Copycat Cafe Rio Creamy Cilantro Dressing (Dairy Free!)

So I have been completely dairy-free now since the end of September because my baby boy has had some allergic reactions to some of the foods I've been eating. (That crazy journey will be explained in a whole other post - stay tuned).

Being dairy-free really hasn't been all that difficult, except when eating out. So, I just cook most of my meals at home... Which is much healthier and more cost-effective anyway. Can't complain about all that! Just takes a little planning, and I've had to learn some new recipes and modify old ones to comply with my new diet restrictions. It has been a learning curve (hidden dairy is in A LOT of foods!) but I've finally got most of it down now and have become pretty creative with food. The good news has been that a dairy-free diet is definitely possible to do and can be just as delicious, thankfully!

For those that know me well, I am a HUGE fan of Mexican food, and one of my favorite fast food Mexican restaurants is Cafe Rio. Once I discovered their Sweet Barbacoa Salad topped with their infamous Creamy Cilantro House Dressing, I have been completely addicted ever since... I ate there so many times while I was pregnant I might as well have set up a tent in their parking lot! Needless to say, being dairy-free has been torture to my Mexican food game, and I have especially missed that delicious dressing (and Bean and Cheese Burritos *sad face*). So when I stumbled across this dairy-free version, I ran straight to the grocery store and told my husband we were having an at-home CafeRio Salad dinner night, whether he was in the mood for it or not! Let's just say, he loves that stuff almost as much as I do so he definitely did not complain.

The dressing turned out so good I've contemplated incorporating it into my breakfast, lunch and dinner for the next few days. (I tend to overindulge when I discover things that I love - not ashamed).

Anyway, I had a few people ask me for the recipe, and in an attempt to get back to blogging, I figured this was a perfect excuse. This recipe is dairy free but of course if you don't want it that way you could always swap the coconut milk with some kind of heavy cream or buttermilk. Whatever suits your fancy! We did the whole shebang and had warmed tortillas topped with melted shredded cheese (for my husband), seasoned beef, cilantro-lime rice, black beans, lettuce, pico, and of course the cilantro dressing. Enjoy...

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium/large garlic clove
• 1 packed cup cilantro leaves
• 1 cup real mayonnaise (no miracle whip!)
  
• 1/3 cup canned, full fat coconut milk
• Juice of one lime (or 3 teaspoons lime juice)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 Jalapeno (seeds removed if you don't like too much heat)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place garlic clove in food processor and. blend until finely chopped.
2. Next add cup of cilantro and process with garlic until finely chopped.
3. Add mayonnaise, coconut milk, lime juice, jalapeno, and all dry seasonings - blend together until well combined.
4. That's it! Keep refrigerated until ready to devour.