Cafe Rio-Style Burritos

Have you been to Cafe Rio? It is a Mexican restaurant here in Utah that I absolutely love. Their burritos and salads are both wildly addicting. Since I could pretty much eat it every week for the rest of my life, I figured I better figure out how to make it at home so I don't spend all of my money there. Here is a recipe for a delicious, smothered burrito a la Cafe Rio. You can really do this burrito any way you want to. Don't like green sauce? Use a can of red enchilada sauce instead. Not too crazy about black beans? Use refried. You really can't go wrong here. It's a delicious meal (one that we love having when we have friends over) and everyone seems to love it. The recipes for each of the main ingredients in this recipe have already been posted, so I've included the links below (just click on the name of each component to view the recipe). Enjoy!

Cafe Rio-Style Burritos

Sweet Mexican Rice
Honey Chipotle Black Beans (I only use 1 chipotle pepper in the whole batch and it is plenty spicy for me)
Fajita Chicken
Salsa Verde
Tortillas
Shredded Chedder or Monterey Jack Cheese
Pico de Gallo
Sour Cream

For each burrito, layer about 1/4 cup each of rice, beans, and chicken. Top with 2 Tb. cheese. Roll up burrito-style and place in a baking pan. Cover each burrito with 1/4 cup salsa verde and sprinkle with 1 - 2 Tb. cheese. Bake in 350 degree oven for 5-10 minutes, or until sauce is warm and cheese is melted. Top with pico de gallo and sour cream.

Sweet Mexican Rice

This is a perfect Mexican side dish, or perfect wrapped up in a delicious burrito. I made a big batch of this last week and used it as a side for quesadillas, inside a hugely delicious burrito, and on top of a yummy salad. It's quick and simple, but full of flavor--a nice change from your average white rice.

Sweet Mexican Rice
serves 6 - 8

2 Tb. butter
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups white rice
3 cubes chicken bullion
3 cups water
2 Tb. sugar
juice of 1 lime
2 Tb. cilantro, finely chopped (optional)

1. Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, pepper, and garlic. Saute until translucent. Add rice and cook until lightly browned. Add chicken bullion and water, cover and simmer over low heat for 25 minutes or until water is completely cooked out. Let stand 5 minutes.
2. Mix lime juice with sugar, pour over rice and fluff with a fork. Top with cilantro if desired.

One Pan Taco Dinner

Sorry, no picture today. I'm currently on bed rest (have been for the past week and a half) so I haven't been able to do much cooking lately. This is one of our favorite quick and easy meals. It's fast, flavorful, and we always have the ingredients on hand. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

One Pan Taco Dinner

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

1 pkg. taco seasoning mix

1 cup salsa

2 cups minute white rice, uncooked

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups shredded lettuce

1 large tomato, chopped

Optional Toppings

sour cream

avocado

tortilla chips

cilantro

olives

1. Brown meat and onion in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain.

2. Add 2 cups water, seasoning mix, and salsa. Bring to a boil.

3. Stir in rice. Sprinkle with cheese; cover. Cook on low heat 5 minutes, until rice is completely cooked and soft. Top with lettuce, tomato, and desired optional toppings just before serving.

Sweet & Sour Sauce

This was a staple in our house when we were growing up. Honestly, I probably haven't made it for at least a year, but the other day I wasn't feeling well and felt like eating some comfort food so I turned to this...and promptly wondered why it had been so long since I'd made it! I love having sweet & sour sauce over rice with some stir fry veggies. It's great with chicken, too, or with homemade meatballs. Any way you have it is bound to be great!


Sweet & Sour Sauce
Adapted from a really old Betty Crocker cookbook

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tb. cornstarch
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 Tb. red wine vinegar
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks or tidbits with juice
1 Tb. soy sauce
dash salt

1. In medium saucepan mix brown sugar and cornstarch until well combined. Add remaining ingredients.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.
3. Serve with rice, veggies and/or chicken. Enjoy!

Stuffed Bell Peppers

This is a simple recipe that can be adapted in numerous ways. My mom always used to make these when we were growing up, and it's kind of a sentimental recipe for me. My granddad also loved them, and I can't ever eat them without missing him. I hope you enjoy them as much as my family & I do!

