Flavorful Vegan Hot Dogs (Veggie Dogs)
I grew up eating hot dogs as a kid like everyone else. However, I gave them up when I first went vegetarian at age 13. Never found my way back once I learned that the vague descriptor “meat by-products” actually meant innards and miscellaneous slaughter house leavings that meat processors didn’t know what else to do with were in them.
Yuck!
But these are 100% gross free vegan “hot dogs” or veggie dogs baby! They have great flavor, the tenderness, the mouth feel, the smoky smell and absolutely nothing to be afraid of – except eating too many of them and making a pig of yourself.
With summertime right around the corner, you don’t have to be relegated to a mushroom or vegetables on the grill, while the dear and beloved omnivores amongst your family and friends stuff their faces and look at you with pity. Instead, you can join the party with something just as tasty, happy in your stance of cruelty free food choices.
These veggie dogs whip up fast and easy, and cost just pennies to make. Besides the list of ingredients (nothing really unusual), all you need to get started is:
- a food processor or blender
- a large bowl
- parchment paper
- aluminum foil
- a large pot with a tight fitting lid
- some kind of steamer apparatus that fits the pot
Begin by putting the “wet” ingredients into your food processor, which you will then mix with the vital wheat gluten, arrowroot powder, and vegetarian chicken or beef flavored seasoning powder.
Stir in with a spatula until completely mixed. Then knead the dough lightly (it will be loose in texture) right in the bowl for about a minute, then turn it out onto a lightly oiled cutting board or counter.
Form a large roll and cut it in half, then in half again. Using that method, divide your dough into at least 8 even pieces. Eight is perfect for the foot-long style buns, or if you like really fat hot dogs (more like a sausage).
Since seitan swells when cooked, and I prefer smaller buns and hot dogs, I divide my dough into 16 chunks. Roll your dough into a cylinder shape like you see below, making sure it’s even in dimension from one end to the other. Kids like this part!
Cut enough pieces of parchment paper and aluminum foil for all of your hot dogs. They should be large enough that they roll around the dough twice, and have room to twist on the ends to seal the dough in (like a Tootsie Roll candy).
Place dough on the parchment paper.
Then place parchment paper and dough log on one long side of the aluminum foil. Roll it up, wrapping the foil snugly but leave a little room for expansion during the cooking process. Twist the ends to seal. Rolling the seitan snugly (but not tight), will help the seitan keep its cylindrical shape as it steams.
Here is a finished one so you can see what it should look like.
Roll all of your “hot dogs”, then place them on your steamer rack. stacking them in a criss-cross fashion. Add top, bring water to a boil and steam vegan hot dogs for 40-50 minutes (the thicker they are the longer they need to cook).
When time is up, remove top and let veggie dogs cool. Here is what they look like after cooking.
These vegan hot dogs hold their shape well, so you can place them on a grill to get those authentic grill marks…
or simmer them in a pot on the stove for a few minutes, or brown them in a little oil in a non-stick skillet, which is what I did for the picture below.
Now at this point you can pop your vegan hot dogs into the freezer for use later, or unwrap them all to do the final phase of cooking before serving right away. They’ll keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, but if you won’t be using them until after that, put them in the freezer. If you plan to make another batch right away (in preparation for a large event for example), consider re-using the aluminum foil – it’s perfectly good to use 2-3 times.
And there’s the finished vegan hot dog, all ready to eat! Perfectly sized for these 6″ buns, with the longer ones to be served on the foot-long buns this weekend when my daughter’s greedy friends come over.
Serve your vegan hot dogs with chopped onions, mustard, relish, chopped tomatoes, sauerkraut, barbecue sauce, shredded vegan cheese, jalapeno peppers, ketchup, vegan chili, or whatever your favorite toppings are, on a whole grain hot dog bun.
Hey, go wild! Enjoy these delicious vegan hot dogs… and being vegan.
- 2 Tablespoons Tamari or liquid aminos
- 5 Tablespoons almond meal or ground pecans
- 4 Tablespoons water or vegetable broth
- ¾ block of extra firm organic non-GMO tofu
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- ½ medium red or Spanish onion, cut into chunks
- 2 cloves garlic, skin removed and cut in half
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 Tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon smoked salt flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons vital wheat gluten
- 2 teaspoons vegetarian chicken or beef powder
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
- Cut tofu into 6 chunks and add to food processor with remaining wet ingredients. Pulse 6-8 times to blend, then turn on low speed and blend for 1-1/2 to two minutes until creamy.
- Place dry ingredients in large bowl, and whisk to combine thoroughly. Add wet ingredients from food processor (all at once or as much at one time as you can), and mix well with spatula. Dig in with hand to incorporate any remaining dry ingredients.
- Poke and gently knead dough in bowl with fingertips for about 1 minute. Turn dough out onto lightly oiled cutting board or counter, and roll/shape into cylinder which is a uniform circumference. Pat in the ends to avoid a pointy edge.
- Cut dough right in the center, then cut each half in half again, each half in half again, then each half in half one more time. You should end up with 16 even pieces of dough. (If you like fat links, or you use foot-long buns, you should stop cutting at 8 chunks)
- Roll each piece into a cylinder, making it the length to match your bun. Wrap in a piece of parchment paper, then in a piece of foil, sealing the ends with a twist like a Tootsie Roll candy.
- Place foil rolls in a large pot with a steamer insert and cover; steam for 40-50 minutes (longer for the thicker rolls). Turn off flame and remove top to let veggie dogs cool.
- To finalize cooking process, throw them on the grill to brown and get those cool grill marks, simmer on the stove in water, or pan-fry in a bit of oil.
- Serve on whole grain buns with topping and sides of your choice.
Get exciting new soul food, Cajun/Creole and classic American recipes done vegan! Check out WHY VEGAN IS THE NEW BLACK: More than 100 Meat and Dairy Free Meal Ideas Your Whole Family Will Love.
Category: Light Meals
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