Cooking Method: Baking

Dairy-Free Spinach Quiche

This Spinach Quiche is not only Dairy-Free, but it's also gluten-free and vegetarian. I often get requests when catering to add an option like this quiche for people with dietary restrictions. It uses oat milk, which seems to be gaining popularity, which is a plant milk derived from whole oat grains by extracting the plant material with water. I used a frozen store-bought gluten-free crust, though you could also make a crust out of hash brown potatoes. I was told this quiche was delicious.

By Leslie Blythe

Ginger & Lemongrass Salmon with Greens in a Parcel

I made this Ginger & Lemongrass Salmon with Greens in a Parcel for dinner. The salmon is cooked in parchment paper and nestled on a bed of zucchini, sugar snap peas and green onions. You then pour soy sauce and mirin over the salmon and top it with lemongrass, ginger, garlic and red chili peppers. The lemongrass adds a bright citrus flavor to this dish. I served it with jasmine rice. It's healthy and delicious.

By Leslie Blythe

Simple Summer Peach Cake

I made this Simple Summer Peach Cake for my friend's birthday. There's nothing quite like fresh summer peaches. This cake only takes 15 minutes to prepare. You could serve it with some whipped cream or ice cream, but it's delicious on its own.

By Leslie Blythe

Tomato & Goat Cheese Crostata

This Tomato & Goat Cheese Crostata is from Ina Garten's latest cookbook Modern Comfort Food. It's easy to make and very versatile. Truth be told, I didn't have goat cheese or leeks, so I used Gruyère and a shallot. You can use what you like, however, the pastry must be made exactly as written. It's the flakiest crust ever, which is due to the amount of ice-cold butter!

By Leslie Blythe

Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Rice Casserole

Over the years, I have had many personal chef clients. I cook many different meals and package them up for the freezer. This Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Rice Casserole is something I made recently. This can also be made in one large casserole and it freezes really well.

By Leslie Blythe

Orange Muffins

These Orange Muffins a super simple, but really lovely and easy to make. There is a subtle sprinkling of cinnamon sugar on top.

By Leslie Blythe

Crabbies

Last month we spent the weekend in La Quinta, California and had a lovely time seeing our friends at their home in Palm Desert. Judie made wonderful hors d’oeuvres, which included these Crabbies. She was kind enough to send me the recipe. The recipe has been around for years, though no one seems to know where it originated. It calls for a jar of Kraft Old English Cheese, which is a key ingredient. If you can’t find it at your local market, you can buy it online. The beauty of this recipe is that it makes a large amount that you can keep in your freezer and pull as many out as needed and bake until golden.

I make a similar hors d’oeuvres called Curried Shrimp Croustades.

By Leslie Blythe

Indian-Spiced Salmon

This Indian-Spiced Salmon roasts in the oven on a bed of onions. The aromatic spice mixture pairs perfectly with the richness of the salmon.

By Leslie Blythe

Cheesy Ham & Potato Casserole

I have a terrible habit of putting food in my freezer and then not using it. They other day, we had "nothing" in the fridge to eat, so after rummaging through my freezer I found some ham and made this Cheesy Ham & Potato Casserole. You could make it your own by adding any vegetables you have on hand.

Note to self - I really need to have a running list of what's in my freezer with a use by date!

By Leslie Blythe

Bittersweet Chocolate Pound Cake

My friend Chris gave me an 11 pound slab of Callebaut Belgium dark chocolate. I decided to make this Bittersweet Chocolate Pound Cake for a friend. It's drizzled with a silky chocolate ganache. I also made a mini cake in a small ramekin so that I could taste it! Now to try to figure out what else to make...

By Leslie Blythe