Stuffed Peppers

4 large bell peppers (any color)
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes (variety of your choice)
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup cheese (variety of your choice, I like mozzarella or colby jack)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Clean peppers and cut lengthwise in half. Remove seeds & membrane. Place in sprayed 9 x 13 inch glass pan.
2. Cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain well.
3. In food processor or mini chopper blend tomatoes to desired consistency. Add to ground beef, cooked rice, and spices. Add half of the tomato sauce. Mix well and heat through.
4. Spoon rice mixture evenly into peppers. Top each with a spoonful of tomato sauce. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle cheese evenly over the tops of the peppers, and return to oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Note: here are a couple good combinations:
*diced tomatoes with green chilis and sharp cheddar cheese (add a sprinkle of chili powder to the rice mixture),
*diced Italian style tomatoes and mozzarella cheese (add a sprinkle of basil and parsley to the rice mixture)

Creole Style Crockpot Jambalaya

I've been using the crockpot more and more for cooking at work. It lets me budget my time more effectively. I can prepare the meal the night before, when I usually have free time, instead of trying to rush to get it done in time. This realization has led to many the experimental meals, most of which have turned out fairly good. But this one has to be one of my favorites. It isn't exactly a traditional jambalaya (since the rice is cooked separate and added at the end), but is still very tasty.

Creole Style Crockpot Jambalaya
serves 8-10

Ingredients-
1 lb sausage (I like to use Colosimo's brand chorizo, but andouille is more traditional)
2 lb chicken breasts or tenders, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 lb ham, cubed
2 TB butter
1/2 stalk celery, diced
3 or 4 large carrots, diced (or about 1/2 a bag of the baby carrots)
1 large onion, diced
2 large bell peppers, diced (I like to use one red and one green)
Cajun spice blend
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth or stock (stock is better, but take what you can get)
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 lb small shrimp, tailed and shelled
4-6 cups cooked rice
Fresh parsley, minced
Salt and pepper

Directions-
1- Brown sausages on medium heat in a large skillet. Do not cut them up or puncture the skin. You want to save the tasty interior juices for the rest of the jambalaya. Once browned, transfer to a very large crockpot and cut into bite sized pieces using kitchen shears.
2- Brown the chicken in the same skillet, if there isn't enough grease left from the sausages then use a little butter. You'll probably have to do this is batches so the pan doesn't get over crowded. Once browned, transfer to crockpot with the sausage.
3- Just quickly sear the ham in the same pan. Shouldn't take much time at all. Transfer it to the crock pot.
4- Sautee the vegetables(celery, carrots, onion, peppers) in the butter, using the same pan. Try to scrape up and incorporate anything the meats left behind in the pan. Once the veggies are starting to soften add in the Cajun spice. (If you want there to be any taste of it left after crockpot cooking you better add a ton. I put in 3-4 TB to make it about medium heat. It seems like a lot, but the crockpot blands everything out.) Coat the veggies in the spice. You're trying to bloom it in the butter and make it stick to the veggies.
5-When the veggies are covered in spice and fairly soft add in the stock and tomatoes. You want to de-glaze the pan and incorporate all the nice fond you've built up into your liquid. So really scrape the bottom of that pan (don't scratch it if it's non-stick though!). After a couple minutes on medium heat everything should be pretty well incorporated. Dump the veggie/liquid mix into the crockpot with the meat and stir it up to mix everything together.
6- At this point I would usually leave it in the fridge overnight, but you could start it right away. Set the crockpot on high heat for about 3 hours.
7- When the time is almost up you'll want to get your rice cooked. Make it with just a little bit less water than normal. If it's a little dry then it'll soak up the jambalaya liquid better.
8- Right before you're ready to serve the jambalaya, you'll want to sautee the shrimp in butter. Make sure to get them fully cooked. It should just take a couple minutes, depending on the size of shrimp. Add the cooked shrimp to the crockpot and mix to incorporate fully. Let stand for a couple minutes, and garnish with a little chopped parsley.
9- Serve over the cooked rice. I should be very tasty now.

This isn't exactly a health conscious, or vegetarian friendly recipe, but it is quite good. I think it's the perfect sort of meal for the cold winter, maybe even for a reading of The Cajun Night Before Christmas. Laissez les bon temps rouler!