Cafe Rio Pork Salad

If you haven't tried my Cafe Rio Pork recipe yet then you are missing out! I actually get the most google hits on that post. It is so yummy! Anyways, I decided to make a double batch of pork last time and froze half of it to see how it would do. I am happy to report it is just as good. I decided to serve it over a salad this time using the cilantro lime ranch. Love it, love it! Give it a try, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Ingredients:

Cafe Rio Pork (click here for recipe)

Hearts of romaine, chopped

black beans, drained and rinsed

corn

cherry tomatoes

mozzarella cheese

Cilantro Lime Ranch Dressing (click here for recipe)

Directions:

Place chopped lettuce on serving plate and top with black beans, corn, tomatoes, pork, mozzarella, and drizzle cilantro lime ranch over top. Enjoy!

Shredded Beef Tacos

I love these tacos! I have been making our beef tacos this way for the past couple of years and they never disappoint. I have posted them here on my blog before with a yummy garnish that is worth trying too. It's an easy crock pot meal that requires very little ingredients. You can also substitute the beef for chicken and the beef broth for chicken broth with great results too.

Ingredients:

beef tip roast

2 packets of your favorite taco seasoning

1 can beef broth

1 small diced onion

Directions:

Pour beef broth in crock pot and mix in taco seasonings with a whisk. Place roast in crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours. Remove roast from juices and shred. Serve in warm tortillas with toppings of choice!

Recommendations:

• I love the uncooked tortillas from Costco, once you try them you'll never go back.
• My favorite toppings- lettuce, tomato, sour cream, cheese, this salsa, avocado or guacamole 
• I've used low sodium beef broth and low sodium taco seasonings and it still turns out great
• This rice (pictured above) makes the perfect side dish, but this one is good too!

Southwestern Chicken Nachos

I found this recipe on the Sister's Cafe and switched it up a little. The original recipe has you cook the chicken in Pace Picante sauce, but I chose to use homemade salsa. The toppings you could add on this are endless. I think next time I'll add black olives and green onion too. Super simple and great for a busy day meal.

Ingredients:

1 small bag frozen corn
1 can black beans
2 large frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 16-oz jar medium salsa, such as Pace medium picante sauce (I used homemade salsa, recipe here)
shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips
sour cream
chopped cilantro
diced avocado

(I also added lettuce and salsa, but I would recommend black olives and green onions too.)

Directions:
Pour bag of frozen corn in bottom of crockpot. Place frozen chicken breasts on top of corn and cover with rinsed and drained black beans and jar of medium salsa. Cook on high for 1 hour, and then on low for 4 hours. Shred chicken with forks. Serve with tortilla chips and add toppings to individual servings.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

We love buffalo chicken at our house, so when I ran across this recipes at allrecipes.com, I knew it was a must try. It's was a great busy day meal because it cooks in the crock pot. It was definitely too spicy for the kiddos but my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts

1 bottle of Frank's Red Hot BUFFALO Wing Sauce

1-2 Tbsp. dry Hidden Valley Ranch mix

2 Tbsp. butter

6 hoagie rolls

Directions:

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker, and pour 3/4 of the wing sauce and the ranch dressing mix over top. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

Once the chicken has cooked, add the butter, then shred the meat with two forks. Pile the meat onto the hoagie rolls and add a splash of remaining sauce if desired.

*I topped ours with lettuce, tomato, mozzarella cheese and drizzled ranch dressing over each one. Yummo!

French Dip Sandwiches

Thanks to Teresa over at A Blog About Food for this yummy recipe! My family really enjoyed it and it was full of flavor. The house smelled great and it's always nice when dinner is ready with such little work involved. My husband says "it's a keeper" so I'm sure we'll be having this again soon. Thanks Teresa! (Be sure and check out her blog for other wonderful recipes too!)

