Hot Dogs
Sometimes when you are trying to eat a healthy diet, you just plain get bored. You want to break out and eat something that is "poison". My "poison" is hot dogs. I can not imagine anything much more unhealthy than most commercial hotdogs. Plus, I love "beans and weenies" so I experimented and came up with a pretty healthy versions of those two gastrononic nightmares that satisfy my craving but are still pretty healthy.
Sometimes when you are trying to eat a healthy diet, you just plain get bored. You want to break out and eat something that is "poison". My "poison" is hot dogs. I can not imagine anything much more unhealthy than most commercial hotdogs. Plus, I love "beans and weenies" so I experimented and came up with a pretty healthy versions of those two gastrononic nightmares that satisfy my craving but are still pretty healthy.
NOTE:First off I have to say that I generally do not endorse products, unless they have proven to me to be superior to anything else I have tried. "Smart Dogs" brand hotdogs, by the Lightlife Company, is one of those products. Except for the texture, the taste of these soy dogs is as close to the real deal as I have found. When we lived at the NC coast, we lived in a resort/college town, which had a pretty high percentage of youthful vegetarians. The little hotdog stand on the corner was run by two twenty-something surfers who featured the best black bean burrito you ever tasted and a "veggie dog". Loaded with onions, mustard, salsa, relish, hot sauce or just about anything else you could think of, the "dawg" became standard lunchtime fare at our business. Even if they hadn't delivered, we would still have had our daily "Sea Dog's" run. That was how I discovered the joy of soy (hot dogs, that is). "Smart Dogs" are available at almost any food store that carries even a smattering of organic or natural foods. Even the local Food Lion here carries them, but to be sure you find them, try a little more upscale grocer. Not all Food Lions have them.
Hot Dog Chili
No self-respecting hot dog would be caught dead with out chili. But how do you justify eating meat on top of a meatless hotdog. Easy. Find an equally good replacement for the chili and again, I have just the ticket. Same company that makes "Smart Dogs" makes a product called "Smart Ground" which is as good a substitute for ground beef as there is. I make perfect hotdog chili with this product, also from the Lightlife Company.
My recipe for hotdog chili is simple: Saute the "ground beef" in a skillet, using a little olive oil. Obviously, there is no fat in this soy version, so you have to adjust. Next I add a handful of extremely finely chopped sweet onion; a shake or two of cumin or chili powder, if you prefer; and a healthy squirt of catsup. Since I make my own catsup, it is organic and fairly healthy, but no more than you are going to use, it probably won't hurt to use whatever kind you have. I cook this mixture down until there is not much liquid left. Don't cook the "Smart Ground" too long or it turns to mush and you will have something that resembles that awful kind of chili that comes in a can...YUCK!!!
No self-respecting hot dog would be caught dead with out chili. But how do you justify eating meat on top of a meatless hotdog. Easy. Find an equally good replacement for the chili and again, I have just the ticket. Same company that makes "Smart Dogs" makes a product called "Smart Ground" which is as good a substitute for ground beef as there is. I make perfect hotdog chili with this product, also from the Lightlife Company.
My recipe for hotdog chili is simple: Saute the "ground beef" in a skillet, using a little olive oil. Obviously, there is no fat in this soy version, so you have to adjust. Next I add a handful of extremely finely chopped sweet onion; a shake or two of cumin or chili powder, if you prefer; and a healthy squirt of catsup. Since I make my own catsup, it is organic and fairly healthy, but no more than you are going to use, it probably won't hurt to use whatever kind you have. I cook this mixture down until there is not much liquid left. Don't cook the "Smart Ground" too long or it turns to mush and you will have something that resembles that awful kind of chili that comes in a can...YUCK!!!
We use whole wheat hotdog buns, onions, homemade relish, chopped onions, jalapenos, cheese and homemade cole slaw to top off our dogs.
To make a healthier version of cole slaw, chop or grate your cabbage and marinate it for about two hours in a mixture of vinegar, sea salt and honey. Drain the cabbage well before you use it, but save the liquid. I toss the cabbage with a little mayo and season with lots of black pepper. I usually add back some of the liquid that the cabbage was marinated in, just to kick up the flavor a bit. You can also make this and totally leave out the mayo. For a change, chop up a bit of red and green pepper and a grate a little carrot into your slaw.
Homemade Sweet Potato Chips
Of course, if you are having a hot dog, you probably want chips with it. I make the perfect chip by slicing sweet potatoes paper thin and popping them in the microwave for about 2 minutes, on the high setting, on top of my bacon cooker. I don't cook bacon on it, but it sure is handy for making other crispy things. You might have to adjust the time, depending on the power of your microwave. If you dont' nuke, I don't know if you can use the oven to make them, so I have no recommendation there.
Of course, if you are having a hot dog, you probably want chips with it. I make the perfect chip by slicing sweet potatoes paper thin and popping them in the microwave for about 2 minutes, on the high setting, on top of my bacon cooker. I don't cook bacon on it, but it sure is handy for making other crispy things. You might have to adjust the time, depending on the power of your microwave. If you dont' nuke, I don't know if you can use the oven to make them, so I have no recommendation there.
You can also make oven fried sweet potato fries, if you would rather have something more substantial. Julienne a med. sweet potato, toss with whatever seasoning you would like and bake on a cookie sheet with just a little olive oil drizzled or sprayed over them. Bake at about 375-400 degrees until crispy. You can use sea salt, pepper, chili powder, cardamom or whatever spice you like or just leave them plain.
Vegetarian Beans and Weenies
Another infamous food from childhood. But you don't have to have those horrible ones out of a can. This dish can actually be quite good. So, here is how I make my special beanie weenies. I use vegetarian (and organic when I can find them) baked beans and the same soy dogs that the last recipe called for. I slice the weenies into uniform slices and brown then in a skillet with a little olive oil. Make sure they get crispy and brown on each side. You might have to stir them frequently to achieve this. After they are sufficiently browned, turn the heat way down and add the beans. Let it simmer until it is bubbly.
Another infamous food from childhood. But you don't have to have those horrible ones out of a can. This dish can actually be quite good. So, here is how I make my special beanie weenies. I use vegetarian (and organic when I can find them) baked beans and the same soy dogs that the last recipe called for. I slice the weenies into uniform slices and brown then in a skillet with a little olive oil. Make sure they get crispy and brown on each side. You might have to stir them frequently to achieve this. After they are sufficiently browned, turn the heat way down and add the beans. Let it simmer until it is bubbly.
I add some homemade tomato ketchup to mine, but that is a matter of taste. Most of the veggie beans I get are not very tomato-ey. Or you can make you own beans. Just cook some white navy beans and then make traditional baked beans. Keep some aside and make beanie weenies with them. That is good too, but a lot more work than opening a can, which is not my usual way of doing things but then this whole segment is about "junk" food.
