Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Recipes from Birthday Dinner

Here are the recipes we used for our Cafe Rio inspired dinner at the Relief Society birthday dinner.


Creamy Tomatillo Dressing
1 pkg. Traditional Ranch dressing powder mix (not Buttermilk dressing)
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk and quarter or dice
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic (I use more)
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (with our without the seeds)

Mix everything in a blender. Easy!

Cafe Rio Pork
1 Tbsp cumin
1 cup brown sugar
1 can Coke
1 cup enchilada sauce

Pour over pork roast and cook in crockpot 4-6 hrs on High. Shred with fork and cook for another hour. (I like to drain the fat from the sauce and thicken it slightly with cornstarch.)

Black Beans
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. ground cumin
3 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 cup tomato juice (I sometimes use tomato sauce diluted w/ water)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

In non-stick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add everything else except cilantro. Stir continually until heated through. Stir in cilantro just before serving. (We sometimes add a can of corn too...YUM!)

Cilantro Lime Rice
2 cups uncooked long grain rice (not minute rice)
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. lime juice
1 15oz can chicken broth
2 cups water (maybe more)
1 Tbsp. lime juice
2 tsp sugar
3 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro (I use more!)

In a saucepan combine rice, butter and garlic. Saute together for a minute. Add 1 tsp. lime, broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 mins, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice an mix in as you fluff the rice.