Ingredients
1 (4 pound) boneless beef roast (Mine is often smaller than this, 2-3 pounds works fine too. And I usually cut it into a few pieces so it will cook faster/better.)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 beef bouillon cube
1 bay leaf
3 whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder (I used minced garlic)
2-3 cups beef stock
package of onion soup mix
French Bread or Rolls for sandwiches

Directions
Remove and discard all visible fat from the roast. Place trimmed roast in a slow cooker.

In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, bouillon, bay leaf, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, and onion soup mix. Pour mixture over roast, and add beef stock to almost cover roast. Cover, and cook on Low heat for 10 to 12 hours, or until meat is very tender.

Remove meat from broth, reserving broth. Shred meat with a fork, and distribute on bread for sandwiches. Used reserved broth for dipping.

Chicken Tortilla Soup in the Slow Cooker

I had originally found this recipe on allrecipes.com but I made a number of changes to it. I put this in the slow cooker for about 7 hours and it was the perfect meal to come home to after church. The house smelled wonderful!

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken
2 10oz. cans mild Rotel
1 10oz. can enchilada sauce (I used Macayo's)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 10 oz. pkg. frozen corn
1 Tbsp. cilantro

tortilla chips
shredded cheese
sour cream

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients in slow cooker, except chips, cheese, and sour cream. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken after 5-6 hours using two forks.
2. Top with shredded cheese, a heavy dollop of sour cream, and tortilla chips (crunched up). Yum!

Slow Cooker Pepper Steak

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and new my family would love it. My husband loves anything with bell peppers in it. It did not disappoint and everyone enjoyed it. It is a super simple fix it and forget about it meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 2 inch strips (I used pre-cut stir fry meat)
  
• garlic powder to taste
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cube beef bouillon
• 1/4 cup hot water
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 large green bell peppers, roughly chopped (I used one red, one green)
  
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with liquid
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Sprinkle strips of sirloin with garlic powder to taste. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil and brown the seasoned beef strips. Transfer to a slow cooker.
2. Mix bouillon cube with hot water until dissolved, then mix in cornstarch until dissolved. Pour into the slow cooker with meat. Stir in onion, green peppers, stewed tomatoes, soy sauce, sugar, and salt.
3. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve over rice or egg noodles.
   

*I thought the gravy was a bit runny so I added ultra gel , a natural thickening agent.

Barbecued Beef

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. prepared Dijon-style mustard
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. liquid smoke flavoring
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp.ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 4lb. boneless chuck roast

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except roast.
2. Place roast in a slow cooker, pour ketchup mixture over top. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
3. Remove chuck roast from slow cooker, shred with a fork, and return to slow cooker for approximately 1 hour.

Slow Cooker Baked Chicken

Wow, talk about fall of the bone, tender chicken! My kids absolutely loved this. They each had three servings, yes three! It was such a simple fix it and forget about it meal. Just what I needed! You can also try stuffing the chicken with veggies or dressing. I'm going to next time, that way it is a one pot meal.

Ingredients:
1 2-3lb. whole chicken (just make sure it will fit in your slow cooker)
salt & pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 cup chicken broth
butter

Directions:
1. Wad three pieces of foil into 3" balls. Place them in the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. Rinse chicken, inside and out, under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels. Rub chicken with butter and season to your liking, try to season under the skin as well.
3. Place chicken on top of foil balls in slow cooker. Pour chicken broth into the bottom of slow cooker.
4. Set slow cooker to high heat for 1 hour, then turn down to low heat for 8-10 hours.

*recipe found on allrecipes.com

Beef Stroganoff

This is pretty much a fix it and forget about it meal. Great for Sundays. I love that it has simple ingredients that I typically have on hand. This is always a family pleaser, anything with meat n' gravy over noodles usually is. Give it a try!

