Grilled Carrot Dogs

When I was writing my first book, I Don't Celebrate Anything, we had so much fun dreaming up creative vegetarian options for Annie. Since porcupines are herbivores, her food needed to be both fun and meat-free. That's where the Asparagus Taco came from. At first, I thought we had completely invented it; however, I discovered later that asparagus tacos are, in fact, a real thing (who knew?).

So this week I asked myself: what can I do with carrots besides carrot cake? That's when I found this recipe for Grilled Carrot Dogs. Yes, hot dogs made out of carrots! I can already picture Annie's excitement: "A weinerless hot dog? Yes, please!"

And now, here's the recipe so you can try it too:

This recipe is adapted from Sara Bir's Grilled Carrot Dogs, published on Simply Recipes.

Ingredients:

• 8 medium carrots, peeled and trimmed (choose ones about hot dog size)

• ¼ C mustard

• 1 T Dijon mustard

• 1 tsp. garlic powder

• 1 tsp. smoked paprika

• ½ tsp. black pepper

• ½ tsp. ground mustard

• ½ tsp. liquid smoke (optional, for that smoky grill flavor)

• Hot dog buns

Instructions:

1.      Peel carrots and trim the ends. Cut the carrots to the length of the hot dog bun. You want the carrot to be similar in size as a hot dog, so shave it down as needed.

2.      Place carrots in a pot of boiling water and cook for 8–10 minutes until just fork-tender (not mushy). Drain and set aside.

3.      In a zip-top bag, mix together the mustards, garlic powder, smoked paprika, pepper, and liquid smoke.

4.      Add the carrots, making sure they're fully coated. One recipe says to smear the mustard over the carrots, but I think a bag and shaking would be less messy.

5.      Preheat your grill to medium heat and grill carrots over direct heat, turning occasionally, until they have grill marks and are heated through. Approx. 6 to 8 minutes

6.      Grill hot dog buns, cut side down, until they have grill marks.

7.      Slip your grilled carrot into the bun, and eat with your favorite toppings.

Fun, healthy, and Annie-approved. I think these might just find their way into her next adventure!