Sweet Pork Salad with Cilantro Dressing

Since our move to Tennessee I have been without Cafe Rio and Bajio. I crave mexican food almost daily and Taco Bell just isn't cutting it. I have been wanting to make this meal for so long now. It is one of my top 5 all time favorite meals! The pork and dressing recipe come from Picky Palate but the rice recipe I got from good old Miranda.

Pork

2 - 4 lb. pork roast

1 1/2 c. Coca Cola

Salt, pepper, garlic seasoning salt

Sauce

1 c. Coca Cola

1 c. Ketchup

Place roast in crockpot with Coke and season with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Cook on low overnight, until tender. Remove roast from crockpot and discard juices. Shred pork into bite size pieces and place back into crock pot on low. (I let my 4lb. roast cook for about 14 hours on low and it was so tender that it fell apart when I touched it with a fork. I also used nearly 3 cans of Coke for the cooking and the sauce.) Place Coke and ketchup in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Heat to a low boil. Pour over shredded roast. Cook on low until ready to serve. (I just used the "keep warm" setting at this point)

Dressing

1 jar Herdez Salsa Verde (mild tomatillo salsa)

Equal amount of prepared ranch dressing (Hidden Valley)

1 bunch Cilantro

Place equal parts of salsa verde and ranch dressing into food processor or blender. Add cilantro leaves and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Rice

2 Tbsp. butter

1 small onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 tsp. chicken bouillon granules

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 tsp. cumin

2 cans diced green chilies

juice of 1/2 a lime or 1 Tbsp. lime juice

1/2 tsp salt

3 c. long grain rice

In a small pan, saute butter, onion and garlic together until onions are clear. In a large pot, combine 6 2/3 c. water, bouillon granules, cilantro, cumin, chilies, lime juice and salt then bring to a boil. Once the mixture has begun to boil, add the rice and onion mixture and reduce heat. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until liquid is gone.

10" flour or wheat tortillas

shredded green leaf lettuce

black beans

diced tomatoes (I like to use pico de gallo instead)

cheese, sour cream, guacamole

To serve: place tortilla onto large plate. Layer with lettuce, beans, rice, pork, dressing, tomatoes, and cheese.