Cafe Rio Sweet Pork

One Pork roast (about 5 lbs.)
2-3 cans Dr. Pepper (not diet)
1  1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
1 cup salsa (medium)

Put pork roast in crock-pot with 1 can Dr. Pepper, 1/4 c. water and 1/4 c. brown sugar and season with some garlic salt, pepper and season salt.  Cook until it shreds easily (anywhere between 4-8 hrs.) Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot.  Shred pork and get rid of all fat.

In blender, blend 1 can Dr. Pepper, green chilies, salsa and one cup brown sugar.  If it is kind of thick, add more Dr. Pepper.

Put shredded pork back in crock-pot and cover with sauce.  Cook on low for 1 hour.

Optional: you can marinate pork roast in 1 can Dr. Pepper and 1/4 c. brown sugar for a few hours or overnight in Ziploc bag. I never have had time to do it and it always turns out good.

Ingredient list: (listed in the quantities needed to serve 50-60 people)
Pork Roast or Loin - 25 lbs.
Dr. Pepper - 10-15 cans
Brown Sugar - 6 1/4 cups
Garlic Salt - to taste
Sliced green chilies - 5-small cans
Salsa - 15 cups

Sweet Pork Barbacoa (Copy-cat Cafe Rio)

Photo courtesy of Cafe Rio

2 pounds pork butt
2 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can diced green chiles
3/4 of a 14 oz can enchilada sauce
1 c. brown sugar


Put the pork in a reclosable bag to marinate, pour in one of the cans of Coke and 1/2 c. brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight. (I’ve done both…they both work.)


Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of Coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours. Remove pork from crock pot, drain off liquid, shred pork. (I use two forks because I’m too impatient to wait until it’s cool.)


Mix together (in a bowl or in the blender) other 1/2 can of Coke, can of chiles, enchilada sauce and brown sugar.


Put shredded pork back in the crock pot, cover with sauce, heat just until warmed through.


Chris and I made salads with this delicious meat--just like Cafe Rio! We used raw tortillas, brown rice, pinto beans, tomatoes, avocados and of course lettuce. You can top it with guacamole, salsa, chips and salad dressing to make it fully authentic! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did :)






Taken from a blog called One Good Thing.

Bell Pepper Casserole

2 large green bell peppers
1 lb ground beef or ground turkey breast
1-2 cloves minced garlic
2 c. cooked brown rice
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
mozzarella cheese
ketchup

Cook the rice according to the directions.

Remove the stems from the peppers and cut in half. Remove the seeds and cores. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the peppers and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and place on a cutting board to cool. Once cooled, cut the peppers into bite sized pieces.

Meanwhile, cook the meat and garlic, breaking the meat into small chunks.

In a bowl, mix the egg whites and rice. Add the cooked meat and a couple tablespoons of mozzarella cheese and mix. Add ketchup to make it a little saucier, about 1/8-1/4 c. (I just squirt it in until I get the consistency I like.)

Transfer to a baking dish and add the peppers. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until a light crust forms on the top and the cheese is melted.

Makes 4 servings.

I adapted this recipe from the Bench Press Bell Peppers recipe in the Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. We like it well enough that it is one of our new staples.

Italian Chicken and Potatoes

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1 tsp. Italian seasoning (or mix basil, oregano, crushed red pepper, and garlic powder to equal same)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese *
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

Place chicken in bottom of Crockery Pot. Sprinkle with half of the Italian dressing, spices, and the grated cheese. Put the potatoes on top or around the chicken. sprinkle with the rest of the dressing, spices, and cheese. Cook on low for about 6-8 hours, or until the chicken and potatoes are tender.

*I only put cheese on the chicken (1/4 cup) and sprinkled a little bit on the top of the potatoes, to reduce the fat.

I got this recipe from here. We all really enjoyed this.

Little Meatloafs

(Form meat into the size of a small fist, and drizzle in my yummy barbecue sauce......My kids hate meatloaf, but they love this one!)

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup quick oats
1/2 cup onion
1 tsp salt
1 lb ground beef

Form into the size of a small fist, (or make it look like a mini loaf of bread)and smother in topping.

Topping

2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup Brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp mustard

Bake for 350 for 45 minutes

Submitted by: Lisa

Chicken – Barbecue Sauce

½ c. onion
¾ c. water
¾ c. catsup
¼ c. lemon juice or 1 lemon sliced
1 TB. Sugar
1/3 c. Worcestershire sauce
2 TB. Vinegar (optional)
1 tea. Salt
1 tea. Chili pwd.
3-4 lbs. meat

Place meat in shallow roasting pan. Arrange lemon slices and onion over meat. Roast for 15 min. (Chicken) or 30 min (ribs) at 450 degrees to brown. Combine remaining ingredients (lemon juice included). Bring to a boil and pour over meat. Continue baking at 350 degrees until tender 45 min to 1 hour. Baste meat as needed. If sauce gets too thick, thin with water.

Submitted by: Anna