Cafe Rio Style Sweet Pork

We love Cafe Rio. There are a few restaurants we try to fit in every time we travel out west and Cafe Rio is definitely on that list. Their sweet pork tacos are especially delish when you add their yummy green sauce and some cilantro lime rice. I know it looks like a lot of work, but it's really not hard and we almost always have plenty of leftovers so I can freeze some for later or just enjoy sweet pork tacos for lunch the rest of the week. I found this recipe on a blog called The Recipe Society and it's a keeper for sure!

Put a 3-6 lb. pork roast in the crock pot and cover halfway up with water. Cook it overnight*. Discard water. Shred.

When the pork is shredded, combine:

12 ounces of salsa
1 can caffeine-free coke
2 cups brown sugar

Pour over the shredded pork in the crock pot and continue to cook for another 3-4 hours. 

Eat on a tortilla with cilantro lime rice (or just plain rice), black beans, cheese, lettuce, yummy green sauce, and/or whatever you like on your tacos. 

*The problem with cooking this overnight is that the pork is ready pretty early in the day. So sometimes I start the pork at 6 or 7am and cook it initially for 6-8 hours. Add on the extra 3-4 hours with the additional ingredients and you should be able to eat dinner by 6pm. 

Twice Baked Potatoes

One of my kids would not complain if we ate these every day. Since the recipe starts with pre-baked potatoes, we usually have baked potatoes for dinner with chili, cheese, sour cream, etc. and then sometime in the next 2-3 days, we use up all the leftover potatoes using this recipe. But feel free to bake your potatoes solely with this recipe in mind. Microwaved potatoes work well, too.

4-ish medium baked potatoes, skin on

1/2 c. sour cream

1/4 c. milk

1/4 c. butter or margarine

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Bacon bits

        Start with pre-baked potatoes, cold or warm. Cut each potato in half the long way and scoop the pulp out of each half (try to salvage the skin in one piece). Mash the pulp with butter. Add milk, sour cream, cheese, salt and pepper. Mix well. Spoon back into the skins. Top with bacon. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. 

        Note: I spoon the potato mixture into small (~1 cup) oven-proof glass bowls, if needed, to compensate for any skins that don't survive the scooping out process.

Cilantro Ice

No, this is not some new popsicle flavor. I came up with this idea because I often buy cilantro for one specific recipe and never know how to use up the rest before it goes bad. This solves the problem and I love having it on hand.

Chop up entire batch of cilantro. Put in an ice cube tray in relatively equal amounts – I put 1 or 2 Tbsp. in each section. Add just enough water to keep it together, pushing the cilantro down in if necessary. Freeze. Pop the ice cubes out and store in a zip lock freezer bag. Indicate on the bag how much cilantro each ice cube contains so it’s easy to know how many ice cubes you need when your recipe calls for fresh cilantro. Problem solved!

White Chili

Hands down, this is the recipe I've had the most requests for over the years. I got the recipe years ago when Jeff and I were the judges for a Chili Cook-off at church. The flavor was so unique and amazingly delicious that it was our #1 choice. The "chef" was kind enough to give out copies of the recipe to anyone who wanted it. The original recipe is from a restaurant in St. Louis called Lewis and Clark's. I've tweaked and simplified it over the years to the version below. This can easily be doubled or tripled and it makes great leftovers!

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 med. onion, chopped (or a handful of dried minced onion)

4 garlic cloves, minced

one 4 oz. can chopped mild green chilies

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp. ground cloves (don't leave this out. Super yummy!)

1-2 c. cooked and cubed chicken (or one 12.5 oz. can cooked chicken breast)

3 cans Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed

4 c. chicken broth

8 oz. cream cheese - see suggestion below*

Sour cream (optional)

     Heat oil over medium heat. If using fresh onion, add onions and stir until translucent. Stir in garlic, chilies, cumin, oregano, cayenne and cloves. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add chicken, beans, and broth. Stir in cream cheese. (*To eliminate lumps when adding the cream cheese, warm the cream cheese to soften, stir it up until creamy smooth and add some hot broth a little at a time - stirring well after each addition - until it's runny, then stir it into the soup as the final ingredient.)

     Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Ladle into large bowls. Top with sour cream and serve with tortilla chips, if desired. 

Chicken Gnocchi Soup

This is our current favorite soup. The only problem is that it takes FOREVER to prep so make sure you double the recipe to make it worth your time. If you don't, you won't have any leftovers and then you'll be sad. I could eat this for lunch every day! (Update: check out this easier version! Still delish and takes way less time to make :)

¼ c. olive oil

1 c. onion, finely chopped

1 ½ c. matchstick carrots (or baby carrots cut into bite-sized pieces)

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 c. celery, chopped

1-3 c. fresh broccoli, finely cut

4 green onions, chopped

¼ c. flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

½ tsp. marjoram

½ tsp. basil

4 c. chicken broth

1 package potato gnocchi (I cut each piece in half or thirds)

4 chicken breasts cooked with the perfect chicken recipe, cut in small pieces

1 c. fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

2 c. half and half

     Prep all vegetables before starting. You’ll be glad you did. Saute the onions, carrots, and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat for three minutes. Add the celery, broccoli and green onions and continue cooking until the onions are translucent and the carrots are tender. Combine the flour and spices. Add to veggies and stir to coat. Let the mixture cook for about a minute before adding a cup or two of the chicken broth. Stir until smooth and add the rest of the broth. Cook until the mixture thickens. Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi according to package directions. Add the cooked gnocchi, chicken and spinach to the soup. Stir in half and half. Cook until the spinach is soft.

      (Gnocchi can usually be found near the pasta section of larger stores.)

Perfect Chicken

This is the yummiest chicken ever. We always make more than we need (we at least double the recipe every time) and then cut it up and use it in different recipes. Our whole family loves this!

2-4 boneless chicken breasts, with or without rib meat
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. paprika
2-3 T. olive oil

Method 1 (recipe as it was given to me):
Mix spices in a small bowl. Rub the seasoning into the chicken breasts. Pour olive oil into the bottom of a Dutch oven and heat to medium high. When nice and hot, add chicken to the pan (in batches if necessary). Cook 2-3 minutes per side. Add all chicken back to the dutch oven and place, uncovered, in a 350º oven for 25 minutes or until juices run clear. Let sit on a plate 5-10 minutes before cutting, shredding or eating.

Method 2 (What we do):
Mix spices and olive oil in a gallon ziplock bag. Cut fat off chicken and use a meat tenderizer to hammer it flat. Cut each breast in half, if desired. (Chicken tenderloins work great, too!) Place chicken in the prepared ziplock and coat with the spices. Grill on medium low about 8-10 minutes each side or until no longer pink in the middle. YUM!!!! Cut leftovers into chunks and use in chicken divan, chicken gnocchi soup, white chili, etc. 

Rice 'n' Black Bean Bake

I found this recipe in a Quick Cooking magazine years ago. I've made a few minor changes, but it's still quick and easy. (Click here to see original recipe and what I changed.) I needed something last minute for a Christmas gathering for Jeff's department a few years ago and people were asking for the recipe.

Two 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
One 15-oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
8 oz. tomato sauce
8 oz. picante sauce or salsa
3 cups cooked rice
1 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
corn chips, tortilla chips, or flour tortillas

In a bowl, combine first 4 ingredients. Stir in rice, sour cream and 1 cup cheese. Transfer to a greased 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350º for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve with chips or wrap in tortillas. 

Chinese Beef and Rice Casserole

This is my very favorite way to use up leftover roast. In fact, I think I like this dish better than the roast to begin with! I got this recipe from my friend, Troba, years ago when we lived in Columbus. It's a keeper, for sure!

2/3 c. uncooked rice

1 medium onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced diagonally (optional)

2 Tbsp. salad oil

1 ½ c. diced, cooked roast (leftovers!)

1 ½ c. boiling water

1 beef bouillon cube

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 green pepper, chopped

Cook and stir rice, onion and celery in hot oil until rice is golden brown, onion tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except green pepper. Heat to boiling and then lower heat. Cover tightly and simmer 15-18 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Add green pepper and fluff rice lightly with fork. Cover 10 minutes. Serve with additional soy sauce, if desired.