My Therapist Cooks

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Appetizers

Vegan Marinated Mushrooms

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One of our favorite vegan mushrooms, these vegan marinated mushrooms are SO YUMMY and the perfect vegan appetizer to add to a party spread! They have just a few pantry ingredients and are done in 30 minutes, but last for weeks in the fridge!

hand holding a marinated mushroom on a toothpick over open jar of mushrooms.

I. Love. Mushrooms. Like, a lot a lot.

These mushrooms in particular will always and forever remind me of Christmas, even though my family never had them. I think this is a total throwback recipe, 80's or 90's or something - did you eat these as a kid? My next door neighbors in Japan made these for almost every holiday, and I LOVED them. I think they used Italian dressing and canned mushrooms, no shame in that game, and the chewy mushroom in the tangy vinaigrette was just my favorite thing ever. 

I'm all about anything tangy or pickled, and I think these are such a great addition to a holiday party. They're so light and bright and a perfect complement to the heavier dishes that we have this time of year. I like having them as part of an appetizer spread with some pimento cheese or buffalo chicken dip; they're vegan and gluten free so everyone can enjoy them.

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Greek Chicken Thighs

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Delicious broiled chicken thighs with Greek chicken marinade! This version of honey lemon chicken has a quick and easy marinade and is done in under half an hour because the chicken is broiled quickly. Serve these on their own, in pita for chicken gyros, or as part of a Mediterranean charcuterie board!

crowded board with plate of chicken, lemon halves, tzatziki, pita, and lettuce leaves.

This has recently become one of my favorite ways to serve chicken, especially in the summer - Greek-style with tangy tzatziki sauce, broiled in the oven for a quick and easy weeknight dinner situation.

Greek flavors are some of my favorites, and I love a whole meal that is lemony, oregano-y, and honey-esque.  Lemon, honey, olive oil, garlic, and oregano are cornerstone flavors of Greek food and can be mixed and matched in a thousand ways to create different dishes!

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Tzatziki Sauce

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This easy homemade tzatziki sauce has just 6 ingredients and can be made in half an hour or less. It's a delicious condiment for crispy chicken cutlets or served as a ranch dressing alternative for dipping veggies! I love having a batch of this in the fridge for parties or quick snacks (or to go nuts with a Mediterranean charcuterie board!).

side view of greek yogurt tzatziki sauce with pita on the side and fresh mint leaves.

Tzatziki sauce is delicious and amazing and versatile. Tzatziki is a traditional Greek/Turkish condiment, and this version uses Greek yogurt as the base. I've had variations with sour cream and even feta cheese, but this is my favorite way to eat it.

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Spicy Grilled Firecracker Shrimp

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Spicy grilled shrimp at its finest with TWO kinds of hot sauce! Just 5 ingredients and 10 minutes are all you need for this spicy, buttery take on firecracker shrimp.

cooked grilled shrimp on grill pan with lemon slices

Hello and welcome to our favorite 15 minute appetizer! When we're having grilling parties I'm always into a little snack right at the beginning - something delicious that can be thrown on the grill or in the oven while we wait for the main event, you know?

Fake-out focaccia is an example of this.

Now, don't confuse this Firecracker Shrimp with the dish by the same name from Panda Express. This is not that, although I'm sure that's delicious too. I've called this spicy grilled shrimp Firecracker Shrimp for YEARS, mainly because it is a very fun summery nibble to add to a grilling party at one of the American summer holidays. Hence, Firecracker Shrimp.

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13 Recipes For Memorial Day

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Ohhhhhhhh long weekend, I am so excited for you. 

slice of strawberry pie with no jello

We are in a weird busy all the time but standing still because it's kind of still a pandemic place. This time last year there was a decided air of "but are we allowed to do anything," and now it's a little....lighter.

In preparation for whatever you might be doing this weekend, hopefully with a few more folks than last year, here are my absolute favorite recipes for Memorial Day!

