Hot Diggity Carrot Dogs

Carrot dog with red-cabbage sauerkraut and avocado sauce.

I've been making these for a while, and they always go down well. That said, there's something inexorably junk foody about hot dogs, even if you make them from carrots. Which is precisely what this is about :-) Yes, good old carrots make a surprisingly effective hot dog. Put it in a wholemeal roll with not too much gunk on top and even I will give it a pass. So for those times when you need to jazz up the junk, try this. It's good. As it happens I made 200 this week for an election day food stall so I thought it was time to post the recipe.
Ingredients

• 6 medium-sized carrots
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder or granules
• 1/2 tsp onion powder or granules
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground mace
• 1/2 tsp any other favourite spice (optional)

Method

1. Parboil or steam the 6 medium-sized carrots until they are just becoming tender; you want the carrots to be cooked, but not mushy.. Choose carrots that are tubular in shape and an even thickness. If you are fussy - like me! - you can whittle them down with a peeler so they are perfect hot dog shapes.
2. While the carrots are cooking, prepare a marinade by whisking together the following ingredients: ¼ cup cider vinegar ¼ cup water ¼ cup light soy sauce ½ tsp garlic powder or granules ½ tsp onion powder or granules ½ tsp smoked paprika ½ tsp ground mace; ½ any other favourite spice (optional).
3. Soak the cooked carrots in the marinade overnight or for several days in the refrigerator.
4. After marinating, remove carrots from the marinade and gently heat in a pan or on a barbecue until warmed through. Serve in a wholemeal hot-dog bun with some sauerkraut, onions and your favourite condiments. The ones in the photo above are a traditional type dog with fried onions and tomato ketchup, and a more exotic one with a vegan blue cream cheese and rocket.