Ingredients:
2-3 pounds cubed beef stew meat
1 packet Au Ju mix
1 cup water
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
rice or noodles

Directions:
Mix Au Ju mix and 1 cup of water and place in a slow cooker. Add cubed beef and cook on low for 5-6 hours, or until meat is tender.
Once meat is tender add soups, sour cream, and mushrooms, and cook on high for an additional 15 minutes.
Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Green Chili Chicken Burros

(yummy chicken mixture straight out of the crock pot)

This recipe was adapted from a recipe my mom shared with me the other day. She made this same green chili chicken mixture and mixed it with cheese and egg noodles, topped it with corn bread, and put it in a casserole dish and baked it as a casserole. She used salsa verde instead of green chilis which makes it a little spicier.

I thought this would be good as a burrito too so I gave it a try and we really liked it. It was nice change from the normal beef or bean burrito. I made rice to serve on the side but we ended up putting it in our burros and it made it even yummier! I highly recommend trying it. You can find my Spanish Rice recipe here.

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 10.75oz can cream of chicken soup

1 4oz. can green chilis (or salsa verde, if you like it hot)

shredded cheese

toppings of choice, ie: lettuce, tomato, black olives, sour cream

Directions:

1. Place chicken breasts in crock pot, thawed or frozen.

2. Mix green chilis and soup together, pour over chicken.

3. Cook on low for 4-5 hours, 6-7 hours if chicken was frozen.

4. Shred chicken and mix in cheese.

5. Serve in warm tortillas (I recommend the uncooked), and add toppings of choice.

Crock Pot Red Mashed Potatoes

I served these along side my Italian Breaded Pork Chops and they are delicious together. I highly recommend trying both!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 lbs. red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
3 cubes (3Tbsp.) chicken bouillon
4oz. sour cream
4oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook potatoes, garlic, and bouillon until potatoes are tender but firm, about 10-15 minutes, Drain, reserving water. In a bowl, mash potatoes with sour cream and cream cheese. Add reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.
2. Transfer the potato mixture to the crock pot, cover, and cook on Low for 2-3 hours. Just prior to serving, stir in butter and season with salt & pepper, to taste.

serves 4-5

Green Chili Burros

This is a recipe my mom always made for us growing up. I love this recipe because I have a small family and even the smallest roast is too big for our family. This takes care of the left-overs and is so easy to make.

Ingredients:
left over roast (any kind), about 1 lb.
1 can salsa verde, I use Herdez brand
1 can diced green chilies
tortillas

Directions:
1. Shred left over roast and place in crock pot. Pour salsa verde over meat and mix in green chilies.
2. Cook on low for 2-3 hours.
3. Serve in warm tortillas (I prefer the ones you have to cook), and top with cheese, sour cream, black olives, lettuce- whatever you like!

Ranch House Pork Chops with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
6 pork chops, 1/2" thick
1 packet (3 Tbl.) Ranch dressing seasoning
10.75 oz. Cream of Chicken
4 lbs. potatoes, peeled & cubed
5 Tbl. butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 cloves roasted garlic (directions below)
1- 1 1/2 cups warm milk
1 Tbl. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Directions:
1. Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning, and cream of chicken in crock pot. Cook on low heat for 6 hours.
2. Just prior to serving pork chops, boil cubed potatoes until fork tender. Drain and place in mixing bowl.
3. Mix on low till potatoes are mashed, then add butter, Parmesan, garlic, milk, salt, and pepper. Season to taste as needed.
4. Scoop mashed potatoes onto serving plates and top with a pork chop and gravy.

Roasted Garlic:
Slice the top off of a garlic bulb, drizzle 1 Tbl. olive oil over top. Wrap tightly in foil and bake for 1 hour and 350 degrees.
* recipe from Real Mom Kitchen

Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burritos w/Cilantro Lime Rice & Cilantro Lime Dressing

Anyone who has had Cafe Rio's sweet pork knows how awesome it is. This is a copy-cat recipe and it is a must try! It may seem like a lot of work to some but it is soo worth it! They usually serve this pork on a yummy salad but I decided to make a burrito instead using their sweet pork, cilantro-lime rice, and cilantro ranch. You could also add their black beans to this as well but my family is not a big fan of beans, I'll include the recipe for it though.
I bought the uncooked tortillas and I do recommend them. They are so much better than pre-made and they only take 60 seconds to cook. We also added romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese to our burritos. They turned out delicious!