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Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs

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Favorite chicken cordon bleu flavors in these utterly delicious and simple Chicken Cordon Bleu Meatballs! Lean ground chicken and a little Swiss cheese get blended quickly with some ham (leftover glazed ham or deli ham!) and easy pantry spices for major flavor in this tender ground chicken meatball. There's an easy sour cream dip with mustard for dipping + extra credit.

low carb ground chicken meatballs healthy with dipping sauce

These are chicken balls with ham and cheese. 

They were, as all good ideas on this blog are, Jay's idea, and they were a fantastic one. I love the nostalgic flavors of chicken cordon bleu, crispy exterior, gooey interior, but the process is pretty arduous and a meatball is just so friendly and celebratory, right?

For the sake of holidays or parties, you can totally make these in advance, bake them, then reheat them in the oven until the cheese melts again so all the mess + raw meat nonsense can happen well in advance of serving these. 

The ingredients are simple, and you can use deli ham or leftover holiday ham from Easter or Thanksgiving if you ever have any lying around.

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Sour Cream Guacamole

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This sour cream guacamole features grated onion and garlic for tons of flavor + no chunks, and lime juice and fresh tomatoes for delicious pico + guac flavor mixed into one. If you love guacamole, you will LOVE this version.

sour cream guacamole bowl topped with tomatoes

My friend Heather and I have had some pretty extensive happy hours, and over the years we have expanded our "let's just set out some cheese and crackers" offerings to tons of different appetizers, snacks, and spreads. We do breads, cheeses, these tomatoes, fruits and veggies, all in the name of "absorbing the wine." It works for us.  

Once we were having one such important business meeting and she said "I made guacamole!  But with lots of sour cream." And BOY did she mean it. This was a recipe invented out of necessity, she had half an avocado and other flavorful things that didn't quiiiiite make more than a few chipfulls of regular guac, so this dip came about.

Mostly sour cream, some avocado, flavors for eons. We've both been making it for various other people ever since, and it's been a massive hit with everyone who has tried it. So, while I can't take all the credit for this recipe, it needed to be one that you started making right. this. moment. If you hate guacamole you'll LOVE this. And if you love guacamole you're probably already drooling.  

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Homemade Pimento Cheese

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This old fashioned pimento cheese recipe is absolutely perfect! I love to have pimento cheese homemade with lots of storebought ingredients (crackers, cheese, pickles, etc) for an easy cheese board at a party or for a snack plate dinner! This is extra delicious paired with some homemade focaccia for dunking.

bowl of pimento cheese spread

OK SO. 

Let us discuss the glory that is pimento cheese, since it's Master's Weekend and we live in the South. Since I started this blog I've made a LOT of pimento cheese, and have tweaked the recipe over the years to a combination that I absolutely adore.

Other people adore it too, and that's not something I say about a lot of the food I make, because I'm insecure. Pimento cheese homemade, though, is something that people of all walks of life really enjoy when it is good. Back when we used to cater this was one of our most-ordered recipes, hands down.

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Pan Fried Potato Chips

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Favorite pan fried potato chips are so easy to make yourself at home! These are a great lunch side dish or an offering for a summertime potluck. Just one russet potato makes enough to serve four people, and this recipe is done in an under an hour. I like Greek yogurt onion dip with these.

Let's make chips!

how to fry chips in a pan

Because our lunches need a yummy side dish every day, right?

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Buffalo Turkey Meatballs with Smashed Cucumbers

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Gluten free buffalo turkey meatballs served with an easy smashed cucumber salad for a yummy low carb lunch or dinner! The gluten free turkey meatballs have tons of flavor and can be made as part of your meal prep for the week. They're also great meatballs to make in a big batch and keep in the freezer!

Buffalo Turkey Meatballs Low Carb Gluten Free Dinner

I made us lunch!

A really really yummy lunch. No story, really, just a way to showcase the gluten free turkey meatballs and smashed cucumber salad from a few weeks ago together. I threw on some easy "homemade" (not really) buffalo sauce because Buffalo all the things and call me happy.

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Gluten Free Baked Turkey Meatballs

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These easy baked meatballs are gluten free, made with ground turkey, and done in just about half an hour! They can be made in advance for a super easy meal prep, kept in the freezer, and don't have breadcrumbs or any extra binder. These are the yummiest healthy gf meatballs!

