Cafe Rio Pork Salad

There are 3 parts to this recipe.

~ Creamy Tomatillo Salad Dressing ~

3 fresh tomatillos, cut into quarters 1 c. fresh cilantro (about one bunch)
juice of half a lime 5 stalks green onions with ends
½ c. buttermilk 2 cloves crushed garlic
½ c. mayonnaise ½ - ¾ tsp. salt
½ c. sour cream ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
1 pkg. Dry Ranch Buttermilk Dressing Mix 4 tsp. sugar or other sweetener

Place all ingredients in a blender. Combine well and refrigerate one hour.


~ Easy Cilantro Rice ~

6 c. just cooked rice, hot
1 bunch fresh cilantro
2 – 3 cloves garlic
½ sweet yellow onion (Maui, Vidalia or Walla Walla)
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

While rice is cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients as follows:
Remove stems from cilantro, roughly chop then put into a food processor with garlic and onion. Process until everything is finely chopped. When rice is cooked and still very hot, combine with cilantro mixture, and salt and pepper to taste. At this point you can let sit covered for 5 – 10 minutes to blend flavors then serve, or bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes and then serve. Either way is good. I prefer to cook rice in a rice cooker and when the rice is done, I stir in the cilantro mixture and leave the lid slightly propped open for 10 minutes. The rice takes on a greenish hue that looks pretty. This dish goes well with Mexican dishes as a substitute for Spanish Rice. Serves 6 – 8.

~ Shredded Pork ~

Pork roast/tenderloin

2 c. fresh salsa
1 c. Brown sugar

Put all items in slow cooker for 8 hours on low. Shred.

Serve individually on plate in this order: Rice, Pork, Black Beans (opt.), Lettuce, Cilantro, Guacamole (opt.), tomatoes (opt.), Dressing