Bringing a little bit of Cafe Rio to NYC!

The other day I was really craving Cafe Rio so sierra and I decided to make cafe rio pork salads for the office for dinner one night...it took us two days to make everything for the salads but in the end it was totally worth it! We found amazing recipes online for the pork, beans, rice and salad dressing! We were dreading making home made tortillas but we ended up finding some really tasty ones at Trader Joes (the gimpy Costco out here doesn't have the home made tortillas like Costco's in Utah do). The salads turned out perfect! The only difference between ours and the "real" salads were the corn chips we used as a garnish instead of making the real chips.
I was pretty nervous because we had a huge expectation to meet---Austin was really talking up our "cooking abilities" and the deliciousness of Cafe Rio to his office... I was very pleased at how good they turned out to be and how similar to the real thing they were! A couple guys even said they were better than the real salads! (I just think they haven't had Cafe Rio for a long time...). Everything was delicious and all the guys went home happy and full! They were all very grateful to come home to a dinner that wasn't raman noodles or mac n cheese!

By request--here are the recipes (doubling the recipe will make about 20 salads):

CAFE RIO SWEET PORK

2 lbs. Pork Loin (lean cut)

3 cans Coke (NOT diet)

1/3 c. brown sugar

dash garlic salt

1/4 c. water

1 can sliced green chilies

3/4 can enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso brand, mild)

1 c. brown sugar

Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry). Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours.

CILANTRO-LIME RICE

1 c. uncooked rice

1 tsp. butter or margarine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

1 can (15 oz) chicken broth

1 cup water

1 freshly squeezed lime 

2 tsp. sugar

3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 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 and mix in as you fluff the rice.

BLACK BEANS

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 1/3 c. tomato juice

1 1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. 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 DRESSING

1 (7 oz.) can Salsa Verde (Herdez Brand)

4-5 fresh Tomatillos (chopped)

1 1/2 packets Hidden Valley Ranch Mix

1 C. Sour Cream

1/2 C. Mayo

1-2 jalapenos (usually seeded, but can leave seeds in depending on desired spiciness)

1 T. Sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

Juice of 1 Lime

Cilantro (handful)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in blender and mix until smooth. Refrigerate. (Make this the day before and leave refrigerated.)

*If you are not a meat eater like me and Austin--make a meatless salad-- it is  still really, really good without the meat! =)