Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

I can't remember where I originally got this recipe, but it's great and I've had several requests for this recipe. I finally worked it out and wrote down my adaptation. I had to tweak it a bit until I liked it and this the final result! Tangy, a little sweet, and oh so yummy! It goes wonderfully with Cafe Rio style salads too! I am not a huge fan of measuring unless I'm baking- fortunately it's really easy to add more and blend it again to your liking, this is a very forgiving dressing. :) It's definitely worth a try!

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette

4 TB vinegar

3 TB brown sugar

3/4 tsp mustard (I just used plain yellow mustard, nothing fancy)

3/4 tsp salt

1 clove of garlic (I just scooped a small spoonful of the pre-minced stuff in the jar)

1/4 c. lime juice

1 bunch cilantro

3/4 c. olive oil (I used extra virgin oil olive)

Dump it all in the blender, mix, and enjoy!

Sour Cream Banana Nut Muffins

My little boy love love LOVES these muffins! They are delicious and so easy to make! He ate 4 for breakfast this morning! I also caught him sneaking more later that afternoon :)

This recipes comes from food.com

Source: http://www.food.com/recipe/sour-cream-banana-bread-9351

This is my favorite recipe I've found thus far, and it's super easy to tweak.

1/2 cup margarine or 1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:
Grease muffin tins (or 1 large loaf pan). Cream margarine, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients, then bananas, sour cream, nuts, and chocolate chips. Mix well. Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes (1 hour if in a loaf pan).

Gluten Free Adaptation:
Sub out flour for a cup-for-cup gluten free mix or your own blend. I have used both the Krusteaz and Namaste brands (Sam's and Costco) and found that I used 1 cup in this recipe. They don't rise as much as normal muffins do, but they taste the same!

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa

This recipe comes from "Lizzy Writes" blog. This is THE BEST recipe and I follow the instructions to the letter! YUM. She also has recipes for the rice, beans, etc that goes with it!

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa
5 - 6 pounds pork tenderloin or roast
21 ounces Dr. Pepper (do NOT use diet or generic)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 cloves garlic
1 (7 ounce) can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
6 ounces medium red taco sauce
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper


Directions: Place pork in the crock pot and make sauce.

Put the chipotle in adobo into a wire mesh strainer and hold it over the blender. Pour Dr. Pepper over them to get all the yummy sauce off. You'll also need to rinse out the chipotle can with the Dr. Pepper to get all the adobo sauce out. Do NOT use all the chipotle peppers, it'll be super hot! I add 2 or 3 and it's just right, but I like a little flavorful heat! 
          Note: Instead of just throwing away all the extra chipotles I'll blend them up afterward into a paste. Then, the nexttime you need a bit of a kick in your dish, just add a little! (and I really mean a little, it makes anything hot really fast!)

Blend all ingredients together in either a blender until combined and pour over the pork. Cook on high for 5 hours or on low for 8 hours until the pork is easily shreddable. 

Gluten Free Adaptation: This is a naturally gluten free recipe! Yayy!