Cafe Rio Salad

My husband and I love Cafe Rio and we love copycat recipes, which made this one of our ideal meals. Even though it wasn't identical to Cafe Rio, we were impressed with how close it was. We had been talking about making this meal for several months, but never got around to doing it, so last week I decided to surprise my hubby with it. When he found out what was for dinner he got so excited! I think that is my favorite thing about cooking. I love making things that make other people happy. I created this recipe by taking ideas from a couple of different reciepes that I found online.

Serves about 10 people (depending on how much meat you like on your salad)

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 12 hours

Meat:
2-3 lb pork roast
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp cumin
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 can Dr. Pepper
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 large onions, chopped
1 1/4 cup brown sugar

Other Salad Ingredients:
Romaine lettuce
Large tortilla (freshly cooked is best)
Pico de Gallo
Tortilla strips
Guacamole
Black beans
Rice
Cilantro
Cilantro Ranch dressing

Combine brown sugar, cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic and salt, and rub on roast. Cook on low for 3 hours, then add Dr. Pepper, chicken broth and onions and cook for another 8 hours. About an hour before serving, shred roast and add brown sugar; if desired, add more sugar and salt to taste.

Prepare the salad by first placing a large tortilla in a shallow bowl, then add rice, beans, meat, lettuce, pico de gallo, and guacamole. Garnish with tortilla strips and cilantro.

Tortellini Salad

This is an excellent pasta salad (my husband's favorite) and is quite easy to assemble. I use Chef Todd's seasoning, but it is also really good with Italian seasoning. Also, because there are only two of us, I make a smaller portion by choosing a smaller package of the refrigerated tortellini, but when I make it for larger groups I use two packages or a larger package - preferably with multi-colored tortellini. I don't think it tastes any different, I just like the way it looks.

Recipe Yield: 4 servings

1 9 oz package cheese tortellini, prepared according to directions on package

1 red pepper, sliced

1/2 can black olives

Chef Todd's seasoning (to taste)

Salt, to taste

Olive oil

Feta cheese

Combine pasta, olive oil, and seasonings and stir until the pasta is completely coated. Add in remaining ingredients and stir. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving. If the pasta soaks up the olive oil before you eat it, add a little bit more.

"Man Salad"

My husband and I always joke about how he doesn't like healthy salad, he likes "man salad," meaning he likes a salad that is primarily composed of different types of meat. In honor of this strange preference he has for meat, I decided to make him a salad that has steak and bacon - two of his favorites. In fact, I am pretty sure that the dressing on this salad is the first homemade dressing I have ever made. I was so surprised that it actually tasted good! By allowing vinaigrette dressings to rest for at least a few hours or a day, the vinegar taste dissipates. The recipe is from the 365: No Repeats cookbook by Rachael Ray.

4 slices bacon
4 1-inch thick beef tenderloin steaks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling the steaks

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 romaine lettuce heart, chopped
2 cups chopped arugula
4 plum tomatoes, halved and cut into half-moons
1 15-oz can artichoke hearts, drained and thinly sliced
large olives
feta cheese

At least a few hours prior to making the salad combine the shallots with mustard and vinegar and let sit for 10 minutes. Whisk in 3 Tbsp of olive oil and refrigerate until it is time to make the salad.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Line up the bacon on a meat-safe cutting board and center a steak across each slice of bacon. Season the meat with salt and pepper, then wrap the steaks in the bacon. Do not overlap the bacon, just spiral wrap it around the meat. Cook the bacon-wrapped steaks for 4 minutes on each side, or until the bacon is crisp. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes.

Toss lettuce, arugula, tomatoes, and artichokes with salad dressing. Season the salad with salt and pepper and divide among 4 plates, topping with olives and feta cheese. Slice the meat on an angle. Arrange the meat on the salad.

Greek Salad

Now that I consider myself a "food blogger" I suddenly come up with lots of interesting combinations of food for dinners and salads. Sadly, I often find that someone else has already invented my great new dish; in this case, apparently it was the Greeks. According to my research, Avocado seems to be my only truly original addition, which I feel was a stroke of genius.

Salad:
Romaine lettuce
Green pepper, sliced
Red pepper, sliced
Fresh tomato, cut
Black Olives
Avocado, sliced
Feta cheese

Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp oregano

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. Mix olive oil, vinegar, and oregano. Pour over salad and toss. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Garden Salad

Although this salad is not complicated by any means, I decided to post it because the colors are so vivid that I couldn't resist. Also, it is one of the very few ways I know how to use cabbage. Now that I have researched its health benefits, I am on the lookout for new ways to incorporate it into our diet. Please let me know if you have a recipe that includes cabbage! I would love to try it.

Romain lettuce
Green leaf lettuce
Shredded carrots
Red cabbage, chopped
Grape tomatoes

Toss ingredients and eat with your favorite salad dressing and croutons.

Chicken Cabbage Salad

I had the day off of work the other day so I invited my sister-in-law over for lunch. I wasn't sure what to make so I started brainstorm about what "grown up ladies" eat for luncheons. Of course the first thing that came to mind was salad. I remember one time when I was in high school when i went to a luncheon with my mom and they had a bunch of different kinds of salad. I didn't really like most of them, but this one was really good, so I found what I think was the original recipe. It turned out really well, although I wasn't sure if it was actually a healthy salad. I have always heard that the darkest fruits and veggies are always the richest in nutrients. If that is true, green cabbage can't be that good for you. So I researched it and found out that cabbage is actually very healthy. It is an excellent source of vitamins C, A, E, and B as well as being high in fiber and iron. In fact, there have been many studies that suggest cabbage actually lowers the risk of cancer. Who knew? I'll be on the lookout for ways to add more cabbage into my diet.

1 pkg Top Ramen Noodles (uncooked and broken)
1/2 head cabbage, chopped
3 Tbsp roasted almonds
3 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
3 green onions, chopped
2 chicken breasts cooked and chopped

Dressing:
1/2 cup salad oil (I used about 1/3 cup canola and the rest sesame oil)
3/4 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar

Mix dressing and pour over salad; mix well. Best if made 24 hours before.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

I wasn't sure how to make this salad so I tried to imagine what would make it taste the best and it turned out amazing.

12 oz Spinach (stems removed)
1 lb container of strawberries
1 c pecans
3/4 c feta cheese

These are very rough estimates. I just added enough of everything so that it looked well balanced. I drizzled a little bit of Kraft poppyseed dressing over top (maybe a Tbsp or two over the whole thing), which I found to be quite delicious and much lighter than the majority of homemade dressings that I have tasted. I generally like minimal dressing on my salads so I can enjoy the flavor of the vegetables/fruits.

Another great option is to add brown sugar to the pecans and toast them in butter on the stove or in the oven.