Fourth of July Carrot Dogs
I absolutely love the summer. I love the vibe, the beach, the atmosphere, it’s just a time to really let yourself be free and let loose a little. BBQ’s are almost always going on, and who doesn’t love a good grilled sandwich loaded with more grilled veggies? You can basically grill anything. So, instead of using veggie dogs in place of hot dogs this time, I wanted to switch things up and make real veggie dogs. Fourth of July Carrot Dogs were born.
Carrots are a great sub for hot dogs. I even used them in another popular recipe Carrots in a Blanket. It honestly tastes like a hotdog, I don’t know how. Add some mustard, ketchup, relish, or sauerkraut, whatever you want, and you’re good to go believe me.
The easiest part is all you have to do is boil the carrots in water. Yeap, that’s it, just boil them until they’re nice and tender but not falling apart. Afterwards you can grill them if you choose to, to give it that grilled look, it’s super simple. Along side these carrot dogs I made a simple slaw and organic corn on the cob. Each dog can have something different on top for variety. I’ll usually eat one with a hot dog bun then just eat the carrots with the toppings by itself with no bread. They sell organic hot dog buns at WholeFoods.
Creative, fun, and super tasty!🌽
The Health Benefits of Carrots
Everyone knows carrots mostly for their beta carotene and fiber. Those are great but there is so much more to carrots than what people know. This lovely root vegetable is an amazing source of antioxidants. It’s rich in Vitamin C, A, K, B8, folate, potassium, copper, iron, and manganese. So what does this do for us? Prevents heart disease, lowers blood pressure, gives our immune system a nice healthy boost, aids in good gut flora and proper digestion.
Did you ever hear your parents tell you as a kid to eat your carrots they are good for your eyes? Well they were right! Carrots improve eye function. A lot of people are vitamin A deficient. Since carrots are high in vitamin A it helps reduce night blindness from aging. Since carrots are also rich in beta-carotene, it is converted into vitamin A in the liver. Vitamin A is then transformed in the retina, to rhodopsin, a purple pigment necessary for night vision. 3 to 4 medium carrot sticks or one cup will be enough to gain it’s benefits. You can find fun ways to incorporate carrots into your diet. (i.e.. like this recipe)
Most people in general know carrots are good for them, but typically most people don’t actually know why. They just know veggies are good and healthy. Which is ok that is the general idea, but when you really know why something is good for you and what it does on the inside of your amazing bod, you think to yourself, ok yea, I can totally dig it. Thus leading you to make this awesome recipe.🤗
I left the leafy stems on for photo purposes but feel free to clean and juice them or discard them. This can be paired with a pasta salad, potato salad, or anything you serve up for 4th of July. This though, this will have people talking and the more carrots the beta…(get it cause it’s loaded with beta-carotene, hahaha). 😉
Fourth of July Carrot Dogs
Ingredients:
- 1 bundle of fresh carrots (or however many you need)
- organic hot dog buns
- mustard, to top
- ketchup, to top
- relish, to top
- slaw, to top or as a side
- 4 corn on the cob, to top or as a side
Directions:
- In a large pot bring water to a boil. Clean carrots and chop off leaves. Place into hot water and let cook until tender. So when you can pierce through them easily with a fork. About 20 minutes.
- Once carrots are ready you can either grill them or leave them as is and prepare your carrot dogs accordingly.
- Top with your favorites like mustard, ketchup, relish, slaw, and corn. You can even make a vegan chili and top them with that and sauerkraut.
- See, so simple, easy, and completely delicious. Enjoy!
- Use whole wheat organic hot dog buns.
- Add any toppings and sides you like.
