Cafe Rio Follow Up

Here are some pictures of the Cafe Rio meal. Meat recipe below. Brooke says you can use pork or beef. Cafe Rio uses pork. I don't eat at Cafe Rio very often, but the sweet pork salad is very popular. This meat recipe works for the salad too and the ranch dressing recipe would be the salad dressing. FYI: This makes enough food to feed 8 people, I would say (but I had three people's share :)

Pork

Cilantro-Lime Ranch

I came across another blog that had a recipe for the full sweet pork sald. It is Favorite Family Recipes. She has a different recipe for the pork, which I might try next time just to see the difference. I used her recipe for the rice and beans.

Cilantro-Lime Rice


Beans (I used less tomato juice than the recipe calls for, but next time I might just add an extra can of beans and use all the juice)

And here was my taco, or I would call it a burrito, all finished and delicious.

There were so many flavor combinations, and they all went together really well. I would recommend the burrito sized tortillas, since there is so much to pack into it. It seems like a lot of work, but I spread it out throughout the day. I put the pork in the crockpot in the morning, and mixed the ranch a couple hours later. Then I just made the rice and beans right before we ate. It's amazingly wonderful!

Here is the salad I made with the leftovers.

Cafe Rio Tacos

Cafe Rio Meat
3 lbs roast
1 c dark brown sugar (I use light, I haven't been able to taste a difference)
1 c worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. powdered ginger (only if you have it)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder
2 T minced onions

Cook in a crock pot all day on low. 1 hour before serving shred meat and discard juice.
Add 1 c brown sugar
1 c red enchilada sauce (get a good brand, it makes a difference)

Dressing:
1 ranch dressing packet
1/2 c buttermilk
1/2 c sour cream
1 c mayo
2 tomatillos
1 japapeno, cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds
1/2 bunch cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
Mix in blender and refrigerate 1 hour
You can leave the dressing out if you don't feel like making it. The meat and other toppings itself make it just as good.

Flour tortillas
Top each tortilla with:
meat
lettuce
cilantro
fresh lime juice
green enchilada sauce
dressing
strips of chips
black beans
rice
Pick and choose what you feel like putting on your taco. Enjoy!
Thanks Joanie for motivating me to post this:)