cafe rio night

Ironically, this is where I am heading for lunch today with the ladies and babies, but if you don't live in Utah, Arizona or Nevada and need to get your Cafe Rio fix, I have found some recipes that can help you re-create your favorite dishes. On the menu for Taco Thursday:

• Sweet Pork Enchiladas
• Tortilla Soup
• Cilantro-Lime Ranch Dressing

Sweet Pork Enchiladas
Ingredients:

• 2 lbs pork tenderloin
• 6-8 tortillas (for the best tortillas, get the fresh ones from Costco)
• cheese
• 1 1/2 cans of Coca-Cola (the real thing, not diet)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 7 oz. can of chilies in adobe sauce
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic
• 8 oz. can of diced green chilies
• 2, 12 oz. bottles of green taco sauce
• 1/2 c. brown sugar

Directions:

1. Prepare the marinade the night before. Combine in blender the following:

• Coke
• granulated sugar
• adobe sauce (do not include chilies unless you really like spicy food)
• mustard, cumin and garlic

2. Pour marinade over pork and marinade overnight.

3. Place pork in crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours.

4. After pork is tender (pulls apart easily), shredded pork and combine with green chilies, brown sugar and 1 bottle of green taco sauce.

***at this point you can have a taco bar and serve pork tacos, or continue on and make enchiladas

5. Pour a small amount of green taco sauce in bottom of baking dish (just enough to coat/prevent sticking). Place spoonful of pork in cooked Costco tortillas and continue until pan is full.

6. Pour remaining bottle of green taco sauce over enchiladas and top with cheese. Cook until cheese is melted.

7. Serve with sour cream or cilantro-lime ranch dressing (Aaron's preference)

* * * * *

Tortilla Soup

photo courtesy of flickr
Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breast, cubed
• 15 oz. can stewed tomatoes (I use Mexican flavored)
• 15 oz. can corn
• 8 oz. can tomato sauce
• 1 tsp. Worcester sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 c. cilantro
• 1/2 tsp garlic
• 1/2 package taco seasoning
• 1-2 cans of chicken broth (amount of liquid depends on how thick/thin you like your soup)
• limes
• avocado
• tortilla chips
• sour cream
• cheese

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT stewed tomatoes and corn in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.

2. Add corn and stewed tomatoes and simmer for 1/2 hour.

3. Serve with fresh limes, avocado, tortilla chips, sour cream and cheese.

***you can also cook in the crockpot on low for 6-8 hours (until chicken is cooked through). add corn and stewed tomatoes 30 minutes before serving.

* * * * *

Cilantro-Lime Ranch Dressing
Ingredients:

• 3 tomatillos, quartered
• 1 package ranch dressing
• 1 cup mayo
• 1/3-1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup cilantro
• 2 gloves garlic
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in blender and blend well. For a thicker dressing reduce mayo to 1/2 cup and add 1/2 cup of sour cream. Serve with pork tacos/enchiladas or salad.