Carrot Dogs (no really)

Before I was a whole food, plant based eater, I remember my daughter stating that they were having company over and that they would be serving carrot hot dogs.  I could not help but think that I hoped the guests were going to have a bite to eat before they come to their house to eat the carrot dogs.   That just sounded terrible to me.

Well, I am still hesitant to recommend this recipe to anyone who is new to the plant based world.  It wasn't that we didn't like them.  We actually liked them a lot.  I just think they might have blown my mind a bit when we first started this journey.  

I knew hot dogs were terrible, but for my husband and I, a special meal once every three to four months was to have a couple of Nathan's hot dogs.  Man, we loved those things.  If someone would have offered me that or a steak, I would have picked the Nathan's hot dogs.  Now I have no desire to eat a real hot dog.  That sounds terrible to me.  However, we kind of missed having a hot dog type food every now and then.  I have not tried the packaged, "faux" hot dogs.  I just don't generally love the "faux" meats and don't believe they are healthy either.

We tried these hot dogs out on Super Bowl Sunday.  Maybe it was just the festivities that made them taste so good, but I am ready to cook them again. 

 
CARROT HOT DOGS

4 large carrots, peeled, with ends cut off to make them the size of the bun

¼ cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos or soy sauce
¼ cup water
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp. dried ginger
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. granulated onion powder
4 whole wheat hot dog buns
Hot dog toppings- relish, sauerkraut, chopped onions, ketchup, mustard, etc.

Boil carrots for approximately 6-8 minutes, or until fork tender but not mushy.  After boiling, plunge them into cold water to stop the cooking process.

Mix the liquid aminos or soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, sesame oil, apple cider vinegar, smoked paprika, garlic, ginger, pepper, and onion powder. 

Combine the cooked carrots and the marinade in a ziplock type bag.  Shake until carrots are coated with the marinade.   Place in fridge for about 24 hours, turning several times to move the carrots around in the marinade.

Heat a skillet, (I like to use a cast iron skillet) until quite hot.    Place the carrots, along with about ½ cup of the marinade, into the skillet.  Cook the carrots for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until warmed through, turning them around in the marinade several times. 

Before anyone says, "Hey, what's with the devilled eggs on the plate?", they were plant based deviled "eggs".  I wasn't crazy about them, but I am going to work on the recipe and see if I can make them tastier.  I will report back on them another time.

Once again, our daughter was right.  The carrot dogs were well received.
(Husband's note: In fact, I received about 3 of them!)