Mock Cafe Rio Salad

Inspired by one of my favorite restaurants, Cafe Rio, this idea originally came from my friend Jenni. I don't think my recipe is even close to hers anymore, and hers probably tastes better, but this is all I've got. Hope you enjoy!

To make this salad I pull some pork out of my freezer,- about 1/2 lb to a lb- thaw it out a little and put it in a pan. I put in about 1/4 inch of water and start cooking it over medium heat. I add in sugar- you could use any sweetener, or even apricot jam- and garlic salt to taste. I really couldn't tell you how much I use, and it seems to change every time.

I then serve it in a tortilla shell with lettuce, my favorite mexican toppings and, of course, some ranch dressing.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

1 package buttermilk ranch dressing

1 cup of buttermilk

1 cup of mayo

2 tomatillos (husk and quarter)

1 clove garlic chopped

1/3 cilantro chopped

1/2 lime juiced

1 jalapeno seeded and chopped

Puree all ingredients in a blender.

Beef (Actually Pork) and Broccoli (Actually Stir Fry)

Today I pulled some pork out of my freezer- I like to keep it on hand see recipe here- and I decided I would make up some sort of asian inspired dish. It was then that I remembered a packet of beef and broccoli seasoning I had in the pantry. I thought it would be fun to pull it out and experiment a little. I used a brand called Sunbird, and for the first part I mixed together some of the ingredients they had listed.

Which were:

3/4 Cup of water

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

2 tablespoons of oil

I mixed those with the season packet and put it in a casserole dish with the pork- I used about 1/2 lb to 1 lb of pork.

Then I took 1/2 an onion and sauted it in some oil until it was golden brown. I put that in with the pork and sauce.

I decided the sauce didn't taste sweet enough so I mixed in about a tablespoon of Dark Karo Syrup and a tablespoon of cornstarch. I then set it in the fridge.

When dinner time neared I took it out of the fridge and baked it at 350 for 20 minutes. I then took our stir fry veggies out of the freezer and cooked them in the wok with some oil. When the veggies were good and cooked I poured in the meat- I had a lot of meat, so don't be afraid to use a lot of veggies. I then added some soy sauce to taste. Last but not least, I cooked some rice to serve it over.

I'd recommend not using shredded pork like I did. But other than that I really enjoyed my meal.

Pork Roast

Whenever I find pork on sale I like to buy a roast, take it home and cook it in the crock pot. I just cook it in a water and salt mixture for a day or two, shred it and the put it in the freezer. It's nice to have on hand for several different recipes. My favorite being my Mock Cafe Rio Salad.