If you’re anything like us, you love having people over. During the summer months especially, it seems like any day is a good day to get together. However, sometimes it’s hard to find new inspiration for crowd-pleasing snacks. This summer, we at Alexian invite you to elevate one of the most common party foods: chips and dip.

Alexian pâtés make the perfect base for creating mouthwatering dips, and when paired with homemade veggie chips, the two make for a spotlight-stealing combination. Read on for some of our favorite dip recipes and our tips on making your very own veggie chips.

Making Veggie Chips

Veggie chips have taken the foodie world by storm, and for good reason: they’re healthy, delicious and easy to make. Not to mention many vegetables are delicious in chip form. Summer is a great time to experiment with your favorite chip recipe.

While the specifics of making veggie chips are different for each vegetable, the basics are the same:

Slice your chosen produce using a mandoline or in 1/8 inch slices coat with olive oil and your desired spices, and bake at 400F until crisp.

Here are some helpful tips to get you started:

Particularly for chips meant to dip, choose a vegetable that will hold up even after being sliced and baked (i.e., zucchini or sweet potato, not spinach or kale). For an even, thin slice, use a mandoline. For more flavor, infuse your olive oil with spices instead of sprinkling them on top. More on that here. When cooking, make sure each slice is even spaced, and none are touching. This will give you an even, dry cook.

Lasagna Dip

Guilt-free lasagna? Sign us up! To make you’ll need our Tomato Basil Pâté (an incredible 30 calories per serving!), ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese. If you’re looking for a lighter dish, opt for fat-free cheeses. Simply spoon layers of the Tomato Basil Pâté, ricotta, and mozzarella in an oven safe dish. Top with mozzarella, and bake at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the mozzarella is a nice golden brown. Voila! A cheesy, craveable dip in just minutes.

Suggested chip: Zucchini chips follow the theme of a lighter version of zucchini lasagna.

Eggplant, Goat Cheese & White Bean

Our Eggplant & Goat Cheese Pâté is packed with bold flavors, such as red pepper and tomato. You can easily serve it on its own at room temperature with pita chips, but we love creating something with a little bit more flare.

To create a creamy dip, drain and rinse one can of white beans. Stir them into the pâté, mashing slightly until thoroughly combined. Top with crumbled goat cheese, to taste, and heat at 350 degrees F until warm all the way through, and cheese is melty.

Suggested chip: Eggplant chips will complement one of the star ingredients of the dip itself.

Spinach & Mushroom Artichoke

A good spinach and artichoke dip is a party staple. Enhance your usual recipe by using our Mushroom Artichoke Pâté to create depth of flavor.

Simply follow your favorite spinach and artichoke dip recipe, and stir in a ½ a cup of our Mushroom Artichoke Pâté (per 8 servings). The difference in flavor will have you using this recipe again and again.

Suggested chip: The mild sweetness of sweet potato chips will complement the savory flavors of the artichoke dip.