Sweet Pork Salad with Garlic Lime Rice and Beans

I love Cafe Rio or Costa Vida for eating healthy.  This is also a great thing to make at home.  I have found a skinny dressing that I feel comfortable with as well.  This is filling and versatile enough for everyone in the family - from quesadilla's to burritos to salads.

I layered mine as follows:

Sweet Pork

Brown Rice

Garlic Black Beans

Mozzarella Cheese
Romaine Lettuce
Diced Tomatoes (or you can use pico de gallo)
Skinny Tomatillo Dressing

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Shredded Sweet Pork  

Slow cook a 3-5 lb roast. (about 6- 8 hours). One hour before serving, remove roast and shred it. Dump out all cooking juices and place shredded pork back into crockpot and add...

3/4 cup honey or pure maple syrup or combination.  

1 c red enchilada sauce

If not sweet enough - add 1/4 cup brown sugar.

Let cook for about an hour.

Serve in Salad, burritos, or quesadillas. 

Skinny Tomatillo Dressing

1 package of Hidden Valley buttermilk Ranch Dressing or 3 Tbl.

1 3/4 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk powder
1/2 cup Best Foods light mayonnaise

2 tomatillos (they look like green tomatoes, but they are NOT!  You may substitute 3 Tbsp of prepared salsa verde)

cilantro (1/4 bunch)

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup lime juice

1/8 tsp. Tabasco - optional

Combine all together in blender or with whisk and let thicken.  Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Serving Size 2 Tbl.
Calories 35
Total fat 1.4 g
Sodium 193 g.
Total Carbs 4 g.
Carbs from Sugar 3.5 g
Protein 1.6 g.

Cilantro Lime Brown Rice

5 1/2 c water
1/2 c lime juice or additional 1/2 c. water

1 c. uncooked brown rice

1 Tbl. olive oil
2 cubes chicken bouillon

2 tsp garlic, minced

1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/2 onion
1/2 can green chilies

1 Tbl.

3 Tbl fresh chopped cilantro

1. In a large saucepan (one you have a lid for) combine oil, garlic, 1/2 cup lime juice, chicken bouillon and water.  Bring to a boil.  
2. Meanwhile blend cilantro, onion, and chilies in food processor, rinse rice in colander with paper towel (to prevent losing rice through holes). 
3. When water comes to a boil, stir in rice and cilantro-onion mixture. Boil and cook uncovered for 30-35 minutes, until rice is tender. 
4. Pour the rice into a strainer/colander and drain for 10-15 seconds then return it to the pot off the heat.  Stir in 1 Tbl. lime juice and 3 Tbl fresh copped cilantro.
5. Immediately cover the pot with a tight fitting lid.  If your lid isn't really tight, place a kitchen towel over the pot before putting the lid on.  Let the rice steam for 10 minutes before uncovering the pot and fluffing the rice with a fork.  

Garlic Black Beans

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/3 c tomato juice
2 cloves garlic, minced (1 tsp)
1 tsp cumin
1 Tb olive oil or coconut oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tb chopped cilantro

 Heat oil then add cumin and garlic until garlic begins to pop. Add rest of ingredients and serve warm.

** Sweet Pork Quesadilla from Costa Vida is actually what convinced me to search for and make my own sweet pork recipe.  My boys are not big on salads, so we often make quesadillas instead.  I cook a pork roast for sunday dinner and then with the leftover roast I add equal amounts of red enchilada sauce and honey or brown sugar.  Broil a tortilla topped with cheddar cheese.  Top with warm meat, fold in half, and top with light sour cream and pico de gallo.  Delicious!

Sweet Pork Quesadilla - photo from http://www.costavida.net

**The meat freezes well.   Make a large roast and divide into smaller portions and freeze.  Makes dinner easy.