Want to get your kids to eat a WHOLE large carrot??

This delicious recipe amazingly turns ordinary carrots into vegan “hot dogs” that are smoky, tangy and irresistible! The longer you marinate them, the more flavor they will have. Pop them on the grill and top them with sautéed onions and YUM! I hope your family loves them as much as mine. 

P.S. To choose the best carrots, it helps to look through the bags at the store and choose the fattest carrots that do not taper as much on the narrow end. It can be helpful to buy a larger bag than you need to be able to choose the 8 best carrots for your Carrot Hot Dogs. 
 
The Recipe: 
Serves 8
 
Marinade Ingredients:
1/2 c. soy sauce or tamari
1/2 c. rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. powdered ginger
1 tsp. minced garlic or garlic powder
1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp. yellow mustard
 
The Carrots:
8 large, fat carrots, peeled and cut “bun-length”, using the fattest part of each carrot
 
The Sautéed Onions:
2 medium onions, peeled, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Salt to taste
 
The Buns and Toppings:
8 hot dog buns
mustard
organic pickle relish
your other favorite hot dog toppings
 
First, heat the stove on high and half fill a large pot with water. As the pot of water boils, complete the next steps. 

Combine all marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to blend. Peel the carrots and cut each to be the length of your buns. Place them in the boiling water and set a timer to boil them for 12 minutes.  Set a gallon zip bag in a tray or glass baking dish. Once the carrots are done boiling, remove them from the boiling water with tongs and place them in the zip bag. Then carefully pour the entire marinade mixture over the carrots. Press them all down into the bag so that the most carrots are submerged in marinade. Marinate on the counter for 3 hours or refrigerate and marinate overnight or up to 24 hours. (You can do everything up to this point the night before you want to eat the Carrot Hot Dogs, let them marinate overnight and grill them the next night, if you like.) 
 
30 minutes before you want to eat: 
Heat grill to medium high heat. If possible, have the bag of marinating carrots brought to room temperature prior to grilling. Using tongs to remove the carrots from the marinade, place them on the hot grill and turn occasionally to make grill marks. Grill until heated through thoroughly, approximately 10 minutes. If possible, have another cook prepare the sautéed onions so they are hot and ready when the Carrot Hot Dogs come off the grill. In a medium skillet, heat on stove to medium. Add oil. Add sliced onions. Stir occasionally. If they are browning too quickly, turn down the heat to medium low, so they cook slowly and get very soft before they get too brown. Remove from heat. Add salt to taste. Top each Carrot Hot Dog with some sautéed onions and other toppings of your choice.