Instructions: You could make your own baked chips, which I prefer in taste and texture to the commercially baked ones.

Simply cut corn tortillas into 8 wedges. I stack them and cut about 6 at one time with a pizza wheel. Spread in a single layer, without overlapping, on a baking sheet. Bake for about 8 minutes at 425F. They will get crisper as they cool, but let them get some brown color before you take them out of the oven, or they will remain chewy. Be careful, though: they quickly go from light brown to burnt.

You can also make pita chips the same way, only they do better in a slightly cooler oven, about 350F.

You can season either the tortillas or the pitas prior to baking, but I dont bother since I serve them with highly seasoned dips, salsas, or chilis.

Arrange an assortment of vegetable dippers, and you can include some unusual ones such as fennel, daikon, and jicama, along with some pretty colored sweet peppers, and the usual carrots, cucumbers, and celery.

Serve the chips and vegetable crudites with a traditional tomato salsa, a fruit salsa, and a bean dip, such as a black bean, hummus, or a white bean dip. Also make a tofu based dip, such as the traditional spinach dip, but you can make a tofu lowfat version.

If youd like some specific recipes for salsas or dips, let me know.

BTW, if you dont want to bake your own chips (it does take awhile to do a lot), our favorite commercial ones are the Guiltless Gourmet blue corn chips and the chile lime chips.

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