Creamy Tomatillo Dressing (Cafe Rio Style)

1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing mix
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup milk
2-3 tomatillos, remove husk, cut in 1/2
1 bunch of fresh cilantro (cut off most of stems)
1 generous tsp of minced garlic
juice of 1 lime (I use two!)
1 jalapeno (I’m a wimp so I remove the seeds, leave them in if you like it SPICY!)

Throw it all in the blender and BLEND!  Refrigerate.

(For a party of 10, we doubled pork, rice, and dressing. We had plenty of everything except the rice - so triple the rice next time, and way too much dressing - one recipe is plenty! So for a party of 10 - double pork, triple rice, single dressing.)

Avocado Edamame Tomato Salad

1 medium avocado
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes
3/4 cup shelled edamame
1/4 cup finely diced red onion or shallot (I prefer shallots - they're more mild and I go easy on them)
1 TBS fresh lime juice

Dressing:
2 TBS fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp Spike! seasoning (I had never heard of this before, but had no problem finding it in the spice aisle and it really is good.)
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 TBS extra virgin olive oil

Dice avocado into bite size pieces and immediately toss with 1 TBS lime juice. Halve or quarter cherry tomatoes into bite size pieces. If using frozen edamame, thaw. Finely dice onion or shallot. Combine all ingredients.

For the dressing: combine lime juice and seasonings and then slowly whisk in the olive oil. pour over salad and gently toss. Serve immediately.

Spring Citrus Salad

Sugared Pecans:

1/4 cup sugar

2/3 cup pecan halves

Citrus Dressing:

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup lime juice

2 TBS orange juice

2 TBS sugar

1 tsp grated lime zest

1 tsp grated orange zest

Salad:

8 cups torn leaf lettuce

8 cups torn Romaine lettuce

1 red onion, thinly sliced

1 large orange, peeled, sliced (or a can of mandarin oranges)

1 pint strawberries, sliced

2 avocados, thinly sliced

For the pecans, mix the sugar with the pecan halves in a small skillet. Cook over low heat until the sugar melts, stirring to coat the pecans well. Spread on foil and cool; break pecans apart.

For the dressing, combine ingredients in an airtight jar and shake well. Chill until serving time.

For the salad, combine all ingredients except avocados and toss gently. Chill until serving time. Add the avocados just before serving and drizzle with the dressing. Toss gently. Top with pecans.

4-6 servings

From "Always in Season"