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Sweet Pork Cauliflower Rice Bowls

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These Sweet Pork Cauliflower Rice Bowls have all the Cafe Rio flavors-sweet pork, cilantro lime cauliflower rice, & creamy tomatillo dressing. They have all the elements you love from Cafe Rio but lighter and healthier! Using Cauliflower Rice means these bowls are just as flavorful but filled with veggies.

To make these Sweet Pork Cauliflower Rice Bowls, start with delicious Cafe Rio Sweet Pork made in the slow cooker, then simmered in a sweet sauce. Then you’ll make a cilantro lime cauliflower rice that is simple but honestly delicious! I could eat this plain it’s so good. Sauté some pre-chopped cauliflower rice with garlic salt, onion powder, lime juice, and fresh cilantro. Then build a bowl with some seasoned black beans, fresh pico de gallo, queso fresco cheese, and top with my my all-time favorite dressing – the Cafe Rio Tomatillo Ranch dressing. (To see how to make the full Cafe Rio Pork Salad, find my recipe here.)

These sweet pork bowls are a great option to have when guests come over – they can accommodate many food restrictions and diets, and guests can easily choose which elements to add to their bowl. We love to serve Cafe Rio food when we have guests over.

About Cauliflower Rice

If you’re unsure about making or eating cauliflower rice, don’t be nervous. It’s a really healthy versatile option that takes on the flavor of almost anything you pair it with. Cauliflower rice is just finely chopped raw cauliflower (chopped either by hand or pulsed in a food processor) that’s small enough to look like grains of rice. Cauliflower rice is so healthy not only because it is filled with nutrients like potassium and fiber, but it is full of antioxidants like vitamin A and vitamin C. Antioxidants remove free radical particles from your body, that can damage your cells and lead to cancer. By removing free radicals, antioxidants can help lower your risk of cancer… All this to say, eating cauliflower is really good for you! Especially if it is replacing unhealthier processed carbs.

Sweet Pork Cauliflower Rice Bowls

These Sweet Pork Cauliflower Rice Bowls have all the Cafe Rio flavors-sweet pork, cilantro lime cauliflower rice, & creamy tomatillo dressing. They have all the elements you love from Cafe Rio but lighter and healthier! Using Cauliflower Rice means these bowls are just as flavorful but filled with veggies.
Author Shannon Lyon

Ingredients

1 Batch of Creamy Tomatillo Ranch Dressing (see full recipe here)

  • make 1-2 hours up to a day ahead

Sweet Pork

  • 2 lb. pork tenderloin (no bone)
  • 2 teaspoons garlic salt
  • 3-4 cups water
  • 2 cups Coke / Coca-Cola (not diet)
  • 1 4 oz. can diced green chiles
  • 1 10 oz. can red enchilada sauce
  • cups brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder

Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice

  • 6 cups riced cauliflower (I typically buy the frozen kind, but you can buy fresh or frozen) (two 12-oz. bags)
  • 2 tabelspoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons garlic salt
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 limes juiced
  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Seasoned Black Beans

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 can black beans, strained but not rinsed (15 oz.)
  • 1 can diced green chiles (4 oz.)
  • 3/4 cup tomato juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Toppings

  • pico de gallo I get mine at my local Kroger store (Fred Meyer here). Be sure it includes tomatoes, onions, serrano peppers or jalapenos, and lime or lemon juice). I like to buy this pre-made because it's been sitting and softening the ingredients and letting them marinate. You can make your own but you'll need to chill it for a couple hours to a day before using.
  • queso fresco, crumbled
  • fresh lime juice
  • fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • avocado or guacamole (optional)

Instructions

Creamy Tomatillo Ranch Dressing

  • Make and chill several hours to 1 day before serving. See recipe here.

Sweet Pork

  • Place pork in crock pot. Add water and garlic salt. Cook on high for about 3-4 hours (or low for 6-7), until it’s cooked through and shreds easily.
  •  Remove pork from crock pot into a large bowl. Drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork into 1-2 inch pieces with forks. Return to (empty) crock pot.
  • In a food processor or blender blend coke, green chilies, enchilada sauce, brown sugar, and chili powder. Blend until smooth. Pour over pork in crock pot.
  • Cook on low for 2 hours. Serve with tongs!

Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice

  • Heat a nonstick skillet pan to medium-high heat.
  • Add riced cauliflower rice and olive oil. Heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently, until cooked through.
  • Add fresh lime juice, garlic salt, and onion powder and mix well, cooking for 2-3 more minutes until some spots are lightly browning.
    Once lightly browning, remove from heat and add in diced cilantro. Mix well.

Seasoned Black Beans

  • In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. 
  • Add beans, green chiles, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.

Assembly

  • Assemble the bowls starting with the cauliflower rice, black beans, and pork. Then layer with pico, queso fresco cheese, fresh cilantro, and lime juice. Top with tons of the Tomatillo Ranch Dressing. Enjoy!!

I hope you get a chance to make these Sweet Pork Cauliflower Rice Bowls. They’re the perfect thing to make for guests or for your own family. Be sure to tag me me @plumstreetcollective on Instagram if you make these!

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