Sunday Cookout Day cometh yet again! Over the past few weeks, we’ve gotten onto a bit of a veggie-dog kick on Sunday nights, and that’s A-OK with both LeeLee and me. Tonight, we pulled another recipe from Tablespoon.com – their Vietnamese-inspired hot dogs – and vegetarianized it for a great feast!
First, though, I prepared the side dishes. To start, I peeled and diced several potatoes and placed them in a foil packet with several pats of butter, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and a generous helping of vegetarian bacon bits. This packet went on the grill first and cooked for about 40 minutes in all.
Next, I prepared a grill pan and placed a can of English peas in it, seasoning them with pepper for some extra kick. After about 10 minutes of cooking for the potatoes, I added the grill pan to the grate and let it cook for about half an hour in all!
Finally, with about 10 minutes left in the process, I put a package of veggie dogs on to cook, and within minutes they were ready to go. Then I heated up two buns, and we got ready to eat!
But before we eat, a lamentation. Tonight was gorgeous — the weather was cool and crisp, our first hint of autumn. But the mosquitos haven’t quite abated yet, and with Alexandria’s first case of West Nile virus on the scene just two weeks ago, LeeLee and I decided to dine inside. It’s a shame – we would’ve loved to have soaked in some cool air for a change! But soon, I know, the coast will be clear.
Anyway, on with dinner! I transferred the potatoes to a serving bowl, took the foil off of the peas, and served the veggie dogs with all the fixins – some fresh spicy pepper rings, the Sriracha ketchup and honey mustard dressings that the Tablespoon recipe recommended, and, for extra flair, a hearty helping of Clean sauerkraut from No. 1 Sons. It was all such a hit! We both wolfed down everything on the table and went back for seconds on the potatoes, peas, and sauerkraut. (LeeLee even went back for thirds on the sauerkraut!)
As usual, the cookout was a great way to wind down our weekend and kick off a new workweek. Here’s to happy, productive Mondays everywhere!
:)