Fun with Veggie Dogs

Our good friends had an Olympics Opening Ceremony party last Friday. They made an awesome spread complete with handmade empanadas, G’s famous homemade hummus, a fruit salad featuring the Olympic rings carved from watermelon rind, and veggie pigs in a blanket. This was the first of three meals we would have last weekend that featured the wonderment that is a veggie dog.

I know that some vegetarians poo-poo processed vegetarian products that resemble meat products, but I personally love them. It’s not that I miss meat and I personally don’t like any product that is too “meaty” but who doesn’t love the concept of the hot dog? You put it on a bun and add all kinds of things to it so that you don’t notice the consistency of the strange tube like thing you are eating – how American is that? And, as I plan to set out in this post, they are downright versatile.

So, first up, we have veggie pigs in a blanket. These couldn't be easier. Just cut some veggie dogs into thirds, wrap in dough and bake until golden. Our friends used leftover empanada dough (maybe if we're lucky they will post a comment with the recipe for their empanadas). We have used the biscuit or crescent roll dough that comes in a tube in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Kids love them!

On Saturday, we went camping and had (you guessed it!) veggie dogs over the camp fire for dinner! The key to roasting veggie dogs is not to leave them on too long. The casing can get a bit chewy if left on too long.

And, finally, for Sunday dinner:

Vegetarian Corn Dog Casserole
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups thinly sliced celery
1-1/2 cups sliced green onion
1-1/2 pounds vegetarian hot dogs
2 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 cups milk
2 teaspoons rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 (8.5 ounce) packages dry corn bread mix
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Cooking Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a shallow 3 quart baking dish.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter, then saute celery for 5 minutes. Stir in green onions, and saute an additional 5 minutes. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
Cut hot dogs lengthwise into quarters, then cut into thirds. In the same skillet, saute hot dogs for 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Mix hot dogs into celery and onions. Set aside 1 cup of this mixture.
In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, sage, pepper, and corn bread mix. Stir well to combine, then stir into remaining hot dog mixture. Mix in 1-1/2 cups cheese. Spread mixture into prepared baking dish. Top with reserved hot dog mixture and remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until golden brown.

From http://recipes.kaboose.com/corn-dog-casserole.html

This was tasty and the kids love it!

Eggplant Bulgur Casserole

I love casseroles because 1) it’s all in one – easy to serve, easy to clean-up; 2) it’s a great way to get more vegetables in my kids' diets; and 3) I am from the Midwest – doesn’t everyone from the Midwest love a casserole?

This is a great recipe for mid-week. I made it the night before I wanted to serve it for dinner and then we took it later in the week for lunch. The eggplants and tomatoes are from the local farmer’s market. Bulgur is a great whole grain that has a slightly nutty flavor. It is available by other grains and flours in most grocery stores. Instead of the Indian spices, you could use Italian herbs. We served it with goat cheese sprinkled over the top. Yum!

Eggplant Bulgur Casserole

2 medium eggplants, chopped into 1 inch square pieces
4 tomatoes
2 teaspoons mustard seed
1 onion, diced
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons ground coriander seed
1 cup bulgur
2 cups water

1. Add mustard seeds to 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot and sauté over medium high heat until the seeds start to pop.
2. Turn down to medium heat and add onions and sauté for a few minutes until they start to soften.
3. Add the eggplant, tomato, cumin, turmeric and coriander and continue cooking over medium heat for about 5 minutes – eggplant should be starting to soften and skin may be browning.
4. Mix in the bulgur and cook for a few more minutes before adding the water. Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Fondue!

My niece and nephew were visiting this past weekend so we decided to do something fun for our Saturday night dinner - Fondue party! My niece and nephew had never tried fondue and it had been awhile since we have made fondue with our kids. My husband and his family love fondue and made it for all birthdays when he was growing up. So we have made it a tradition in our house as well. It sounds cheesy (no pun intended) but kids love fondue! You get to stab things with a fork and dip it into yummy cheese - how can you go wrong? We always do cheese and chocolate. Getting the right consistency is always key with fondue, but with kids, it's even more important to have the right foods to dip. This weekend we had:
• 1 loaf whole wheat french bread – strategically cut so that each piece has at least one side of crust
• broccoli (not in season right now so store bought bag of florets to save time), blanched
• small pickles
• mushrooms
• baby potatoes, boiled until just starting to soften and cut in half

You can dip just about anything that is firm enough - try cauliflower, carrots, olives, cucumber, peppers, and garlic cloves. The kids loved it! They had a great time dipping and trying different things, figuring out which was their favorite.

We used a basic fondue recipe:

Ingredients:

• ½ clove garlic
• 1 lb. Gruyere cheese
• 8 oz. Emmentaler cheese
• 1 ½ cups dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• pepper
• pinch of nutmeg

1. Grate the cheese and toss with the cornstarch.
2. Rub the inside of the fondue pot with the cut surface of the garlic.
3. Mix together lemon juice and wine and heat in the pot over medium heat.
4. Once hot enough to melt the cheese but not boiling, begin adding the cheese one handful at a time, stirring until melted.
5. Stir constantly and continue adding the cheese until the fondue is a smooth and creamy texture. Add nutmeg and a few dashes of pepper.
6. Remove from the stove and place over a flame.

This makes enough for 4-6 adults. It could easily serve 6-8 adults if you started with a salad.


Then, of course, we did some chocolate fondue (see pictures above). Just heat about 1/4 cup of milk in a pan on the stove and add about 1/2 bag of chocolate chips, stirring constantly and removing when smooth and creamy. Chocolate fondue is easy to experiment with - we often do peanut butter and chocolate. This time, we added a handful of chopped chocolate mint from our garden (yes, there really are chocolate mint plants). We have a very small ceramic fondue pot that sits over a tea candle that is perfect for chocolate. This time, we just dipped strawberries, blueberries (from the Farmer's Market) and pound cake (keep pound cake refrigerated until serving to help it stay together). It was divine! I have to admit, the chocolate was a bit messy for the four-year-old but well worth it!