so I have been on the hunt for new recipes, this is a great recipe for spicy green salsa. I got it from allrecipes, and it's great either on burritos or fresh with chips.

• 8 tomatillos, husked
• 3 shallots
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded
• salt to taste

In a food processor, place tomatillos, shallots, garlic, green chile peppers, cilantro, jalapeno pepper and salt. Using the pulse setting, coarsely chop. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

Calabacitas con Maiz

Translation: Little Zucchinis with Corn
Here's another idea for those of you wondering what to do with all that zucchini in your garden!
Cook about half of an onion diced in some oil in a frying pan until tender. Then add zucchini slices and fresh or frozen cut corn and cover to steam. When the veggies are about done, add a diced tomato and cook a couple minutes longer. Salt to taste. That's the traditional Mexican side dish. Or to make it a meal, we cook sliced smoked sausage with the onions and skip the oil. We sprinkle cheese on top, sometimes Mexican cheese, sometimes cheddar or Jack, and we eat it with white corn tortillas or with corn chips--and hot sauce for those who like to spice it up. We do it year round with stuff from the store, but it's even better when you have any or all of those veggies from your garden!

Chicken Enchilldas

This is a Tyler Florence (Food Network) recipie that I love. With Cinco De Mayo right around the corner this is a great way to start things out.

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 can diced green chiles
• 1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 16 corn tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
• Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

Directions

Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.

Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.

Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.

Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallions, sour cream and chopped tomatoes. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.

Stacked Enchiladas

This is a recipe that I picked up from one of my friends in college, it's a fun twist on traditional enchiladas that people love. And it's a fairly quick meal to prepare. I hope you enjoy it!

1 pound chicken or ground beef
1 Onion diced
1 large can Enchilada sauce
2 small cans refried Beans
2-3 C. Mexican blend Cheese
12 Corn Tortillas
Diced Tomatoes
Shredded lettuce
Diced Avocado

In a small skillet cook meat with diced onion until done. Pour 1/2 of the can of Enchilada sauce into a container with a flat bottom. Then on a large jelly roll pan begin to layer your enchiladas. Dip a tortilla into the enchilada sauce then place on jelly roll pan, next add a layer of refried beans on top of tortilla, followed by layer of meat, then a layer of cheese. Then repeat steps placing next tortilla a top the previous layer. repeat this two to three times, then top final layer with a single tortilla dipped in sauce with cheese on top. Once you have completed all of your stacked enchiladas pour remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Then bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly, then top with tomatoes, avocado and lettuce as desired.

Fresh Salsa

Last night I made up a batch of Fresh Salsa. YUMMO!
I actually made it a bit spicier than usual, but still enjoyed it.

6 ripe beef stake tomatoes diced
1 green pepper diced
1 medium onion diced
2 Tbsp Cilantro chopped
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
1/4 of Jalapeño pepper diced (you can always add more later)
1 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper

I just throw everything in my food processor, taste, add more of whatever it needs, then serve it up with chips. Enjoy!!

Crispy Chicken Wraps

Crispy Chicken Wraps

1/3 cup mayonnaise, light or regular
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 scallions, sliced very thin
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
2 tablespoons sour cream, light or regular
2 teaspoons hot sauce (this does not make them spicy but adds great flavor!)
1 rotisserie chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 (12-inch) flour tortillas

1. Whisk the mayonnaise, cilantro, scallions, celery, sour cream and hot sauce in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to combine.

2. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open. Spray the tortillas all over with cooking spray.

3. Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange 2 wraps, seam-side down, in pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve

To prevent the wraps from unrolling during cooking, be sure to start them seam-side down in step 3.