New Recipes coming soon

Hello Friends! Sorry for the delay in posting some new recipes. I am currently working on a new layout to better organize and arrange my recipes, so please save www.cravingflavors.com to your favorites or join as a follower so that you'll get all the updates. Ta ta for now!!

Bruschetta with a Kick

A very quick and easy appetizer that will leave your guests hungry for more. Warning! My recipe is quite garlicky, so feel free to reduce the garlic quantity in your mixture or simply use smaller cloves. The sun dried tomatoes adds a nice sweet and salty flavor and the cheese topping holds everything in place. The crushed red peppers will leave just a hint of heat, enough to tingle your tongue but will allow you to savor the other flavors.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1 French baguette

4 roma tomatoes diced

1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes diced (packed in oil)

3 cloves minced garlic

1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup of fresh basil thinly cut

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 cup of mozzarella cheese thinly shredded

2 teaspoons crushed red peppers

garlic powder

extra virgin olive oil for toasting baguette

Directions:

1) Mix and combine the tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, basil, salt, pepper, and crushed red peppers. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes.

2) Cut the baguettes into 3/4" slices diagonally. Brush on some extra virgin olive oil on one side of the baguette and sprinkle on some garlic powder. Placed on a backing sheet, broil them in the oven for 2 minutes or until slightly brown. It doesn't take long for it to burn so keep an eye on it.

3) Flip the baguettes over so that the toasted side is now on the bottom. Brush some extra virgin olive oil on the other side and broil for 1 minute. This will make your bruschetta bites nice and toasty.

4) Now top your baguettes with the mixture and the mozzarella cheese. Place it on a bottom tray in your oven and broil for 3 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Let it cool for a minute and enjoy this addicting snack while it is warm.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

This recipe is quick, healthy, and makes a simple snack or light meal. The best part of making pizza is that you can add anything you want on it. My favorite is BBQ Chicken but feel free to spice it up with other sauces. Make one with traditional tomato or alfredo sauce. The only thing different is that this recipe uses Naan, a South Asian flat bread. Each bite will be light, crispy and full of your favorite flavors. Have fun and be creative while making your Naan pizza.

Servings: 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 naan bread (can be found at your local grocer's bakery)

3/4 cup cooked chicken (cubed)

1/3 chopped red onion

1/4 cup of asparagus tips

1 cup of Monterey Jack shredded cheese (use your favorite)

BBQ sauce (use your favorite)

extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

2) Brush some extra virgin olive oil on the bottom side of the naan bread.

3) Place the bread on a baking sheet and brush on some of your favorite BBQ sauce. A thin layer to coat the bread is good, unless you want your pizza to be less crispy and more saucy.

4) Have fun and spread the chicken, asparagus tips, red onions on top of the bread and cover it with the shredded cheese.

5) Bake it for approximately 8 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Recommended toppings for tomato and alfredo sauced pizzas

sliced garlic

pine nuts

cherry tomatoes

sun dried tomatoes

broccoli

Korean Japchae

A dish that was first introduced in the early 17th century to serve the king, Japchae has become a popular party side dish. In Hanja, jap means "mixed/stirred" and chae means "vegetables." This vibrant in colored dish has an assortment of flavors from the sweet carrots to the light bitterness of the zuchinni that makes it so wonderful. The sesame oil may leave your lips a bit greasy, but don't worry, it wipes off easily and won't be going to your hips.

Prep time: 45 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

1/2 bag (6 oz) of Dang Myun (Korean Sweet Potato Starch Noodles)

1 large carrot cut into matchsticks

1 cup of dried shitake mushrooms cut into strips

1 zucchini cut into thin strips

1/2 lb of fresh spinach

1/2 of medium yellow onion sliced thinly

1/2 lb of flank steak cut into strips

3 tablespoons of soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil

vegetable oil

roasted sesame seeds optional

For the steak marinade:

1 tablespoons of soysauce

1 teaspoon of sugar

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 teaspoon of oyster sauce (optional)

Directions:

1) Cut up the 1/2lb steak flanks into thin slices and marinate with 2 cloves of garlic minced, 1 tablespoon of soysauce, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce. Cover this up in a bowl and place in refrigerator until you are ready to fry everything. This will give it some time to marinate and absorb the flavor.

2) Next, go ahead and place 1 cup of your dried shitake in a bowl of water to rehydrate. Leave them in for about 20 minutes or according to your package. In the meantime, boil a large pot of water to cook the sweet potato noodles. Follow the directions on your Dang Myun Noodle package to cook, but in general it will take about 10 minutes. (Test it the same way you would with spaghetti-until you can pinch it with your fingers) Take it out to drain. When it is completely drained, mix in 1 tablespoon of sesame oil so that it doesn't stick together.

3) Prepare the remaining ingredients now. Wash and cut up 1 large carrot into matchsticks and 1 medium sized zucchini. Slice 1/2 an onion thinly. When the shitake mushrooms are ready, go ahead and cut them into strips. Also, wash a 1/2 lb of spinach.

4) It's time to fry everything now. Fry each item separetely because some take longer to cook than others and we want the right texture for each. Warm up a skillet on medium heat and add about 2 teaspoons of oil. Fry the carrots and ocassionally stirring so that it doesn't burn. This will take about 5 minutes or until the carrots are soft. Place the carrots into a bowl or plate and repeat the same steps with the other ingredients. The zucchini and onions may take about 4 minutes. Spinach will take less than a minute and the mushrooms are about 2-3 minutes. The steak should be marinated enough by now. Turn the heat up to medium high and cook the steak until it is brown.

5) Everything is ready to be tossed together now. Toss the steak, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, onions, spinach, and the Dang Myun noodles together in a large bowl. Mix everything together evenly. Add 3 tablespoons of soy sauce. (Depending on how you like it, add more or less soy sauce and sesame oil)

6) It's ready to serve and enjoy now! Sprinkle on some roasted sesame seeds if you would like.

*Special thanks to my dear friend Patty and her mom for teaching me this dish.