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There’s something very summery about a hot dog isn’t there? But we know hot dogs are absolutely horrendous for our health & they also take the lives of innocent sentient creatures. So how are we to fulfill that summer nostalgia without the harm? Well, let’s make vegan carrot hot dogs!
I know what you’re thinking, “CARROT hot dogs? These aren’t going to taste very good at all.” I’m up for the challenge my friends because once you give these bad boys a chance, you’ll be ready to ditch their evil counterparts.
Give me the DIRT!
Did you know that July is hot dog month & that July 20th is hot dog day? The hot dog is celebrated in the same month as America’s Independence because it is such an Americana icon.
But as we know, traditions are usually riddled in some form of oppression & in this case, traditional hot dogs still rely on the oppression of innocent sentient beings.
They say that one single hot dog takes 36 minutes from your life & Nature Food Journal ranked over 5,800 foods based on their disease burden and hot dogs were #1!
“Regardless of moderation, hot dogs are not exactly healthy. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC) reported ham, hot dogs and other processed meats may contribute to colorectal cancer (are listed as known carcinogens). Hot dogs also are high in saturated fat and sodium. Just one hot dog can contain over a quarter of your day’s sodium allowance and over 14 grams of fat.”
USA Today
“The thing to remember about hot dogs, as with most other processed meats, is that they are made up of the parts of the animal that are left over once the choice cuts are used up. And as with almost all animal products consumed in the industrialized world, they come from animals that were raised in cruel and filthy factory farms.
Trimmings or the remains of an animal left after cutting up pork chops and steaks, are raked into stainless steel cases. These trimmings are then chopped, mixed with water, corn syrup or sorbitol, salt, food starch, and liquid smoke. All of these ingredients are blended together. Different spices are then added, depending on where the hot dogs will be sold.
To boost the color of the hot dogs, and improve their shelf life, sodium nitrate is added as a preservative. Sodium diacetate, sodium erythorbate, and any number of other chemicals may also be added The mixture is then funneled into a blended hot dog mush. To form the hot dog links, the mush is put into a casing, cut, and baked.”
Food Revolution Network
The main thing to remember is that hot dogs come from cruelty.
In order to produce animal meats, a female animal, in this case usually pigs, have to be impregnated (raped) & then their babies are taken away from them for the cycle to be continued. If you’d like to learn more about the life of a factory animal, checkout this link here.
The best way to ensure that we’re not contributing to this cruelty is to try adding more vegan plant based dishes to our menus, like these amazing carrot hot dogs. This recipe was an oldie that I had on a previous blog but thought that it would be great to share again for hot dog month.
And if you’d like to try other vegan recipes, try these super easy Vegan Blueberry Muffins!
So let’s try these vegan carrot hot dogs
How To Make Vegan Carrot Hot Dogs
Course: Uncategorized4
servings15
minutes20
minutes42
kcal24-48
hours35
minutesIngredients
4 medium orange carrots
¼ cup water
¼ cup Apple cider vinegar
10-15 dashes liquid smoke
2 crushed cloves garlic
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp. Sriracha or Frank’s Red Hot whichever you prefer
dash of salt & pepper
Directions
- Boil water in a pot. While water is boiling peel all four carrots. Make sure to round the edges & try to straighten them out a bit to look more like a “hot dog”.
- Add carrots to boiling water. Cook until tender. Not too soft.
- While carrots are boiling prep the marinade in a covered bowl or Ziplock. Adding all of the ingredients together and mixing well.
- Strain the carrots from the boiling water. Let cool.
- Once the carrots have cooled add them to the marinade. Let them sit over night (24-48 hours) turning once.
- Place the carrots in a warmed skillet or BBQ brushing the remainder of the marinade as they cook. Once browned all over, place in a hot dog bun with your favourite toppings and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- The marinade can be for as long or as little as you like. The longer the carrots marinade the more flavourful they will be.
- I like to use thinner or smaller carrots & shape them like hot dogs so that they’re cooked the same way all the way through.
- My fav toppings – onions, pickles, sauerkraut, ketchup & mustard
If you’re looking for a quick easy vegan alternative to traditional hot dogs, try some of these;
A Final Note:
I know that these images & this information can be uncomfortable for us to look at. But change doesn’t come easy. In order to understand the implications of our choices and actions we sometimes have to come face to face with the consequences.
Unfortunately for animals, these are the consequences of our dietary choices. I do not get pleasure from showing these facts to nonvegans. In fact I usually cry when I see these images myself because I feel so horrible that anyone on this planet has to go through this sort of hell.
If you are looking to try more plant based items, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I do not come from a place of judgement, just excitement to help you on your journey.
I’ve seen carrot hotdogs but I’ve yet to try one! I’m going to now after reading your post. And I cry too, seeing photos of factory animals. They are treated so cruelly. I hate that.
It’s really such a horrendous industry. Thankful for people like you who are making a change!