Costa Vida Sweet Pork Salad

If you like this recipe for Costa Vida Sweet Pork Burritos, you'll love this salad! It tastes exactly like the salad at Costa Vida! So delicious!

Printable Recipe

Costa Vida Sweet Pork Salad
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
Sweet pork (recipe below)
Cilantro lime rice (recipe below)
Garlic black beans (recipe below)
2 tomatoes, chopped
Creamy tomatillo dressing (recipe below)
guacamole or avocados
crispy tortilla strips (recipe below)

Sweet Pork:

3 lbs boneless pork (ribs, chops, roast)

3 cans coke, divided

1 1/4 cups brown sugar, divided

dash garlic salt

1/4 cup water

1 can diced green chiles

3/4 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce

In a large ziploc bag, combine pork, a can and a half of coke, and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight.

Drain marinade and place pork in crock pot. Add 1/2 can of coke, garlic salt, and 1/4 cup of water. Cook on high for about 3 hours or low for 5-6 hours. Remove meat from crock pot and shred. Drain liquid. 

In a food processor or blender, blend together remaining 1/2 can of coke, green chiles, enchilada sauce, and remaining 1 cup brown sugar. Place pork back in the crock pot. Cover with sauce. Cook on low heat for 2 hours.

Cilantro-Lime Rice:

1 cup uncooked long grain white rice

1 tsp butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp lime juice

1 can (15 oz) chicken broth

1 cup water

1 Tbsp lime juice

2 tsp sugar

3 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp lime juice, chicken broth, and water. Bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until rice is tender. Remove from heat. Combine remaining 1 Tbsp lime juice, sugar, and cilantro. Pour over rice and mix as you fluff rice. 

Garlic Black Beans:

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp cumin

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup tomato juice

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

In a small saucepan, combine olive oil, garlic, and cumin. Cook over medium heat until fragrant. Add black beans, tomato juice, and salt. Cook until heated through. Stir in cilantro just before serving.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing:
3 fresh tomatillos
juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 pkg. ranch buttermilk dressing mix
1 cup fresh cilantro
4 green onions, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 tsp sugar

Combine all ingredients in a blender; mix well. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Tortilla Strips:
Slice 10 corn tortillas into narrow strips. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt. Spray with cooking spray. Place under broiler until crispy and brown.

To assemble salad, top lettuce with pork, rice, black beans, tomatoes, dressing, guacamole, and tortilla strips.

Serves 6-8

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

This is my favorite potato salad recipe. It's a little different than the traditional potato salad and I think that's why I love it so much! It really tastes just like a baked potato. I know I'm a little late posting this. I should've posted it at the beginning of the summer, not the end. But there's still time to make this. Just because the kids are in school doesn't mean you can't make this delicious salad!

Printable Recipe

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

4-5 large potatoes, baked, cooled, and chilled
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup light sour cream
4 Tbsp buttermilk
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
6 oz cheddar cheese, cubed small
4 green onions, thinly sliced
8-10 slices of bacon, cooked and diced

Cut the potatoes into 1 inch cubes, discarding any pieces of the peel that fall off. (Leave the peels that remain intact.) Place potatoes in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk. Add celery seeds, pepper, and salt. Mix well. Pour the mixture over the potatoes and stir gently to combine. Add the cheese, green onions, and bacon and mix gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 6-8 (as a side dish)

Recipe adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe 

BBQ Chicken Salad

It has been so hot lately and when it gets that hot, I really don't feel like eating a big meal. This salad is perfect for those nights. It has a lot of ingredients so it's actually really filling. It's perfect for a hot summer night. This is definitely one of my favorites.

Printable Recipe

BBQ Chicken Salad
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1 cup BBQ sauce (any kind)

1/2 head romaine lettuce

1/2 head iceberg lettuce

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

4 green onions, chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

4 roma tomatoes, chopped

2 avocados, chopped

shredded cheese

*tortilla strips

ranch dressing

In a large bowl, toss together lettuce, corn, beans, green onions, cilantro, tomatoes, avocados, and cheese. Pour BBQ sauce over chicken and mix well. Add chicken to the salad. Serve salad topped with tortilla strips and ranch dressing.

*Tortilla strips:

Slice 10-15 corn tortillas into narrow strips. Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt. Spray with cooking spray. Place under broiler until crispy and brown.

Christmas Salad

This is one of my favorite salad recipes. We always have it for Christmas dinner at my parents' house. The colors are very festive and the flavors always remind me of Christmas. I recently made this salad for our ward party and it was a huge hit. It's so delicious!

Printable Recipe

Christmas Salad
Dressing:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp poppy seeds

Salad Ingredients:
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup swiss cheese, cut into cubes or shredded
1 medium apple, cubed
1 medium pear, cubed
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 cup cashews, coarsely chopped (optional)

To make dressing blend together sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, onion, and salt. With blender running, gradually add oil. Then add poppy seeds and blend together until well mixed.

In a large bowl, combine lettuce, cheese, apple, pear, and dried cranberries. Add desired amount of dressing and cashews. Toss to coat.

*Note: This makes a lot of dressing. You probably won't use all of it to dress the salad.