How many times have you been to a family or friend’s party or casual BBQ and offered to help out? Often a common request from the host is to bring some nibbles to share.

Next time you are asked to bring a plate along why not prepare a fabulous freshly made dip and chop up some fresh, crunchy, colourful vegetables to go with the dip? You will be amazed how many people will be forever grateful that you have provided them with an option that is fresh and healthy. Not only that, it gives an alternative to the other traditional nibbles like chips, crackers and cheese that might be ok in small amounts but let's face it, we can all get tempted to go back for another and another!

Preparing veggies to go with dips can easily be prepared ahead of time, packed into a sealed container and kept crisp in the fridge.

Here are our suggested vegetables to use to make any veggie dipping plate look amazing:

• Carrot
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Capsicum
• Snow peas
• Cherry tomatoes
• Green beans

This is really just the start of the list as you could add whatever vegetable you like…lettuce hearts, endive leaves, radishes, fennel bulbs cut into slices - be innovative!

To prepare these vegetables you might decide to enjoy them in their raw form or otherwise blanch then in boiling water for a few minutes if you prefer. Slice and cut them in ways that allow you to pick them up and enjoy on their own or use them to scoop up some yummy calcium packed dips!