July Recipes

I didn't try that many new recipes in July...it's been WAY too hot to bake or use the oven much. What are your "stay cool" dishes?

Main Dishes
Southwestern Meatloaf Burgers (4 stars out of 5)
Fantastic flavor without being overpowering. This will definitely become a staple in our house. I got the recipe from Courtney and she said it works great to make extra and freeze. We ended up barbecuing them and Shawn said they were a bit hard to keep together since they were so moist. I'll try following the actual instructions next time!

Lemon Chicken with Tzatziki Sauce (3.5 stars out of 5)
This was pretty good. The chicken was flavorful...though this could be due more to the fact that we rarely eat dark meat than to the lemon marinade. I did add some lemon zest as I thought the ratio of lemon juice to oil wasn't quite enough. It was also the first time I've made tzatziki sauce and even Samara liked it!

Sloppy Joes (3 stars out of 5)
I've been wanting to make these for quite awhile but didn't want to resort to a seasoning package or canned sauce. These were decent but not great. They were a bit on the sweet side though very easy to make. I'm still looking for a good recipe...let me know if you have one!

Sweet Chili BBQ Chicken (5 stars out of 5)
This sauce was outstanding! I couldn't stop sampling it. That was before it was even on the chicken!

Sides
Red Lentil Curry (5 stars out of 5)
Amazing. Tasted like it came from a really good Indian restaurant. I didn't have tomato puree so I used tomato sauce instead.

Peppers and Rice Salad with Sesame Soy Vinaigrette (4 stars out of 5)
A super yummy summer salad. We paired it with pork tenderloin for a main dish.

Coleslaw Dressing (3.5 stars out of 5)
I've recently stopped buying salad dressings if I can help it and try to make it instead. It takes a little more time but almost always tastes better. This one was good but I'm not ready to settle for it quite yet. The search continues!