While the preparation is simple—just combine the ingredients in a bowl and blend—depending on the recipe, you can spend more time or less time measuring ingredients.

We discovered this super easy recipe version on ILovePeanutButter.com, contributed by blogger Lizzie Mabbot of Lizzy Eats London. She serves it with homemade summer rolls.
 
 RECIPE #1: EASY PEANUT SAUCE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the ingredients with a whisk. If sauce is too thick, add a little water.

This recipe, from McCormick, has more layers of flavor and takes a few more minutes to prepare—plus fish sauce and sesame oil, which you may not have on hand. McCormick uses it in their sesame noodles recipe.

Ingredients

1. PLACE all ingredients in a food processor. Cover and process until smooth.
  

The Nibble’s reigning favorite cracker. Photo
by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

Special occasions deserve special crackers—to accompany cheese, dips, salads, soups, spreads, whatever. They may be pricier than the supermarket varieties, but if your palate craves excitement and your eyes want visual allure, it’s money well spent.

Otherwise stated, Cracker Barrel makes perfectly tasty Cheddar cheese. But if we want a great Cheddar experience, we’ll spring for Fiscalini Farmstead, a great artisan wheel from California.

It can be a challenge to find great crackers, even when you know what you’re looking for. Recently we raced through three specialty food stores in search of Raincoast Crisps, our current favorite cracker. We finally found them at Dean & Deluca retail and etail, and also online at iGourmet.com.

They’re $6.79 for a six-ounce box at iGourmet, and a whopping $10 at DDL. The amazing flavors and textures and small batch production make it worth the special-occasion splurge. They’re exquisite absolutely plain or however you wish to serve them.

Dr. Kracker

Rolled by hand, these artisan flatbreads are long on flavor and unique in their appearance. Each cracker is topped a generous number of attractive—and healthy—seeds, sesame, sunflower, and/or pumpkin.

Mary’s Gone Crackers

Mary’s Gone Crackers are gluten-free and vegan, yet packed with so much flavor you start to wonder what is in them that makes them taste so vibrant and delicious (the answer: whole grain brown rice, whole quinoa, flax seeds and sesame seeds). They’re also organic, whole grain and OU kosher.

 
La Panzanella Croccantini

Unlike the previous recommendations, which are whole grain and laden with seeds, nuts or fruits, La Panzanella Croccantini provide classic Italian flare. Made from white flour, even the plain version is wonderful, but cracked pepper, garlic and rosemary versions add extra flavor. The line is certified kosher by KOF-K.

 
You can also browse the shelves at specialty food stores and try whatever looks good.

Raincoast Crisps with cheese. Photo by Elvira Kalviste | THE NIBBLE.

As crisp as they begin, crackers will attract moisture over time and get soggy. But you can easily re-crisp them:

1. Put the crackers in the microwave on a paper towel. Don’t overlap.

2. Microwave them for 40 seconds on medium/high.

3. Allow the crackers to cool for 3-5 minutes. They will crisp up as they cool down.

Crunch away!
  

Recipes vary greatly (here’s a super-rich spinach-mascarpone dip). Zabar’s, the famed food emporium in New York City, is known for its vegan spinach-arugula spread, a garlicky spinach dip variation with peppery arugula punch, made with Tofutti instead of a dairy product. The ingredients are spinach, arugula, Tofutti, pesto, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, salt and pepper.

Zabar’s chefs recommend it to liven up favorite comfort foods, weeknight dinners and entertaining staples. You can use your favorite spinach dip variation, based on using cream cheese, sour cream, Greek yogurt or a combination.

Then, use it in any of these 13 ways:

1. Stir spinach dip into macaroni and cheese for extra color and flavor.

2. Spread it onto split French or Italian bread loaves, cover with minced garlic mixed with a little olive oil and broil, for a twist on garlic bread.

3. Mix with boiled halved or quartered potatoes and scallions for zesty potato salad.

4. Use instead of mayo on a BLT or other sandwich.

5. Use instead of mayo in chicken, egg, tuna, salmon or pasta salad for pumped-up flavor.

6. Mix into mashed potatoes.

7. Spread on sliced, toasted bread or crostini and serve as appetizers or with a salad.

8. Spread on crostini, cover with Gruyère or other melting cheese and broil; then float the crostini in your favorite soup.

9. Use instead of cream cheese on a bagel with lox.

10. Fill an omelet.

11. Mix with low-fat plain Greek yogurt for a healthy crudité or chip dip.

12. Mix with ricotta for a lasagna filling.

13. Add to a baked potato instead of butter or sour cream.
 
Would you like to add a tip or two to this list? Let us know.