Sweet Pork
Ingredients:
2 pounds pork (I used boneless pork ribs)
3 cans Coke (NOT diet), buying the 2 ltr. is cheaper
1/4 cup brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 cup water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can enchilada sauce (I use Old El Paso brand, mild spiciness but any will work)
1+ cup brown sugar

Directions:
1. Put the pork in a heavy duty ziploc bag to marinade. Add about a can and a half of coke and about 1/4 c. of brown sugar. Marinate overnight.
2. Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on low for 6- 8 hours.
3. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork. (for those of you who have a Bosch mixer, place meat in mixer with wire whisks and mix on speed 1 for 15-20 seconds, it will be perfectly shredded!)
4. In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little.
5. Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours.

Cilantro-Lime Rice
Ingredients:
1 c. uncooked white rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
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 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro


Directions:
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

Cilantro Ranch Dressing
Ingredients:
1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (I left this out, I don't like it too spicy)

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

Black Beans
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:
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.

Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:
1 lb. cubed beef stew meat
1 10.75oz. can Golden Mushroom Soup (not cream of mushroom)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 envelope of onion soup mix
1/4 cup water
4 ounces cream cheese
dollop of sour cream
small can of mushrooms

Directions:
1. In your crock pot, combine beef, soup, onion soup mix, onion, Worcestershire, and water.
2. Cook on low for 5-6 hours (until meat is tender).
3. A half an hour prior to serving add mushrooms.
4. Add cream cheese and sour cream just prior to serving.
5. Serve over egg noodles.

*if your family likes it extra "saucy", then double Golden Mushroom Soup and water

Crock Pot Pork Loin Roast

Ingredients:
2-3 lb. pork loin roast
1/2 onion, diced
6 Tablespoons of brown gravy mix (equiv. 2 envelopes)
2 cups water

Directions:
1. Place pork loin in crock pot. Sprinkle roast with diced onion.
2. Prepare gravy as directed on package then pour over roast.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, depending on the size of your roast.
4. Slice and serve, drizzling gravy and onions over top.

Crock Pot Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

1 large bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2.5-3 lbs. lean ground beef

1 1/4 cup ketchup

5 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

4 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

3 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

3 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

3 teaspoons chili powder

hamburger buns

Directions:

1. Cook ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium-high heat until meat is browned and crumbly and onion is translucent. Drain fat.

2. Combine ketchup, bell pepper, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, white wine vinegar, mustard, and chili powder in the crock pot. Stir in beef mixture.

3. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

4. Spoon onto hamburger buns and serve.

Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Soup

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds cubed beef stew meat
2 cups water
1 small onion, chopped
1 28oz. ounce canned crushed tomatoes
1 16oz. package frozen mixed vegetables
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
10 cubes beef bouillon, crumbled
2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbl. salt
1 Tbl. dried basil
Directions:
1. Place beef in slow cooker. Pour in water. Sir in remaining ingredients and season with bouillon, salt, pepper, and basil. Cook on low for 8 hours.

*warm cornbread tastes great with this!

Shredded Beef Tacos

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs. boneless beef roast

2 pckgs. taco seasoning

1 small onion, diced

2 cups water

5 green onions, finely chopped

1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

5 radishes, finely chopped

corn tortillas

salt, to taste

Directions:

1. In a crockpot, mix taco seasoning, onion, and water. Add roast (you may need to add a little more water to cover roast, all depends on size of your crockpot). Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

2. When meat is done, shred with two forks and place back in crockpot till serving.

3. Mix finely chopped green onion, cilantro, and radishes. Chill until ready to serve. (this garnish is what makes the tacos!)

4. Just prior to eating, warm corn tortillas. Spoon shredded beef and garnish into tortilla.Add cheese, salsa, jalapenos, etc.