Cafe' Rio Burritos

I just made this for Sunday Dinner. It was so delicious I can't wait for left overs. I tried to take a picture, but it really wasn't attractive, which didn't make it appetizing. But try it anyway, it is the best.

Rice

1 Cup rice (again, I mix 1/2 cup white rice with 1/2 cup brown rice)
2 cups chicken broth (or two cups water to 2 tablespoons dry bullion)
1 clove garlic
1/2 onion, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 can diced green chilies
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
* salt to taste
* zest of lime (which is just grated lime peelings on the smallest grate)
(*optional)

I heat a little bit of olive oil then add the garlic, onion and dry rice. After it is heated through I add the broth, green chilies, and lime juice. Bring it to a boil then cover and let it sit for 15 minutes. Add the cilantro at the end.


Chicken - (or I'm sure you could do Beef or Pork the same way)

1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
* 1 Tablespoon chili powder (optional, I have never used it)
1 tablespoon cumin
3 cloves minced garlic
Chicken (1 small bottle is enough for up to 5 pounds)

Crock pot everything on high for 4 hours, then stir up the chicken and shred it (it will fall apart at this point), and cook on low for another hour. Watch your moisture level, you may need to add a little water. This is by far the easiest recipe for Cafe Rio style chicken that I have found.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

Sour Cream
Dry Buttermilk mix
Ranch Dressing
Tomatillos, quartered
cilantro
garlic
lime juice
green onions (with ends)

Don't bother with fresh buttermilk. If you use it your dressing will only be good for about a week in the fridge. You can always use mayo instead of sour cream if you want.

This recipe was eyeballed. Put about 6 ounces of sour cream, 4 tablespoons of butter milk mix, 2 tablespoons of ranch dressing, 4 tomatillos, 2 tablespoons of cilantro, 5 0r 6 green onions, and probably a tablespoon of both garlic and lime juice. Blend it all up, then adjust the flavor to taste, (more buttermilk mix for a creamier dressing, etc.) Don't underestimate the amount of liquid in the tomatillos. It will be quite runny at first, but should set up nicely in the fridge and become thicker.

Black Beans

Canned black beans
Sazon Goya
** Sazon Goya should be in the Latino section, in a small orange box. We buy the one that has Coriander and Annatto don't be alarmed that it turns your beans a shade of orange.

I have made dried beans dozens of times, and they turn out amazingly well, but it really isn't worth the effort, (the hours of soaking and cooking). Add one packet of Sazon Goya to 1 cup of beans, and increase as the amount of beans you use increases. It is easiest way to make beans. (Sazon Goya is excellent with re fried beans as well). I could only find this spice in two stores in my area, one was Wall Mart which means it should be every where. The other was Fiesta Foods which is mostly Latino.

Put the above ingredients in a tortilla and enjoy. When I taught this in my cooking class it was a huge hit. A lot of families in my ward are having great meals.