Cafe Rio Salads

by Valerie Halladay

Sweet Pork
6 lbs pork
1 can coke
16 oz can red enchilada sauce
2 cups brown sugar
Cut up pork into chunks. Cover with water and simmer for several hours until fork tender. Shred pork put in crock pot cover with mixture of coke, enchilada sauce & brown sugar. Simmer on low until ready to serve.

Cilantro Lime Rice
(I double this to match the amount of meat)
1 cup uncooked rice
1 tsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp grated lime peel
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
2 tbs chopped fresh cilantro
Combine rice, butter, garlic, lime peel, pepper and brothw in a 2 or 3 quart saucepan. Bring to boil; stir once or twice. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 15 min. or until rice is tender and liquid absorbed. Stir in cilantro. (makes 3 cups)

Southwest Dressing
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 pkg Hidden Valley Fiesta Dip mix
2 cups milk
2 cups mayo
Cilantro
16 oz avocado chip dip (not zesty)
2 limes
Mix dressing mix and dip mix with milk and mayo. Add cilantro to tastes, add juice of two limes and avocado dip. refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving. Makes over a quart of dressing.

Flour Tortillas
Buy uncooked tortillas and cook right before serving (grill them over a skillet for 1-2 minutes)

To assemble
Place ingredients in the following order:
1. Flour tortilla
2. Lime Rice
3. Black beans, rinsed, drained and warmed
4. Sweet Pork
5. Romaine lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, etc
6. Southwest dressing
7. chips (if desired)

Alice Springs Chicken

I completely stole this off someones recipe blog and I have no idea how it taste but it sure does sound yummy and doesn't look too complicated to follow. I'm going to try it as soon as I get all the ingredients together. If someone else tries it before me, let me know how it turned out.

Kristy



Alice Springs Chicken (from Outback Steakhouse) :

4 Chicken Breast (boneless, skinless)
Honey Mustard (recipe below)
6 pieces bacon, fried and sliced in half
1/2 tsp McCormick Season All (I use more than this)
1 C. Sliced Mushrooms, if from can or jar make sure they are drained
3 C. Shredded Colby / Monterey Jack Cheese
Parsley for Garnish (yeah, right)

Prep:Rub raw chicken breast with Season All and set aside to marinate for about 1 hour. While the chicken is marinating, fry bacon until crisp and drain. Shred cheese and set aside.
**This is as long as I have ever let the chicken marinate. I have never had the patience to wait the whole hour.
Saute chicken on medium heat in pan with just enough oil to prevent sticking. Cook on both sides until a slight golden color and cooked in the middle but not dry. Remove from pan and place in baking dish or on cookie sheet.Spread chicken breast with honey mustard, cover with a layer of mushrooms, three slices of bacon and then sprinkle with shredded cheese. Bake in oven heated to 350. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with extra honey mustard, if desired.

Honey Mustard:
1/2 C. Prepared Salad Mustard
1/4 C. Honey
1/4 C. Light Corn Syrup
1/4 C. Mayonnaise

Blend all together until completely smooth and free from lumps. The corn syrup may be adjusted depending on how sharp the mustard is to your taste.
**I ususally half this recipe and have plenty of honey mustard to coat my chicken.

Ceasar Club Sandwich

2 Chicken breasts

Good olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

5 pieces bacon

1 large garlic clove, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 large ciabatta bread (or 4-5 small ciabatta rolls- better the bread, better the sandwich)

2 ounces Spinach

12 sun-dried tomatoes in oil (I didn't have any so I used regular tomatoes, but it would be even better with sun dried tomatoes)

2 to 3 ounces Parmesan, shaved

Homemade Caesar Dressing (if you're really ambitious; I was lazy and used some from a bottle.)

1 large garlic clove, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons anchovy paste
1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup good mayonnaise

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chicken breasts on a sheet pan skin side up. Rub the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until cooked through. Cool slightly, and slice the meat thickly. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place the bacon on another sheet pan in a single layer. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to drain on paper towels.

Place the garlic and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until minced. Add the anchovy paste, mustard, lemon juice, and mayonnaise and process again to make a smooth dressing. (Refrigerate the Caesar dressing if not using it immediately.)

Slice the ciabatta in half horizontally and separate the top from the bottom. Toast the bread in the oven, cut side up, for 5 to 7 minutes; cool slightly. Spread the cut sides of each piece with the Caesar dressing. Place half the spinach on the bottom piece of bread and then layer in order: the sun-dried tomatoes, shaved Parmesan, crispy bacon, and sliced chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and finish with another layer of spinach. Place the top slice of ciabatta on top and cut in thirds crosswise. Serve at room temperature.

- from the kitchen of Jenny G.