Hot Diggity Dog!!

I have to admit it... sometimes I just enjoy a really good hot dog.  I wouldn't list them as clean eating, but sometimes you just have to have one!  Well, I do anyway.  I usually opt for the best ones I can get.  Around here that means Hebrew National.  They have minimal additives and fillers and everything has to be kosher.  So your all beef hot dogs will actually be all beef.

Something else about me... I hate to waste food.  Someone recently left a package of all beef (other brand) hot dogs at my house.  I really didn't want to eat them, but I just couldn't waste them.  And I won't donate to the food bank anything I won't eat... so I cooked them.  We almost always grill hot dogs when we have them because we like the extra flavor.  Let me tell you what though... no amount of grilling was going to give these the flavor I'm used to from HN!  (I am not here to shill for HN, but I have to tell you... these things were nasty.)  But again... I can't waste them!  So today I made Sloppy Dawgs just to have a way to use them up and make them palatable at the same time.  The original Sloppy Dawgs recipe is from Rachel Ray.  I made some minor subs though, to at least clean it up a little.  And you know what... it worked!  The hot dogs are now edible.  Which means they will probably be in my lunch the rest of the week -- *sigh* -- at least I have lunch planned!

Don't get me wrong... these aren't really clean eating by any sense of the term.  But it's a start in the right direction.  And sometimes that's what we need, isn't it?

Sloppy Dawgs with a Clean Eating Leaning

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pound hot dogs, thinly sliced (do get the best all beef dogs you can!)
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow pepper, chopped1 can tomato paste (6 oz)3 tablespoons coconut sugar 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce8 ounces of water

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized pot or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the hot dogs and cook until they brown, about 5 minutes. 

Add chopped peppers to the pan, and continue cooking until the peppers are tender, about 4 minutes. Add 2 TBSP of the tomato paste to the pan.  Cook and stir about 1 minute.

Add the coconut sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, the rest of the tomato paste, and the water. Stir to mix completely.  Simmer until thickened and saucy, about 5 minutes more.

Serve on hot dog or hamburger buns.  Top with condiments as desired.

This might be the semi-clean eating recipe that gets the rest of your family on board!