For dinner group this month I decided I want to try to make up all of the components for the salad to test the best recipes out. Carolyn had tried one of them and gave her approval so decided to try that one first. It turned out great. If I could I would make a few changes to the dressing, but the rice and the pork turned out GREAT! The pork was sweet without losing the concept of it being pork. The rice was partly sweet and partly the mix of lime and cilantro - just the right touch. The beans were great - just enough garlic and tomato to give it a bit more flavor. Because I'm a weird I decided to make up some guacamole and pico de gallo while I was at it. Both are essentially from my head, but I'll add what I did on here. Other than changing the seasoning in the dressing I wouldn't change a thing and now I have a TON of leftovers.
I'll add the recipes I used here with the pictures of each component. Let me know if you guys try any of the recipes or if you have any other things you've tried.
CAFÉ RIO PORK
6 lbs. pork
1 16 oz. bottle of salsa
1 can Dr. Pepper (not diet)
2 c. brown sugar
Place pork in crock pot and fill it ½ way up the pork with water. Cook on High for
5 hours. Drain off water. Cut pork in thirds. Mix together sauce and put on top of
pork. Cook an additional 3 hours on high. Shred pork with forks. Leave it on low
until ready to serve.
(Sorry about the picture - I forgot I hadn't taken a picture until after I started packing up the leftovers)
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.
BLACK BEANS
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 cup tomato juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 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.
CREAMY TOMATILLO SALAD DRESSING
1 cup light sour cream
1 envelope Ranch salad dressing
1 1/2 envelope Fiesta Ranch Salad dressing (Edit: omit and add hot sauce instead)
6 tomatillos, husked and cut in half
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice from 2 limes, freshly squeezed
1 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
Combine all ingredients in a blender (put the liquids in first!) and blend until smooth. Store in the
refrigerator. Can be stored in airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Guacamole
2 large avocados (make sure they are ripe)
2 large tomatos
1/4 large onion
1 fresh jalapeño seeded and minced
2 limes
Salt to taste
Mash the 2 avocados up, adding the juice of one lime to keep the avocado from going brown. Chop the tomatos, onion, and jalapeno and mix into the avocados. Add salt to taste and then add the juice from the other lime.
Pico De Gallo
2 large tomatoes diced
1/4 medium onion diced
1/2 large red pepper diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
1 fresh jalapeño seeded and minced
Salt to taste
Put all ingredients in a bowl, mix well. Let set a few minutes.
Don't forget to fry up some corn tortilla strips to put on top and the cheese on the tortilla before you start :)
Enjoy, everyone!
1 comment:
Mmmmm, totally going to try this.
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