What They DON'T Tell You About Veggie Dogs

Veggie dogs, soy dogs, Tofu Pups, whatever you call them, vegetarian hot dogs differ in texture from their meaty counterparts. Packaging reflects this with near universal instructions to either prepare by a quick boil or microwaving. The ones Cafe Drake HRV recently bought explicitly said: "Not recommended for grilling or barbecuing." We get it, they stick easily to the grill, but why on earth don't they suggest doing as we do - broiling for 5 minutes on an oiled baking sheet? In the photo we above we boiled and while superb in taste the dog was a tad bit gummy. Broiling corrected all that. Just BTW and FYI, they were still delicious with brown mustard and house made yellow squash bread & butter pickles!

Hot dogs need a summer salad as cohort. Said salads don't get easier than this: peel and then grate 2 large carrots. Mix with 1 T. tahini, 1 T. agave nectar or honey, salt and black pepper to taste, 1 minced hot green chili and a small splash of lemon juice.

In homage to currywurst  - the best hot dog/sausage we ever had was scarfed outside a train station in Berlin on a blustery November afternoon years ago - soy dogs on toasted rolls with curried roasted tomatoes and onions and spicy mustard.

Seriously, we won't miss processed meat hot dogs any more.