On the fly cafe rio dressing

1/4 cup salsa verde
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped (I always keep a few in the freezer) optional
Shake of garlic powder or 1 clove minced
Few dashes neon green habanero hot sauce
3/4 cup high quality ranch dressing
Handful cilantro (stems welcome)

Blitz in the blender. Let sit 20 min and serve. Season with more hot sauce if desired. Serve as a "cafe Rio" salad by layering a warmed tortilla with cheddar, rice, beans (see my bean recipe on here), meat of your choice, and romaine lettuce. Garnish with cilantro, guacamole, pico de gallo, and a lime wedge if desired.

Sherry Vinaigrette

1/2 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 - 1 clove garlic minced (optional)
1/2 small shallot minced (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Combine first 4 ingredients and blend thoroughly. Add olive oil in a stream while whisking or just shake and pour. Great on chicken pita sandwiches. yummy!

Benihana Salad Dressing

1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup peanut oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh gingerroot
1 tablespoon chopped celery
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Dash each salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in blender container or wok bowl of food processor fitted with steel knife; process until almost smooth. Makes six servings. May be kept refrigerated up to one week.

Tomato and Mozzarella Salad

Insalata di Pomodori e Mozzarella
There is no trick to our recipe. Just always use the best of everything you can find.
- Johnny
Serves 6 – 8
6 cups cherry tomatoes, preferably orange, yellow and red, halved
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup aged balsamic vinegar
½ pound fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into pieces the same size as the cherry tomatoes
Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
½ cup basil pesto
6 large basil leaves, for garnish
Rustic Italian bread, sliced

To Prepare
1 In a large salad or mixing bowl, toss the cherry tomatoes with the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar.
2 Add the mozzarella and salt and pepper to taste, and toss. Marinate for two to three minutes.

To Serve
Arrange the salad on a large serving platter or individual serving plates. Drizzle with the pesto and garnish with the basil leaves. Serve with bread.
This recipe can be found on page 29 in Ciao Y'all!

Café Rio Tomatillo Salad Dressing

Café Rio Tomatillo Salad Dressing

5 tomatillos -husk peeled off, washed and quartered (they are naturally sticky under the husks)
1 pkg. Buttermilk Ranch dressing mix (must be buttermilk or it doesn't taste right)
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup mayonnaise
1/8 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. brown sugar
5 slices bottled jalapeno (nacho sized slices)
1 T. Jalapeno juice
Juice of ½ a lime
1/8 tsp. chili powder

Combine all ingredients in blender. Serve over a taco salad.

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Fresh Salsa

4 lbs Roma Tomatoes
2 lbs Tomatillos
1 med. yellow onion
2 cloves fresh garlic
2 jalapenos peppers (remove seeds if you want a mild salsa)
1 bunch cilantro (cut half of the stems off)
1/2 of a lemon juice
1/2 of a lime juice
1 Tbls black pepper
1-2 Tbls salt
Put all ingredients in a food processor, and pulse to desired consistency.