Do you know someone who does everything from scratch, never using any kind of pre-packaged food item or ingredient?  Well, that is so not me! I do not care if I am a trained chef, there are just times when I either;

1. Have no time.
2. Have to get my kid somewhere across town in 1 minute.
3. Neglected to defrost any meat or fish.

Now, I don’t condone using pre-packaged foods for every meal, or even every day, but there are times when having a good quality, minimally processed item in your pantry or refrigerator is the difference between hitting the takeout place or making a homemade dinner.

Del Real Foods makes those good quality, minimally processed entrees, side dishes and components to make a Mexican inspired meal. The variety of items offered by Del Real Foods includes Shredded Chicken, Barbacoa, Chicken or Pork Chile Verde, Refried Beans, Pupusas and Arroz (rice.)  And that is only a partial list.

Recently I entered one of my recipes into the Del Real Foods Recipe Challenge, a contest for food bloggers. Using a few different Del Real products, I developed a Main Dish Salad called Arroz Salad with Carnitas and Salsa Verde Vinaigrette.

This salad is versatile enough to be either a main dish or side dish.  It is fast and easy, which are two of my favorite words when I am in the kitchen.

To get the recipe for this Arroz Salad with Carnitas and Salsa Verde Vinaigrette head over to the Del Real Foods Recipe Challenge. While you are there, you can vote for my recipe too! Please?