Cafe Rio Tomatillo House Dressing

I know you all love Cafe Rio out there and you've all had this amazing dressing. It is a cinch to make in your blender or food processor, so don't be afraid! It goes wonderfully with lots of different dishes. My favorite being their Cafe Rio Pork, which I'll have to post soon and a delicious chicken recipe we tried last week that I will post on Wednesday. This dressing is creamy, and full of flavor, with just a hint of spice and lime. It really goes great with any Mexican dish!

Cafe Rio Tomatillo House Dressing

not sure where original recipe comes from, but this is Callie's version of it

Set aside:

1/3 c buttermilk (or you can do 1/3 c milk to 1/3 T vinegar or lemon juice and let set 5 minutes)

Place the following in a blender/food processor and blend:

3-4 fresh tomatillos, quartered and skinned

Juice of 1/2 a lime

1 c mayonnaise

1 packet Ranch Dressing (dry)

1 jalapeno diced (leave seeds out for less heat)

2 cloves garlic crushed

Cilantro to taste (or none at all)

Now add buttermilk to blender and blend! Refrigerate one hour before serving.

Simple and Yummy Balsamic Vinaigrette

photo taken from Lucy's Kitchen

My friend brought me over some fresh butter lettuce from their garden. I wanted to try something lighter than ranch on it, but didn't have any other options, so I decided to whip up my own balsamic vinaigrette! It was a smart decision!

I used Emeril's recipe as the starting point. I really loved the end result. It was fantastic and so easy! I'll definitely have to try this again.

Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette

adapted from Emeril

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons dark brown sugar (**I used light)
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp soy sauce
1/2-3/4 cup olive oil *I went with 1/2 cup and it was plenty for me
*Your favorite greens mix
*Your favorite salad ingredients: *I used what I had on hand which was cherry tomatoes, diced cucumbers, and strawberries. The strawberries were SO AMAZING with the balsamic....try it! You could also add in whatever: carrots, red onion, cucumbers, blue cheese etc!


Beat the vinegar in a bowl with the sugar, garlic, soy sauce, salt and pepper until sugar and salt dissolves. Then beat in the oil, whisking constantly. (Or place all ingredients in a screw top jar and shake to combine.) Serve immediately. To store, cover and refrigerate, whisking or shaking again before use.

**If using a good quality balsamic vinegar you should not need the sugar, but if using a lesser quality you might want the sugar to round out the dressing.