CILANTRO RANCH

• 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Dressing

• 1 c. buttermilk

• 1 c. mayo

• 3 tomatillos – look like green tomatoes – a must!

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1 c. fresh cilantro

• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

For those who like it spicier … add a half of a jalapeno or more!

Mix all ingredients together in the blender. That's it!

CAFÉ RIO SWEET PORK

2 pounds pork (shoulder)

3 cans Coke (NOT diet)

1/4 c. brown sugar

healthy dash garlic salt

1/4 c. water

1 can sliced green chilies

1 cup of your favorite salsa (or enchilada sauce)

1 c. brown sugar

Place pork in crock pot and fill it all the way up above the pork with water. Cook on high for 5 hours. Drain off water. Cut pork in thirds. Mix together sauce ingredients and put on top of pork. Cook an additional 3 hours on high. Shred pork with forks. Leave it on low until ready to serve.

Cafe Rio Black Beans

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tsp. ground cumin

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 1/3 c. tomato sauce

• 1 1/2 tsp. salt

• 2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.

Cilantro Lime Rice

• 1 c. uncooked rice

• 1 tsp. butter

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

• 1 can (15 oz) chicken broth

• 1 cup water

• 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

• 2 tsp. sugar

• 3+ tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

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

Cafe Rio Tortillas

So at our old school we hosted a fabulous teacher luncheon.  One year I was in charge I decided we should prepare the famed Cafe Rio dinner, since all the teachers had never heard of it.  THEY LOVED IT!  It was such a fun school to be at.

• 3 c. flour

• 1 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 tsp. baking powder

• 3/4 c. butter

• 3/4 c. very hot water

Mix the flour, salt, & baking powder together. Cut in the butter with your fingers, fork or your mixer works great, until it is crumbly. Add the water and mix until the dough comes together. Place on a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in bowl, cover with a slightly damp dishtowel and let sit for an hour or more. Pull apart a small piece of dough and roll it into a ball. Then use a rolling pin to smooth it out.

Preheat a large skillet or pan to medium-high heat. Place into the hot skillet, and cook until bubbly, golden, and no appearance of doughy-ness, about 1 minute (DON’T OVERCOOK.. remember these are supposed to be soft flour tortillas, you don’t want them to be crispy)

Dakin's Homemade Tortillas

Rochester days are filled with great memories of learning to cook all kinds of wonderful things.  I loved these homemade tortillas from John and Dakin.  Miss you guys.  Come cross the pond and be our neighbors again.

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
1/3 water
1 Tbs sugar
dash of salt
2 cups flour

Mix liquid ingredients.  Add flour slowly.  Knead lightly.  Roll into tortillas.  Heat on skillet at medium heat until bubbles form and then flip.

Kathie's Tortilla Soup

We make this for our Youth Committee mtgs at church. I like the green version for a change too. I think I'll add olives next time and a bit more rice.

6 Cups Chicken Broth

1 Chopped Onion

2 cans Ortega Chilies

1/2 Cup Rice

2 Cups Chicken

4 tsp Cumin

Fresh Lime Juice

In large pan combine: Broth, onion, chilies, rice, chicken and cumin.

Bring to a boil and cook until onions' are soft.

Right before serving add the LIME juice.

In bowls on the table:

Cilantro, chopped tomatoes, avocados, onions, sour cream, shredded cheese and tortilla chips.

Chicken Verde Stew and Hominy

I was sick the other day. My friend said that if she lived closer she would make me this stew for me. So since I was feeling better that day I went to the grocery store and bought it all and made it. Tasty.

Ingredients

• 2 Anaheim chiles
• 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos
• 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cups chicken broth
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped carrot
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  
• 1 (29-ounce) can hominy, rinsed and drained
• 6 tablespoons sour cream

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Halve, stem, and seed chiles. Place chiles, skin side up, on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray; broil for 5 minutes or until charred. Let stand for 15 minutes. Peel and discard skins. Arrange tomatillos on prepared baking sheet, and broil 14 minutes or until blackened, turning once. Combine the chiles, tomatillos, 1/4 cup cilantro, cumin, and oregano in a blender. Add 1 cup broth; process until smooth.

3. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil; swirl to coat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and bell pepper; sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour; sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic; sauté for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Place onion mixture in a large bowl.

4. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add 2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of chicken; sauté 3 minutes. Add browned chicken to onion mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken and 2 teaspoons oil. Combine remaining 1 cup broth, tomatillo mixture, onion mixture, and hominy in pan over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Ladle 1 2/3 cups stew into each of 6 bowls, and top each with 1 tablespoon sour cream. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

I have an aversion to the Crockpot. We just aren't friends. Buuuut, I'm determined to find recipes that work for it b/c every Thursday I'm going to need it after soccer practice ends at 6pm.

This recipe is simple and thanks to Trader Joe's again, I found an easy great meal.

1 package of Chicken Thighs (yes that makes all the difference)
1 package of Taco Seasoning
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of chicken broth

Simmer for a few hours in the crockpot. And serve with lightly fried tortillas, fresh tomatoes, cilantro, lettuce, cheese, etc.

