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Whether you're looking for sophisticated snacks or health-conscious nibbles this Memorial Day, serve these superior appetizers to keep your guests sated while the grill heats up.

Whether you're looking for sophisticated snacks or health-conscious nibbles this Memorial Day, serve these superior appetizers to keep your guests sated while the grill heats up.

1. The Party Standard: Veggies & Dip

The Sophisticated Route: While ranch-flavored dips used to be expected at gatherings, consider trading in something based on Hidden Valley for a creamy dip made with goat cheese and roasted red peppers. Combine equal parts goat cheese and cream cheese in your food processor with some olive oil to smooth out the consistency. Then serve with a topping of pureed roasted red peppers. The flavor complements fresh vegetables, and your guests will be impressed by the extra effort. Also, think about adding slivers of bell pepper to the standard baby carrots and chopped celery for more refined dipping options.

The Diet-Friendly Route: Replace the ranch dip with salsa for a low-calorie alternative that's as tasty with vegetables as it is with tortilla chips.

2. The Party Standard: Pigs in a Blanket

The Sophisticated Route: Little smokies encased in crescent rolls can be mouth-watering, but you can do more this Memorial Day. Look for andouille sausage near the butcher's counter and serve it in rounds or make smoked sausage mini kebabs with some sautéed peppers and onion instead of the traditional wrapped frankfurter.

The Diet-Friendly Route: Even the hot dog lover knows that a lot of those jokes about the constitution of weenies are true. Make ground turkey or turkey sausage the meat of your Memorial Day appetizers instead.

3. The Party Standard: Mixed Nuts

The Sophisticated Route: Forget about popping open a can of Planter's. Take some time to roast a variety of nuts with your favorite spices. Cajun-flavored almonds or cashews with rosemary are only a couple of the possibilities. Simply toss some nuts in a bit of oil and your favorite spices. When the nuts are fully coated, arrange them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven for twenty to thirty minutes. Stir often, and you're sure to have a treat even Mr. Peanut would find impressive.

The Diet-Friendly Route: Trade the high-fat nuts for chex mix. Both are snackable, but the chex mix won't blow your calorie intake for the day.

4. The Party Standard: Potato Chips

The Sophisticated Route: A variety of gourmet potato chips from the Cape Cod brand to Target's Archer Farms label offer America's favorite snack in flavors from coarse sea salt to wasabi. Vegetable chips like Terra's parsnip or sweet potato offerings also make for a good choice.

The Diet-Friendly Route: Instead of pigging out on processed Lay's or Ruffles, do your heart a favor. Make your own potato chips with freshly sliced spuds lightly fried in olive oil.

5. The Party Standard: Cheese

The Sophisticated Route: It's hard to go wrong with cheese, which is almost always a crowd-pleaser. You could serve a wheel of baked brie, a cheese ball or just cheese cubes on toothpicks, and the plate probably won't last long. And all of that's without even mentioning cheese dip, spinach con queso or chile con carne. For a truly memorable appetizer, pick up some specialty cheeses from a local market or independent gourmet shop and serve a smörgåsbord of unique dairy offerings before the hot dogs are ready.

The Diet-Friendly Route: With cheese, you always have the option of trading in your regular cheddars, fetas and swiss for their lower fat counterparts. We just can't promise any of your guests will be happy about it.

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