Cafe Rio Pork Burritos

Cafe Rio Pork Burritos

Pork Loin or Pork Roast

cook in crock pot on low for 7-9 hours in sauce until it pulls apart.

Sauce

18 oz Coca-Cola Classic (do not use diet or generic)

1 C. sugar

1 7 oz. can chipotle chilies in ADOBO sauce (since you use the sauce and not the chilies, it is important that you get exactly that.)

1 tsp. dry ground mustard - heaping

1 tsp. minced garlic

Remove chilies from the can of adobo sauce. Rinse chilies with the coke to get all the sauce. Discard. Also rinse can with coke to get all remaining sauce. Put all ingredients in blender. Blend, pour over pork in crock pot. After cooking, pull apart with forks into bite size piececs. Leave in sauce while you serve it.

** I also added a few tablespoons of brown sugar, a tablespoon at a time, near the end of the pork being finished. Taste test for sweetness. :) **

** I bought the green salsa that had tomatillos and serano peppers in the ingredients instead and it tasted just like the Cafe Rio mild sauce.**

Cilantro-Lime Rice

1 C. uncooked rice

1 tsp. butter or margarine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (15 oz.) chicken broth (two chicken bouillon cubes with 2 cups of hot water)

1 1/4 C. water

2 Tbs. lime juice

2 tsp. granulated sugar

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, lime zest, chicken broth, and water. Bring to a biol. Cover, lower heat, and cook 15-20 min, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar, & cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice.

Black Beans

1 can black beans with jalapenos and lime juice, rinsed and drained

1 1/3 C. tomato juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

2 Tbl. olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. salt

In a non-stick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice & salt. Continually stir until heated through.

Don't forget the mozzarella cheese. Put it all together in a tortilla and broil it in the oven until the cheese melts!

(I modified this recipe from Kaitlyn Lind, a good friend of mine.)

These burritos are so tasty! I haven't gotten tired of eating leftovers for 3 days and could continue to eat more.

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Cheddar Cheese
8 Flour Tortillas (burrito size)
3 Chicken Breasts, cooked and shredded
1 large can (29 oz.) of Green Chile Enchilada Sauce (mild)

Place desired amount of cheddar cheese, chicken and a spoon full of enchilada sauce in each tortilla and roll the tortilla up. Place all 8 tortillas in a 13 x 9 inch sprayed baking dish. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas and spread desired amount of cheddar cheese over the top and bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, until cheese is melted and tortillas are slightly crispy on top.

(I found and modified this recipe from the back of the 'El Paso Green Chile Enchilada Sauce' can).

Delightful!

Sweet Spicy Orange Chicken

Sweet Spicy Orange Chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2" cubes
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/3 cup seasoned "Red Pepper" rice vinegar (can also use regular rice vinegar to not make it spicy)
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons yellow onion or green onion
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a shallow bowl combine the cornstarch, garlic powder and black pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in cornstarch mixture and coat evenly.

Melt butter and pour in a shallow baking dish, large enough to accommodate chicken in a single layer. Arrange chicken in pan and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine water, fresh orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, orange zest and whisk over medium heat for a few minutes. Then stir in brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and onion or green onion and let it come to a boil. Combine cornstarch with water and let it dissolve and add it to the sauce until thickened.

After chicken has baked the 30 minutes, turn each piece over and pour 1/2 sauce mixture evenly over chicken. Bake another 3o to 40 minutes basting (glazing the sauce over the chicken) frequently.

Serve chicken over rice with extra sauce on the side.

(I adapted recipe from mykitchencafe.blogspot.com)

Cooked chicken and orange sauce mixture from the oven. We loved it and enjoyed the very orange taste.

Crispy Spicy Beef

We love tasting food with contrasting flavors and this recipe is heavenly! It was very hard for us to stop eating.

CRISPY SPICY BEEF

1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12 ounces flank steak, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of canola oil

4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup sliced onion
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

In a resealable plastic bag, combine cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Add steak slices to cornstarch mixture and shake bag to lightly coat.

Pour two tablespoons of canola oil in frying pan and drop steak slices from plastic bag into the frying pan. Cook covered until browned and crispy.

In a medium saucepan, combine soy sauce, vinegar, honey, sugar, chili powder, water, and ginger. Mix well and cook over medium heat until sugar has dissolved.

In a small frying pan, add one tablespoon of canola oil and quickly saute the onion, garlic, and red pepper for 30 seconds.

Add sauce mixture and cook another 30 seconds.

Add the sauce mixture to the cooked steak and toss to heat through and coat with sauce.

Serve with rice and fresh cooked green beans.

(I found this recipe on the internet but have modified it to my liking).

Spicy Lasagna

Spicy Lasagna 

Nonstick cooking spray

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour or whole-wheat flour

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream

1/2 cup sweet potato puree (optional)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 (26-ounce) or 2 (15-ounce) cans whole or diced, peeled tomatoes, with their juice

1 small onion, chopped

1 cup lowfat (1%) cottage cheese

1 large egg white

1 (8-ounce) box of lasagna noodles (boiled and ready to use)

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Red pepper flakes, sprinkled on top of finished lasagna

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Coat an 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. For the meat filling, coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat.  When the pan is hot, add the oil.  Add the turkey, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes.  Sprinkle in the flour and half of the garlic, stir, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer.  Off the heat, stir in the sour cream, sweet potato puree, and half (1/4 cup) of the Parmesan; set aside.

3. For the sauce, combine the tomatoes and juice, the onion, and the remaining garlic and Parmesan (1/4 cup) in the food processor or blender and process until smooth.  Transfer the sauce to a bowl or large measuring cup.

4. In the same blender or food processor, blend the cottage cheese and egg white until smooth; set aside.

5. To assemble the lasagna, spread 1 cup of the tomato sauce over the bottom of the baking dish.  Layer about one-third of the noodles on top, covering the sauce completely.  Spread the meat filling over them.  (If you desire to go meatless, just add a first layer of cottage cheese.)  Cover with another one-third of the noodles and then spread all of the cottage cheese mixture over them.  Make another layer with the rest of the noodles and spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the top.  Sprinkle evenly with mozzarella cheese.

6. Cover the lasgna with aluminum foil and bake until the cheese has melted and the noodles are cooked through, about 40 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until the top is bubbly and browned.  Sprinkle on top of lasagna your desired amount of red pepper flakes.

(Recipe originally from the cookbook Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld but I made a few modifications.)

We took the pictures before added our red pepper flakes on top.  The red pepper flakes gave the lasagna a great burst of flavor.  The sweet potato puree is not needed for the recipe to turn out good, it is there to sneak in a vegetable that your kids will not taste or notice it being there.  Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook is designed with recipes to get your kids eating good food.  

Honey & Oat Granola

We love to eat the granola with milk, yogurt, or all by itself.

Honey & Oat Granola

6 cups oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup coconut
1 cup nuts (I use pecans)

Mix all & stir in:

1/2 cup canola oil (for more oat clusters use 3/4 cup canola oil) 
1/3 cup honey (for more oat clusters use 1/2 cup honey) :) yum yum
2-3 tsp. vanilla

Divide granola mixture in half and place on sprayed cookie sheets. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for around 25 minutes.

I found this granola recipe on www.providentliving.org but I have cut some of the ingredients out that I don't like in my granola).

Spray two cookie sheets with cooking spray and spread half of the granola out onto each cookie sheet.

Store finished granola in an airtight container.