Taco Casserole

This is a family favorite. I found the recipe HERE

1 lb ground beef 

1 package taco seasoning  

1 (15 ounce) can refried beans or Black Beans

2 cups monterey jack cheese
1 cup salsa

1 clove of garlic minced

1 cup of corn ( thawed)

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped1 tomato , chopped

1 avocado – cut into bite size pieces

1 cup of diced onions
2 cups corn chips

Preheat oven to 350

Heat oil in a large skillet – add onions and green peppers and cook on medium heat till tender. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Add beef and cook till no longer pink ( drain fat)

Add taco seasoning to beef and mix.

In a small bowl mix 1 cup of cheese and salsa together.

In a 8×8 dish place beef on the bottom

layer the salsa cheese mixture

then layer corn and beans.

Last layer is the rest of the cheese

Place in the over for about 15 minutes – till the cheese is nice and melted.

Garnish with tomatoes, avocado and chips.

Red Beans and Rice

1 lb dried kidney beans, I prefer the pink ones to the dark red ones
1 ham hock (optional)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon black pepper, fresh ground
1 tablespoon chicken stock, powdered
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried chipotle powder, I use one Knorr mini cube (optional)
1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
2 -3 bay leaves
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 -2 tablespoon salt, according to your taste
1 -2 teaspoon cajun seasoning, Tony Cacheres and Zatarains brand are both very good
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce, Chipotle flavored is really nice
2 tablespoons cornstarch or 2 tablespoons cornflour
1 lb smoked sausage

Directions:

1.These directions are long because I am covering the method quite thoroughly for new-comers. (-;.
2.SOAK BEANS: On Sunday night (or the night before you want to eat these yummy beans), check beans to be sure there are no stones then place beans in a large bowl and fill almost to the top with water. It's better to have too much water than not enough. The beans will more than double in size overnight. In the morning, I drain beans in a colander and rinse well.
3. A FEW PERSONAL TRICKS: One of the first things I do in the morning is fill my Crockpot with hot tap water just to bring it up to temperature much faster. This saves on cooking time and electricity. I also fill and boil my electric jug (or kettle) - this is the water I will use to cook my beans.
4. PLACE IN CROCKPOT: Beans, ham hock, black pepper, chicken stock powder, chopped garlic, garlic salt, bay leaves, and optional Chipotle powder and liquid smoke. Note: Save adding salt until the end of cook time.
5. COVER WITH HOT WATER: Cover beans with hot water from your jug or kettle just until fully covered. Then add an extra inch of water on top of that. This will give your beans a chance to swell even more during cooking. Cover Crockpot with lid.
6. QUICKLY: Sauté onions and bell-pepper just until they begin to cook. Add these to the beans and stir.
7.COOK: If you are going to be gone all day, cook beans on low setting for 6 to 8 hours. If you will be around to stir, etc., I recommend cooking them on high until they are almost fully cooked (about 4 or 5 hours). Then turn them down to low for the last bit of cooking.
8. ONCE COOKED: When beans are fully cooked, remove bay leaves (if you can find them all) add butter and stir. To thicken beans, add 2 tablespoons corn flour mixed with just enough cold water to dissolve it. Add this to beans and stir for a minute. Beans should thicken a bit in fairly short order. Repeat until you get the desired consistency.
9. ADD: Add salt by half-teaspoon until you reach the level of your liking. It may not take much for you. Also add a bit more fresh ground pepper.
10. NOW: Put your rice on to cook. Slice smoked sausage and cook in a medium-hot cast iron skillet until nicely brown and starting to emit those nice juices. Take skillet off heat but leave sausages where they are. Don't cover.
11. RINSE your rice with hot water. Once drained, place about half a cup of hot fluffy rice in a wide, shallow bowl.
12. COVER rice with a generous amount of red beans. Top with a good amount of hot smoked sausage slices.
13. SPRINKLE with hot sauce and/or more Tony's if you want it spicy like I do.
14. SERVE with hot buttered, grilled slices of French bread, salad or coleslaw.

This was my first try at red beans and rice and it was a hit. I found the recipe HERE

Complete Cafe Rio Pork Salad

We love Cafe Rio pork salad, I have tried a couple copycat recipes and this one by far is the best. I got the recipe from this awesome recipe blog that has tons of good recipes so check it out HERE.

CAFE RIO SWEET PORK


2 pounds pork (we use boneless pork rib meat)
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar
dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can sliced green chilies
3/4 can enchilada sauce (I use Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness but any will work)
1 c. brown sugar

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. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don't let it get TOO dry) or on low for 8 hours. Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork.

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.

Put shredded pork and sauce in crockpot and cook on low for 2 hours. That's it!

CILANTRO-LIME RICE

1 c. uncooked rice (long-grain, 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 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

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.

BLACK BEANS

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

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. (**NOTE** we added a can of corn, drained, to the beans with a dash of cumin and chili powder, it was AWESOME! We recommend doing this even though it's not "traditional Cafe Rio")


FRESH GUACAMOLE

3 avocados
Red onion, chopped (about 1/4 c.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (or to taste)
1 large ripe garden tomato (or 2 smaller tomatoes), diced
juice of 1 lime
4-5 shakes green Tabasco sauce
Kosher salt, to taste
Fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Pit avocados and mash in a bowl. If you like your guac kind of chunky (that's how we like it), coarsely chop with the side of a fork instead of using the fork to mash it straight down. Carefully stir in remaining ingredients until well mixed. That's it!

CILANTRO RANCH:
1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno (we like it SPICY so we kept the seeds in it, if you like it mild, just remove the seeds)

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



TORTILLA STRIPS

10-12 corn tortillas
oil for frying
Kosher salt

Cut tortillas into strips using a pizza cutter. You can cut 2-3 at a time pretty easily. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Place strips into hot oil and fry until they become crispy. When nice and crispy, remove from oil and place on a paper towel. Sprinkle with salt after each batch.


Here is how we put it all together: First of all, we bought the aluminum deep-dish pans (they had these at the grocery store, you will know when you see them.. they look JUST like the Cafe Rio tins). Lay a tortilla in the bottom of the pan, sprinkle cheese on it, and put in the oven at 375 for about 5 min or until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven, add beans, rice, pork, then lettuce and a little scoop of diced tomato and onions (pico de gallo). Add guacamole (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) and sour cream. Add crushed tortilla chips, a shake of Parmesan cheese, and top with a few cilantro leaves. Serve with the cilantro ranch or vinaigrette dressing and there you have it! (makes about 6 salads)