Basic Gluten Free Turkey Meatballs for Meal Prep

Gityer balls right here!

I'm sorry let's start over don't x out. I made you a yummy new meal prep entree and I hope you love it.

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Ultimate Mediterranean Hummus Board

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This ultimate Mediterranean hummus board has your favorite cheese board elements with the best ever hummus with spiced meat, tzatziki, grape leaves, pickles, olives, and pita. It's mostly no-cook and make-ahead for the perfect party meal!

IT FEELS LIKE CHRISTMAS MORNING. I just love this so much.

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Spiced Ground Meat and Hummus

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Yummy spiced ground meat (use beef, lamb, pork, or even venison!) that goes over hummus for a protein-packed, savory appetizer or main dish. Use this for dipping, to stuff into pitas, or to make yummy grain bowls!

Spiced Ground Meat with Pine Nuts over Hummus Recipe

Spiced ground meat with pine nuts and hummus, just so ya know.

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Easy Homemade Baked Chicken Tenders

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My favorite kid-friendly meal prep dinner! This recipe for healthy baked chicken tenders has just a few ingredients and is super easy to make. Bonus, you can freeze the breaded tenders and bake them right before serving for a quick + fun weeknight freezer meal!

THEY'RE JUST LIKE FRIED.

Ha. Ha. No, no they are not. Sorry, not here to lie to you.

Here are the ways that easy homemade baked chicken tenders are not like fried chicken tenders:

  • they do not stink up your house with oil smell or cause third degree burns.
  • they have fewer calories.
  • they are done quickly and are great for meal prep, freezer meals, or leftovers.
  • they have a parmesan coating that is just YUM but no batter to get all over everything.

So, what I'm saying is that MAYBE baked chicken tenders are better than fried chicken tenders? In like 3 cases, but I'd say that at-home no-frying situations are preferable from a mess standpoint FOR SURE.

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Easy Chicken Larb

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This Thai chicken larb recipe (sometimes seen as chicken laarb on menus!) is so quick and easy thanks to the use of ground chicken. We love making this for meal prep with extra dressing and using it on salads or in rice bowls all week. It's gluten free and wildly delicious thanks to a fish sauce lime vinaigrette.

close up image of thai ground chicken lettuce wraps with lime wedges on the edge.

IknowIknowIknow.

Maybe not the most inspired thing to do for our first 2020 recipe, but inspired is not what we're attempting here. Delicious is. Chicken larb is delicious.

Jay usually does some kind of January ... eating thing ... which, is fine. I could go on and on about how I don't do things like that for a variety of reasons that I feel strongly about, but I'm also happy to support people in my life that try to make healthier choices. 

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The No-Cook Holiday Party {with fresh market}

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Super easy no-cooking holiday entertaining is here! This post is in partnership with The Fresh Market, opinions and ideas for hosting are mine.

I recently heard someone say on Instagram, "I'm opting out of everything this holiday season," and, 1. I get it, 2. it made me a little bit sad.

Sad because our culture has gotten to the point that things are SO bonkers that we can't do anything at all. I get it, but I also still crave holiday fun: parties, handheld stuff, bubbly things to drink, all of it. Our kitchen is in zero position to be crafting anything fancy at the moment (we're moving, it's a lot), but that doesn't stop my regular "tis the season" desires.

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Best Ever Chorizo Bean Dip

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Hello and HI, Happy Halloween if you're into that sort of thing, happy end of October, happy fall, all of the happy.

It's a really busy week so I'm thinking if I just type HAPPY over and over it will be come true?

Maybe I'll get lucky. What does NOT require luck, though, is the super simple ultimate refried bean dip we have here before us.

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Grilled Shrimp with Avocado Pico

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Oh hi, stereotypical summer meal!

Grilled Shrimp with Avocado Pico De Gallo

I've been cooking more low carb meals recently, and a struggle I have is finding meals that feel like a whole meal, not like there SHOULD have been mashed potatoes on the side of this steak, you know?

This is that. It's the most perfectly light but complete low carb/gluten free meal, and it's full of huge flavor to boot.

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