Dinner Together: Chili-Cheese Dogs in Beach Blankets
Rachael Ray provokes strong reactions, in my household and many others. But for me, it comes down to this: This chili-dog version of pigs in blankets from her new family cookbook was a solid hit with both of our kids. Even the flexitarian daughter.
And the adults liked it pretty well, too.
We used ground turkey for the chili filling and turkey dogs to make things a little healthier. I took Annelies' recommendation and used Trader Joe's refrigerated pizza dough, which performed nicely and tasted good.
The recipe follows. ...
(Photo by me)
Chili-Cheese Dogs in Beach Blankets
Makes 8 dogs1 tablespoon vegetable oil
¾ pound ground beef, ground turkey or tempeh chopped into fine crumbles1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
2 teaspoons dehydrated onion
Salt and freshly ground black pepper2 tablespoons tomato paste
14 ounces refrigerated pizza dough1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
8 turkey or tofu dogs
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Heat the oil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Add the meat to the pot and brown it, 6 to 7 minutes. Season the meat with the chili powder, granulated garlic, dehydrated onion and a little salt and pepper. Add the tomato paste to the pot and stir it around for a minute, then add ¼ cup water to help loose the tomato paste and get it incorporated. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.
Roll out the pizza dough into a big rectangle. Cut the dough in half lengthwise with a small knife. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces across so that you end up with 8 small rectangular pieces of dough. Across the center of each rectangle place a couple of spoonfuls of chili mixture and sprinkle a small handlful of cheese on top. Set the dog on the dough and wrap and roll the pizza dough around the dog, sealing in the chili and cheese. The nubs of each end of the dog should be peeking out. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes, or until golden.
--Adapted from Yum-O: The Family Cookbook, by Rachael Ray
Per dog: 401 calories, 22 grams protein, 25 grams fat, 9 grams saturated fat, 23 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 801 milligrams sodium, 91 milligrams cholesterol. Analysis by registered dietitian Jodie Shield.
Categories: Dinner Together, Food and Recipes
Comments
going to the B&O in Ell City w/ friends from DC; 4 kids under 5. Any suggestions for lunch?
Posted by: cmstam | May 30, 2008 12:23 AM
That is a cool idea! So the big question is - was it at least slightly less messy than trying to eat chili on a hot dog in a bun?
Just slightly! :-)
Posted by: Annelies | June 1, 2008 9:25 PM