Empanadas

Our friends Jeremy and Danielle made these for us. They were so good. Tonight my kids finally caught the love of them. This turned out to be a fairly easy meal b/c I could prep it in shifts. The night before I knew I was going to have leftover mashed potatoes. So while they were boiling, I chopped the onions and bell peppers so I could saute them the next day for this. So after dance and right before the baseball game, I had about 40 minutes to make salsa, make the dough, saute the stuff and miraculous find all the missing parts of the baseball uniform. I mixed the whole filling together and let it sit while we left for the game. So when we came home at 7pm dinner was ready in about 15 minutes and it was delicious.

Filling
leftover mashed potatoes (or 4 potatoes)
1/2 cup bell pepper
2 small onions chopped
3 Tbs oil
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 cup corn
1/2 cup chopped pimientos
1 cup cream cheese room temperature
1 cup mild cheddar and mild jack

Saute the onions and bell peppers for about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and be careful not to enjoy it like you do cookie dough!

Dough
1 cup warm water
1/2 Tbs vinegar
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups flour
3 Tbs melted butter
oil for frying

Mix all the ingredients together. I found that when I let it sit for a good hour or two the consistency was much better. It's great to make right before a baseball game.

Serve with Lupita's Green Salsa and this great Salsa.

Salsa

1/3 cup of chopped onions
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
4 tomatoes
2 Tbs canola oil
1 Tbs vinegar
1 Tbs lemon
1 garlic minced
salt and pepper
2 Tbs Tabasco

Lupita's Green Salsa

Christmas Eve Lupita taught me how to make tamales. I need to do it again to remember the tricks. Buuuut I remember the Green Salsa she taught me how to make. This is Delicious.

6 Tomatillos (golf ball sized)
1 bunch of cilantro
3-4 jalapenos
2-4 garlic cloves
1/4 onion
2 avocados

This is the best part ... remove the peels on everything and stick it aaaaall in the blender! Add a little water a tablespoon or two at a time until it gets a little liquidy.

Good Goat Burritos

Mmmmm mmmm. A crowd pleaser. Thank you Nadia. She gave this great cookbook years ago when I was first trying to think of dinner without meat for every meal. I have so under utilized this cookbook. I am repenting of my ways. The few recipes that I have tried from Vegetarian Planet have been wonderful.

By the way, if you're like my family (not me and my daughter) then you might call these Good Cow Burritos and use chedder cheese instead of goat cheese. My family ... soooo uncultured. But they did lick their plates clean. =)

Good Goat Burritos
3 cups of chopped scallions
1 Tbs olive oil
5 cloves of garlic
2 cans of tomatoes
3 cups of cooked rice
1 can of Trader Joe's Refried Black Beans
1 can of Black beans
3 Tbs cumin (or more if you're like me)
salt and pepper to taste

Goat Cheese (or the other stuff if you must)
cilantro
tortillas

Saute the scallions for 5-10 minutes until you feel their done. Add the garlic and saute for the last minute or two. Then add the remaining 6 ingredients and cook until warm.

Get the BIG tortillas. They are so much easier to wrap a burrito correctly. Sprinkle the tortilla with water and cook on a skillet until slightly browned. Spread a thin layer of goat cheese on the tortilla. Add the rice/bean mixture and top with cilantro, sour cream or whatever else you like. Sit on your comfy couch and enjoy the Olympics while eating.

Carne Asada

LOVE this recipe. When we moved to Rochester, NY there were no Mexican restaurants to be found. We were heartbroken. So I learned how to make Carne Asada. Tasty. Thank you Tyler Florence.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds flank or skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat
• 1 recipe Mojo, recipe follows
• Olive oil, for coating the grill
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 16 (7-inch) corn tortillas
• Shredded romaine or iceberg lettuce, for serving
• Chopped white onion, for serving
• Shredded Jack cheese, for serving
• 1/2 cup Pico de Gallo, recipe follows
• 2 limes, cut in wedges for serving

Directions

Lay the flank steak in a large baking dish and pour the mojo over it. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 8 hours, so the flavors can sink into the meat. Don't marinate the steak for more than 8 hours though, or the fibers break down too much and the meat gets mushy.

Preheat an outdoor grill or a ridged grill pan over medium-high flame (you can also use a broiler). Brush the grates with a little oil to prevent the meat from sticking. Pull the steak out of the mojo marinade and season the steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill (or broil) the steak for 7 to 10 minutes per side, turning once, until medium-rare. Remove the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to settle. Thinly slice the steak across the grain on a diagonal.

Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds on each side in a dry skillet or on the grill, until toasty and pliable.

To make the tacos, stack up 2 of the warm tortillas, lay about 4 ounces of beef down the center, and sprinkle with some lettuce, onion, and cheese. Top each taco with a spoonful of the Pico de Gallo salsa and garnish with lime wedges. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Mojo:

• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 large handful fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 orange, juiced
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil

In a mortar and pestle or bowl, mash together the garlic, jalapeno, cilantro, salt, and pepper to make a paste. Put the paste in a glass jar or plastic container. Add the lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, and oil. Shake it up really well to combine. Use as a marinade for chicken or beef or as a table condiment.

Yield: approximately 1 1/4 cups