Snack

Haemul pa jeon—savory pancakes that are crispy outside and soft and tender inside—are a popular side dish. They're best served warm, then dipped in a sauce of soy, lemon, and sesame.

Similar to the socca—chickpea crepes—of Nice, in southern France.

A great side dish—or afternoon snack.

This addictive appetizer is a delicious combination of sour cream, cheese, and corn. A little minced jalapeño adds heat.

A sweet-and-salty miso glaze turns tofu into little bites of comfort food, traditionally served on skewers.

This recipe was a winner in the 2001 Plains Peanut Festival Recipe Contest in Plains, Georgia and appears here courtesy of the The Peanut Institute. It was also reprinted in Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook. Clark writes: This prizewinning recipe offers a yummy alternative to commercial energy bars. These homemade bars are perfect for when you are hiking or biking, as well as for a satisfying afternoon snack. They are relatively high in fat, but it's healthful fat from peanuts and sunflower seeds. For variety, make this recipe with cashews and cashew butter and add a variety of dried fruits (cranberries, cherries, and dates).

Flax is rich in substances that have been shown to protect against heart disease and cancer. It has a very mild taste and is good mixed into muffins and breads as well as sprinkled on cereal. This flax muffin recipe is one way to add a daily tablespoon of flaxseed to your breakfast and snacks. These muffins are remarkably sweet and moist, despite having no added fat. (The 3 grams of fat per muffin are from the health-protective fats in the ground flaxseed meal.)

These cakey, low-fat cookies digest easily and are good for a preexercise snack or recovery food. The recipe makes about 5 dozen cookies—enough to feed the whole team. If you are cooking for yourself, you might want to cut the recipe in half.

This salty, savory nibble is perfect with the sparkling cocktail. A garnish of crispy shallots adds just the right amount of crunch.

Japchae is traditionally made for parties or celebrations, but I like to make it for a light lunch or part of a big dinner. Dried sweet potato noodles can be found in most Asian supermarkets. They are incredibly chewy but healthy and delicious. This recipe works as a side dish (banchan) or can even be served as an appetizer or light snack.

Tinga de Puerco Pork shoulder is a humble cut of meat, but it packs a lot of flavor. Here it is simmered with a chipotle-spiked tomato sauce to make a smoky-spicy topping for crisp little tortilla chips. They can be served on a plate as a first course or passed on a tray as a nibble with cocktails or beer. Tinga is also very good as a filling for warm corn smoked Spanish sausage.

Peanut butter goes well with more than just jam, and this interesting combination proves it. This is delicious with whatever fruit is in season.

Editor's note: The recipe below is from Kimberly Kennedy's The Art and Craft of Entertaining. For Kennedy's baby shower tips click here.

Editor's note: The recipe below is from Kimberly Kennedy's The Art and Craft of Entertaining. For Kennedy's baby shower tips click here.

Springtime in Tuscany means eating young green fava beans with salty, nutty crumbles of Pecorino Toscano—a firm sheep's-milk cheese. That favorite snack was a jumping-off point for these savory little toasts. Fresh arugula, both puréed and roughly chopped, punctuates the spread with spice and texture. If you can't get your hands on fresh fava beans, frozen edamame work well, too.

Serve these South American cornmeal cakes with a side of pico de gallo or fresh corn salsa.

I am on a vanilla kick, and it can't be stopped. It should be noted that we are obsessed with malt, brewer's malt, malted milk balls, and the like. These milk shakes are so simple to make, and when we make them, people are always begging us for the secret ingredient. I suppose they aren't used to a malted milk shake anymore. So sad. Also, it makes me bonkers when people ask to use skim milk. It's just not as good, in my humble opinion.