Rice Bowls -Cafe Rio Style

RICE BOWLS
We love rice bowls. What is a rice bowl you ask. Well it is rice in a bowl with toppings. One of our favorite is Café Rio Rice with Sweet pork and dressing. I originally got this recipe from a friend Megan, she used it to make Sweet pork Salad as served at Café Rio. I have made it many times for salad or for burrito filling, but we really just love to eat it in bowls. So how do you eat this? In a bowl put a scoop of rice, some dressing, then meat. Top with cheese, sour cream, tomatoes and avocados.

Café Rio Rice
3 cups rice
6 cups water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
¾ tsp salt
1 TBSP butter
½ bunch cilantro chopped

Mix and cook according to direction for you rice.
Then blend the following to the cooked rice.

2 tsp garlic (minced)
1 can green chilies
2 tsp chopped onion

Café Rio Creamy dressing
½ bunch cilantro (chopped)
½ jalapeno (optional)
1 package hidden valley ranch dressing mix (make according to directions on package)
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 tsp lime juice
Blend all ingredients together. Chill then serve.
This Recipe makes a lot of dressing, if you are just cooking for a few, try using readymade “spicy ranch” from the grocery store. We really like both the Hidden valley ranch and the Wal-Mart brand.

Megan’s Shredded Pork Burritos
3 lb pork roast
1 can Coke or Pepsi
1 c ketchup
5 T brown sugar

Cook roast until tender in crock pot. Shred meat. Place remaining
ingredients in a pan. Thicken with cornstarch. Replace sauce and meat
in crock pot. Cook on low for 1 hour or more or until ready to serve. Add about ½ cup chili sauce (buy on the pickle isle) just before serving.

This makes a lot, but we love that because I freeze the left over’s (separately) and we then have something easy and super tasty for dinner when time is tight.