Cafe Rio Salads (3 Star)

I love Cafe Rio's pork salads. A lot of other people do, too, who work very hard to copy the exact recipe. I appreciate all the work they have gone to because I now benefit. Here is a post from one of these people that appears to be very popular amongst those wanting to replicate the salad. I used the Cilantro Lime Rice recipe and the Black Bean recipe from her site. And, if you are going for a version of the meat that is just like Cafe Rio's, I bet that this one is as good as it gets. However, due the the fact that I rarely drink caffeinated beverages and have instructed my children not to (due to the fact that they are unhealthy and addictive), I didn't think it would be a good idea to use it in our dinner. We rarely even drink pop at all. So I made up my own version of the meat that, while not authentically Cafe Rio, was still pretty good.



Sweet Pulled Pork

7 pound pork roast (mine was bone-in--it's just what I happened to have)
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 28 oz can mild enchilada sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 can diced green chilies
1-2 canned chipotle peppers plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce

In a little bowl, combine salt, pepper, cumin, garlic, and onion powder. Rub all over the pork. Place the pork into a crock pot along with any extra spice mix. In a blender blend enchilada sauce, brown sugar, molasses, green chilies, and chipotle chilies. Pour over the pork and cook on low for about 8 hours or until the pork falls apart when pulled with a fork. When pork is cooked, remove from crock pot and use two forks to pull apart, discarding any bones or fat. Stir in some of the juices to taste. I probably used about a cup. For better flavor, make the meat a day ahead and then reheat in the crock pot for a couple of hours.

Obviously, this is much less sweet than most versions (Cafe Rio pork is really sweet!), but we really enjoyed it.



I love to make homemade whole wheat flour tortillas. I use this recipe from Allrecipes. I've re-written it below with my changes.

Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas

5 cups whole wheat bread flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2+ cups boiling water
all-purpose flour for rolling

In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour and salt. Add the butter, and using a hand mixer, mix on low speed until the mixture is the texture of oatmeal. Make a well in the center, and pour in the boiling water. Mix with hand mixer until all of the water is evenly incorporated. Sprinkle with a bit of additional flour, and knead until the dough does not stick to your fingers. The dough should be smooth.

Make balls the size of golf balls, about 2 ounces each. Place back in the mixing bowl and cover with plastic. Let rest for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.

Heat a griddle or large frying pan over high heat. On a lightly floured surface, roll out a tortilla to your preferred thinness. Fry one at a time. Place on the griddle for 10 seconds, as soon as you see a bubble on the top, flip the tortilla over. Let it cook for about 30 seconds, then flip and cook the other side for another 30 seconds. Roll out the next tortilla while you wait for that one to cook.

I only cook the amount that I am going to use at a time. For the extras, I singe each side on high heat and store in the refrigerator. When I am ready to use them, I fry to doneness. The extras could be frozen, too, but we always eat them quickly enough that this is not necessary.

This is a lot of work, but worth it to me because they taste so good, are healthy, and all of my kids love them. If I didn't go this route, I would get Costco's uncooked tortillas. Too bad they don't make whole wheat!



Costco's organic heirloom lettuces were excellent in this salad.



I used Pioneer Woman's Pico de Gallo recipe.



As mentioned above, I used the Cilantro-Lime Rice from here,



and the Black Beans from the same place, although I don't remember Cafe Rio's beans being like this. I actually don't eat there that frequently, so maybe I just don't remember. They were good, though.



For the guacamole, I mashed several avocados and mixed in a small spoonful of mayonnaise per avocado, and a little garlic powder and onion powder to taste.



For the dressing, I used a recipe given to me by a friend who's friend or relation's friend or relation had hired a chef to figure out the recipe and this is what they came up with.

Tomatillo Salad Dressing

5 tomatillos, husked, washed, and quartered
1 pkg ranch buttermilk dressing mix
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup mayo
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar
5 slices of bottled jalapeno
1 Tablespoon of bottled jalapeno juice
juice of 1/2 lime
1/8 teaspoon chili powder

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.



To assemble the salad, place a tortilla on a plate. Top it with meat, rice, and beans. Then top with lots of lettuce, some pico de gallo, some guacamole, and cover with the dressing. You could also serve with sour cream and cheese.

Because there are so many elements to this salad (and because I'm freaky about doing it all homemade) it took a lot of work which could obviously be alleviated by buying things like the tortillas, pico de gallo, and guac. But whatever you choose to do, this is so incredibly good and I highly recommend trying it!



It's difficult to give this salad a "boy rating" because each boy liked different elements of the salad but none of them liked the entire thing all together. One boy only liked the tortillas. Two boys like the tortillas with the meat, and one boy liked the tortillas with the meat and the beans. I can't remember if anyone liked the rice, and none of them would touch the lettuce, dressing, pico de gallo, or guac. Picky buggers! I guess I'll go with 3 stars.

Also, just as a warning, the meat juice stains! It's the fault of the enchilada sauce.