Cafe Rio Salad!

AT LAST!!! You now know the secret of the Cafe Rio Salad!!! I don't know ANYONE who doesn't like this huge and scrumptious salad. I decided to compile EVERYTHING and all the recipes you would need to make the entire compilation to avoid unnecessary and laborious searching.

Just so you know: This serves 10 people. So be ready to feed an army, or have numerous Tupperware at your disposal.

Pork
This pork is what makes the salad so good for me. It's really sugary, yet has a strange zing to it! And it works fabulously with the other ingredients of course.

1/2 Pork roast
1/2 bottle of honey BBQ sauce
1 1/2 tsp honey
1/2 liter (16.5 oz) of Coke

Place all ingredients in large crock pot and cook on low all night. In the morning take the roast out leaving the juice in the crock pot, shred the roast, and then place the shredded roast back in the crock pot and leave it on low to suck in the sugary juices.

Chicken
I hardly ever do the chicken, because I love the Coke-marinated pork so much more! But, if you prefer:

3 1/2 lbs chicken breast- boneless/skinless
1/2 16-oz bottle of Zesty Italian Dressing
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 cloves garlic, minced

Mix all ingredients together in a large crock pot. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Remove chicken and shred with a fork. Reserve a small amount of juice and pour over shredded chicken to keep moist. Keep warm.

Lime Rice
In a saucepan, saute:
1 TBSP butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

In a large pot, bring the following to a boil:
3 1/3 cup water
4 tsp chicken bullion
1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 small cans diced green chilies
1 1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Add onion and garlic to boiling water. Add 3 cups long grain rice. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.


Pico de Gallo2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/8 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Combine ingredients together in a medium bowl.

Tomatillo Sauce
Ever since I heard of the goodness of this green sauce, I ached to try it. Finally when my taste buds discovered the goodness, I had to have it with EVERYTHING. This goes well with the Cafe Rio Salads (duh) or a homemade tortilla fried in a frying pan with cheddar cheese on it, dipped in veggies, or smoothered on plain ole' tortilla chips. I even put it on burritos if I have a little left over in the fridge. Heck, it's good on anything Mexicanesqe!!! I LOVE this stuff!!!

1 pkg dry Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch dressing mix
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayonnaise
3-4 tomatillos, peel
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 tsp lime juice
3 jalapenos, seeds removed

Blend ingredients together in a blender. You can add additional mayo if dressing is too thin. Chances are, your blender isn't good enough to get ALL the jalapenos and tomatillos chopped, so there will be chunks at the bottom. Personally, I think those taste delectable, but, sigh, if you don't like them, you can always drain them out.

And here is the order you serve everything:

1. Tortilla
2. Shredded cheese
3. Chicken/Pork
4. Black or Pinto beans
5. Lime rice
6. Red and green leaf lettuce, shredded
7. Pico de Gallo
8. Guacamole
9. Fresh cilantro
10. Parmesan cheese
11. Fresh lime slice
12. Tomatillo dressing

Enjoy!