Cafe Rio Salad

This is one of my all time favorite recipes.  It takes a little bit of work but it is so worth it.  We tend to have leftovers for a few days and even though I am not a huge fan of leftovers this meal tastes better the longer it sits in the fridge (but not too long...).

Cafe Rio Salad

Chicken:


1 small bottle zetsy Italian dressing


1 T chili powder


1 T cumin


3 cloves of garlic


5 lbs chicken (about 3 large chicken breasts)



Add everything in a crockpot and cook for 4 hours. Shred chicken and then cook 1 more hour.



 

Rice:


3 cups water


4 tsp chicken boullion


4 tsp minced garlic


1/2 bunch cilantro


1 can green chiles


1/4 tsp salt


1 T butter


1/2 onion


3 cups minute rice (or 1 1/4 cups regular)



Blend cilantro, onions, garlic and chiles in a food processor. Boil water, add all ingredients. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

To make Salad:

Layer:
A tortilla (melt cheese on top), chicken, rice, beans, salad greens, add any salad toppings you wish, like olives, tomatoes, cheese, and dressing. You can put tortilla chips on top, or cut corn tortillas into thin strips and bake them until they're crispy--like at the restaurant.

 

Café Rio Salad Dressing

 

1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix


1 c. mayonnaise


1/2 c. buttermilk (or 1/2 c. canned milk)


1 c. chopped cilantro


1 c. Herdez salsa verde


2 cloves garlic, minced


1 small can green chilies


1 small can jalapenos (add to taste)


crushed red pepper (add to taste)



Blend first 7 ingredients in blender. Add jalapeno and red pepper to taste. Makes one quart. Keeps in refrigerator up to 1 1/2 weeks

Jenni's Recipes

My cute friend Jenni sent me these awesome recipes.  I am totally making the southwestern egg rolls for dinner!  Thanks so much Jenni! (I am making each recipe it's own post)

This is what she said:

Ok, I have a million that I love but here are a few of my current favorites from just cook already. I have made all of them multiple times and they are ALL a huge hit every time.  Happy cooking!

Southwestern Egg Rolls

1 can Corn (drained)

1 can black beans (drained)

1/2 bunch cilantro

Juice from 1 lime

1 1/2 cup of chopped spinach

1 tsp minced garlic

2 medium sized chicken breast...cooked, finely chopped

1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded cheese, mexican mix

2 T olive oil

Cumin about 1 tsp

Chili powder about 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Cracked red pepper or cayenne pepper to desired spiciness

1 packet of 20 egg roll wraps.

Mix it all together, put about a big spoonful inside the wrap. (It takes a few times to judge the size of the egg roll and you will think you have too much and think you need to make them bigger)...don't. Roll it up tight. Seal edge with a little water.

Deep fry in oil {i used evoo.}

I served with tomatillo dressing and spanish rice.

honey-lime chicken enchiladas-Jenni's

honey-lime chicken enchiladas

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 large limes)

2 teaspoons to 1 Tablespoon chili powder

2 large cloves of garlic, finely minced or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 large breasts), cooked and shredded

12 corn tortillas

2 cups of Mexican cheese blend, shredded (1 small bag usually is 2 cups)

1 14-oz can of green enchilada sauce (mild or medium, to your taste)

1/2 to 3/4 cup of heavy cream

nonstick cooking spray

1 Tablespoon of chopped cilantro, to garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cooked and shredded chicken in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, place the honey, lime juice, chili powder and minced garlic or garlic powder. Whisk together thoroughly to combine. Pour this mixture over the chicken and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to marinate while you prepare the tortillas, 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, in the refrigerator.

Heat a large griddle till a drop of water skitters across (about 350 degrees F). Spray the surface with non-stick cooking spray or a oil it with a little bit of canola oil in between each round of tortillas. Heat tortillas about 20 seconds on each side till warm and flexible and some golden brown spots have appeared. Remove the tortillas from the griddle and keep them between a couple of paper towels until ready to use.

Spray the sides and bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish lightly with cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine the enchilada sauce and the heavy cream. Spread about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the bottom of the oiled baking dish. Add a large spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture to the center of each tortilla in a line. Cover the chicken with a large tablespoon (or big pinch) of cheese, then roll the tortilla up from one side to make a rolled enchilada - it will be more of an over lap on the seam side that rolled tightly. Place the enchilada seam side down in the baking dish starting at one end with the long edge parallel to the longest side of the pan so that you end up with two columns of six enchiladas each.

Repeat with the remaining chicken, cheese and tortillas. You will use about 1 1/2 cups of the cheese for the filling and set the remainder aside for topping the enchiladas in the pan. Add the remaining marinade mixture to the enchilada sauce and cream mixture, if desired. Pour this mixture over the top of all the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake the enchiladas for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown on top. Serve with sour cream, black beans, and rice or a green salad for a great meal.

Serves 4 to 6

Homemade Salsa

My parent's have a huge garden and an over abundance of tomatoes. I really wanted to use a few of their tomatoes and I thought what better way to use them then to make salsa! There are so many salsa recipes out there and I have only ever tried this one but it was sooo good and easy that I thought it deserved a post on this blog. I seriously just put all the ingredients in a blender and voila, homemade salsa! I found the recipe on this cute blog.

My Favorite Salsa

Ingredients:
2 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and very coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, halved
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes
1 (28 0z.) can diced tomatoes (drained or not, depending on how much liquid you want in your salsa) you could also use chopped fresh tomatoes
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. cumin
1/2 sweet yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
juice of one lime

Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the jalapenos and garlic. Process until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add all other ingredients to the food processor. Pulse in very brief pulses until the vegetables have reached the size you desire (it does not take many pulses so don’t overdo it). Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to blend.