Seed

Perfect for a Sunday-afternoon baking project, these light, crisp crackers take an hour to make (okay, maybe longer if you have a little helper).

Papadzules con calabacitas We added zucchini to the eggs in this favorite from the Yucatán Peninsula. It's one of Mexico's great vegetarian dishes.

A quick confection, this cake bakes in just 30 minutes. Translation: You'll be enjoying a homemade dessert with a light crumb and smooth glaze in no time.

If there is one dish that could be considered Mexican haute cuisine, then Mole Poblano is surely it. Legend has it that the voluptuous sauce — a blend of chiles, spices, and chocolate — was created by the European Catholic nuns of Puebla to honor a visiting bishop. There are no shortcuts to making a true Mole Poblano: It takes time and patience to develop the layers of flavor that make this sauce fit for royalty. Miguel adapted the restaurant's recipe from one he learned from Diana Kennedy. At Fonda San Miguel, this mole is served with chicken and rice and as a sauce for enchiladas. It is also wonderful on roast turkey and pork.

Because it's one of the easiest vegetarian dishes, soulfully satisfying rice and beans can eventually become, well, tedious. Jazzing it up with colorful toppings transforms it into an exciting meal, chock-full of varying textures and flavors. Not only is this a staple for my family, it's become my default party dish for a crowd.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from White House Chef: Eleven Years, Two Presidents, One Kitchen by Walter Scheib and Andrew Friedman. This is the snack mix President Bush brought with him from the Texas Governor's mansion. It's a Texas twist on an old American favorite, and we had to have it on hand at all times. In addition to eating it at the White House, the President never traveled without it.

Bagged salad mix gets dressed up with a tangy lime dressing, spicy serrano chile, and crunchy pepitas.

Kutia This lightly sweetened pudding is the first of 12 traditional dishes served on Christmas Eve in Eastern Europe. Countries such as the Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania each have their own version, sometimes chilled, sometimes served as a warm porridge. (The dish used to be a tradition in Russia as well, but because of the communist Soviet Union's official atheism, it has become extinct there.) Our version is based on the baked Ukrainian style, which is traditionally made with wheat berries, which require overnight soaking and long cooking. For convenience, we've substituted quick-cooking barley, which packs the same nutty-chewy punch. For the best results, prepare the pudding a day ahead: Let it cool, cover it, and chill it overnight to let the flavors meld. Serve it chilled, plain or sprinkled with cinnamon-sugar.

These tiny cakes make terrific gifts, packaged in sets of three — one of each flavor. The basic vanilla batter is also wonderful for other variations — try orange rind and white chocolate-chip, raisin-walnut, or "the kitchen sink" (that's whatever you need to get rid of in your pantry). I also like to keep some of these loaves in my freezer for impromptu breakfast parties. Just move them to the refrigerator before bed, and they'll be thawed by morning.

Editor's note: The recipe below is excerpted from Cal-a-Vie Living: Gourmet Spa Cuisine and is part of a healthy and delicious spa menu developed exclusively for Epicurious by Cal-a-Vie.

From chef Robert Del Grande of Cafe Annie in Houston, this recipe for fish baked in corn husks is one of country singer Clay Walker's favorites. Pipián is a classic Mayan sauce made from pumpkin seeds.

Unlike many store-bought granolas, this luxurious blend of oats, green pumpkin seeds, and exotic dried fruit is preservative-free and not overly sweet. Sprinkle it on yogurt, pancakes, or waffles—or simply enjoy eating it out of hand.

Talk about convenient! Baking a whole sweet potato takes about an hour, but sautéing the grated potato takes only fifteen minutes from start to finish — and you end up concentrating the flavor to boot. This recipe dresses up your potato with Southwestern ingredients, but there's no reason not to go Asian (add ginger and soy) or Italian (add sage, brown butter, and pine nuts) as the mood strikes you. For that matter, you could swap out the sweet potato and use butternut squash instead.

Using frozen winter squash purée makes putting together this soup extremely speedy; then just let it simmer while the turkey roasts. The lime juice may seem like an unusual Thanksgiving ingredient, but its tart flavor gives a lift to the sweetness of the squash and tempers the spicy toasted pumpkin seeds. The seeds themselves are addictive, so if you think you might want to have extra around for noshing, consider doubling that recipe. They will keep for at least a week or two in an airtight container—if they last that long!

A bite of this flan, fragrant with traditional pumpkin-pie spices, is very comforting despite the dessert's modern looks; a topping of pumpkin seeds, seasoned with cayenne, creates a play of sweet and heat.

Tastier than coleslaw and healthier, too. Double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd. Can be made ahead? Yes. The day before. Cover and refrigerate.
Can be frozen? No.
Can be doubled and tripled? Yes
Good for leftovers? Yes. Covered and refrigerated, it will keep 4 to 5 days.

For a main-course salad, add some grilled shrimp or chicken and diced papaya.