Cafe Rio’s Chicken Tortilla Soup

I found this recipe on Pinterest and it came from this site. It was SUPER yummy and I’ll be making it again very soon! It was freezing cold today so I didn’t grill the chicken; I cooked it in a frying pan on the stove...can’t wait for it to warm up a little and I’ll definitely be grilling it! The only thing I changed from the original recipe (other than cooking on stove) was that I added 1 clove garlic.

1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 /2 tsp. cumin
a dash (or two) cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. chili powder
5 c. chicken broth
3 tbsp. cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
black pepper to taste
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp. taco seasoning
1 tbsp. paprika
vegetable oil (to taste)
pico de gallo
2-3 avocados, diced
2 c. pepper jack cheese (I used monterrey jack)
tortilla strips
cilantro for garnish
lime wedges for garnish

Directions:
In a small skillet, saute onion and pressed garlic in 1 tbsp. oil until onions become slightly soft. Stir in cumin, cayenne and chili powder and saute an addition minute or two. Transfer seasoned onions and garlic to a small crock pot or medium-sized saucepan. (I ended up saute-ing right in my stock pot so to not dirty another pan) Add chicken broth, cilantro, lime juice, black pepper and pinto beans to onions and garlic and simmer on low heat for 2-3 hours. When close to serving combine taco seasoning and paprika. Brush chicken with oil and rub with taco season/paprika mixture. Grill chicken over medium heat until cooked through. Remove from grill and shred. In individual bowls, layer chicken, about 1/3 c. pico de gallo, 1/3 c. diced avocado and 1/3 c. pepper jack cheese. Ladle about 1 c. of chicken broth mixture directly over the layers. Top with tortilla strips and garnish with cilantro and lime wedges. SO yummy! This made about 6 bowls. Next time I will double this so as to have seconds if desired or leftovers.

Cafe Rio Type Pork Barbacoa

I got these recipes from a friend DC, I have modified them a little bit according to our tastes. These recipes are super good!

3-5 lb Pork Loin or Pork Roast
1½ cans Coke Classic (Dr. Pepper is better)
1 c. sugar
7 oz can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce – provides a lot of heat
(or plain adobo sauce for sweeter sauce)
1 tsp. dry ground mustard, heaping
1 tsp. cumin, heaping
1 tsp. garlic, minced

Remove the chilies from adobo sauce (throw chilies away) and add all ingredients (except pork)
in a blender. Rinse can of adobo sauce with Coke (Dr. Pepper) to get all the sauce out. Blend in
blender until well mixed. Place pork in crock pot and pour sauce over it. Cook for 4 to 6 hours on high or 7 to 9 hours on low. Carefully turn roast over halfway through the cooking cycle. Cook in sauce until pull apart tender and shred. Put shredded meat back into sauce. Serve in a large tortilla with black beans, green chili rice, monterey jack cheese, romaine lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream and guacamole. Squeeze lime juice on just before eating. Also can be used in a salad using the same toppings and Creamy Tomatillo Dressing.

Cafe Rio Type Chicken

8-10 chicken breasts cooked and torn
2 cans Rotel tomatoes with peppers (or 1 large can of diced tomatoes and 1 small can green chilis)
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic
Dash cayenne pepper hot sauce (to taste)

Simmer a while to develop flavor. Serve in a large tortilla with black beans, green chili rice, monterey jack cheese, romaine lettuce, sour cream, pico de gallo and guacamole. Add juice of limes over top just before serving. Can be used in a salad using all of the above toppings with Creamy Tomatillo Dressing.

Green Chili Rice

2 c. rice
4 c. chicken broth
1 or 2 4-oz can green chilies
1 onion, diced
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. cumin
3 green onions, chopped

Combine all ingredients except green onions. Cook in steamer or on the stove bring to boil and reduce heat. Stir occasionally until liquid is gone. Stir in green onions and let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.

Pico De Gallo

8 fresh roma tomatoes, chopped
1-2 onion, chopped
1/2-1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeno, deveined and remove seeds, chopped fine
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp lime or lemon juice
1 tsp pepper

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Add all ingredients, mix and chill. Serve with tortilla chips or any mexican food.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing (Cafe Rio Salad)

1 envelope buttermilk ranch dressing
1 c. mayo
1 c. milk
½ bunch cilantro
2 tomatillos
½ serano peppers with seeds removed (adds heat)

Blend ingredients in blender, let sit to thicken.
Note: Dressing continues to get hotter when it is stored in the fridge.

Guacamole

4-5 avocados, mashed
1/2 onion, chopped or 1 tbsp dried onion
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped (or ¾ bunch)
2 small tomatoes, chopped fine or
1 large spoonful of pice de gallo
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic salt
Juice of 1 lime

Combine all ingredients; add 1 tsp salt when ready to serve.