Vegan Crunchy Corn Dogs

Lately, my husband has gotten somewhat obsessed with corn dogs. They weren't my favorite thing to make, since I had trouble getting the batter to stick in my first couple of attempts, but he really loved the light crispy cornbread that surrounded (or partially surrounded) the hot dogs. I tried rolling the dogs in flour first, and I tried scoring them first, but I realized that I needed to create a thicker batter to get it to stick to the slick surface of the hot dogs, and I finally figured it out.

These were also rolled in crushed tortilla chips for extra crunch, but are optional. I deep fried them, but they can also be baked- they just won't have as pretty of a shape.

Baked Corn Dogs

I used to stick the skewers in after I fried them, but putting them in before you batter them will save you a lot of mess on your hands! Use bamboo skewers if you can find them (I used the kind typically used for caramel apples).

(Makes 18 appetizer sized corn dogs)

Ingredients:

18 bamboo skewers

1 9-pack vegan hot dogs (I used Ive's)

1 C. crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Dry:

1 C. yellow corn meal

1 C. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

Wet:

1 C. soy milk

1/4 C. canola oil

1/4 C. brown sugar

1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Spinz:

Heat oil for deep frying. Make sure the vessel you're using will be big enough to fit the skewered hot dogs. If you're planning to bake them, heat the oven to 400 F degrees and oil a baking sheet.

Whisk together dry ingredients into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the wet to the dry and mix until combined. The batter should be thick like frosting.

Cut the hot dogs in half. Skewer the hot dogs until they are about 3/4 of the way through. Holding the hot dog by the skewer (right side up), spoon the batter to "frost" the hot dog, spinning it around with your fingers. Make sure that there aren't any exposed areas, and the batter does not have to be too thick because it will puff up when cooked. Roll them in the crushed tortilla chips, if you are using them.

If frying, place your first corn dog (skewer and all) into the hot oil (about 350-375 degrees). Go and "frost" your next hot dog. By the time your next one is ready to fry, the prior one should be floating, golden, and ready to remove and drain on a paper towel. Once done with frying, you can keep them warm in an oven at 150 - 200 degrees until ready to serve.

If you're baking, put them quickly onto your baking pan and right into your preheated oven. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until golden. They'll look a bit flatter, but still crunchy and tasty. The tortilla chips will help the crunchiness with this method.

Vegan Hot Dog, v. 1.0

I was craving a hot dog the other day- one of those old fashioned, nitrite-filled rat part cravings (yes I am ashamed)... and I thought to myself, "Why spend five bucks on four little veggie dogs that don't even fit in the fricken buns? I mean, how hard could it be to make some?"

Well, as it turns out... it ain't that easy. What does a gal have to do to make a good simulation of processed meat? Haha! There has been a couple of "beta" versions before version 1.0, so I am making progress.

This dog was a little on the bland side (needed more salt, seasoning, etc.), but the texture was really good, and it tasted pretty good with all the fixings piled on it. I think it would be better as a burger though. I might do less TVP next time. Any thoughts out there on how to improve the texture, let me know! I read the ingredients in most commercial brands, and they contain agar, which I might throw in too.

I added beet juice to make it pink, but it turned out brown after cooking.

Grilled to get those cool marks!

Makes 8 Jumbo Dogs

Ingredients:
1/2 C. fresh white button mushrooms (about 2 large mushrooms)
1/2 block (7 oz.) extra firm tofu
1 tsp. salt (I would add 1/2 tsp. or more next time)
3 T. tomato ketchup
1/3 C. nutritional yeast
2 cloves garlic
2 T. ground flax seeds
1/2 C. beet juice
1/2 C. water
2 T. extra virgin olive oil (plus a little extra for brushing)
1 C. vital wheat gluten
1 C. TVP (granulated kind)

Spinz:
Throw everything but the wheat gluten and TVP into a food processor and spin until smooth. Incorporate the last two ingredients half a cup at a time (still in the food processor) until a soft ball forms. Turn it out onto a flat surface and shape into a round form. Cut into eight equal parts, and roll into hot dog shape. Wrap tightly in foil and steam for about 30-40 minutes until firm. Brush with a little olive oil and cook briefly on a grill on all sides.

All kidding aside, these are pretty easy to make if you have a food processor- so easy, I barely left my barstools. For my next post, I will be doing my first GIVE AWAY! Hint: it's a cool kitchen gadget that you probably don't have, but have always wanted to play with. That being said... stay tuned!