Cafe Rio Salad

There are some days people vividly remember in their lives. My mom says she remembers where she was and what she was doing the day JFK was shot. I remember watching the Challenger disaster in Kindergarten as a 5 year old. September 11, 2001 is burned to everyone's memory I would imagine, and my wedding day and the births of my three children are stand-out days as well.

There's a large part of my memory that holds food memories as well. I know. I have problems. I'm sure there is therapy available for it somewhere, but not here in Clovis, New Mexico. I have vivid memories of my fondue experience in Switzerland, my nutella crepes in Paris, my gelatto in Italy. But the first, and sadly the only time, I had a Cafe Rio Salad is a day not to be forgotten. I have Scott and Alicia Buchanan to thank for introducing me to the deliciousness that is Cafe Rio while I was visiting Utah. It was fantastic, fresh Mexican. And those who know me well, know I could eat my weight in Mexican food. And that, my friends, is a lot of Mexican. I think Cafe Rio would have to take the cake, so to speak, in fast-food Mexican. How I wish there were a franchise closer to here.

A few weeks ago, some friends at church did a Cafe Rio style dinner for a church activity. I was fortunate to partake of some leftovers, and I have been dreaming about Cafe Rio ever since. Last night I had our missionaries from church over to eat dinner, both of whom happen to be from Utah, so I thought it was the perfect time to whip up some Cafe Rio.

In a word, it was AWESOME (and easy!). I feel like I can't hold back with these recipes. I have to share them so you can experience Cafe Rio as well. Everyone should at least once in their life! Bon Appetite!

Cafe Rio Shredded Chicken

5lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thawed and cut into pieces
8oz zesty italian salad dressing (the cheap Great Value brand works great)
1 T cumin
1 T chili powder
3 cloves garlic, pressed

In a crockpot, combine chicken, salad dressing, spices and garlic. Stir well to combine. Set crockpot on high and let cook for four hours. Shred chicken. (I use my Pampered Chef salad choppers to quickly and easily shred the chicken right in the crockpot. I also use my Food Chopper to shred chicken, but this is kind of soupy, so I opted for the salad choppers and it worked great!)

Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Rice

2 cups white rice, not instant
4 cups chicken broth
2 T lime juice
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 14 oz can salsa verde
1 c fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
pinch of salt

Prepare rice according to package directions, except use chicken broth instead of water. After rice is cooked, stir in remaining ingredients. Keep warm.

Cafe Rio Tomatillo Dressing
1 c buttermilk
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c mayonnaise
2-4 tomatillos, depending on size (smaller ones use four, if larger, use two)
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves
1-2 cloves garlic
1 T lime juice
1 Hidden Valley Ranch packet

Throw everything in a blender and blend until smooth. I used my new Ninja blender, which I looooovvvee.

And this how you build your Cafe Rio Salad:

1. First, put a flour tortilla down on a plate. A big plate. My friend Laura introduced me to homemade flour toritillas. It is amazing how much better they taste than store-bought tortillas. At Wal-Mart of all places, I discovered the next best thing. These are in the refrigerated section near the cream cheese.
It's an extra step to brown them on a griddle or in a skillet, but WORTH THE EXTRA STEP.

2. After the tortilla, top with some shredded cheese. Cheddar, Mexican blend, monterrey jack, whatever you like.

3. Then, scoop some of the shredded chicken over the cheese. Don't drain the marinade off the chicken. You'll want a little of that saucy goodness.

4. Top with a generous scoop of the cilantro lime rice (and for the record, I am not a big cilantro fan, but it just works in these recipes).

5. Then top with beans of some kind, pinto or black. I used black beans. And it's better if they're warmed in my opinion.

6. On top of the beans go lettuce. And load it down with lettuce.

7. Then top with the tomatillo dressing, crushed corn chips, and I like to add a little salsa as well.

Delish. Such a fun dinner for a crowd or when entertaining. Now I'm off to eat leftovers!