Smoky barbecue carrot hot dogs with creamy chickpea salad


These luscious carrot dogs arrive just in time for your summer barbecue season. They are so much more awesome than regular hot dogs for many reasons:

1) They are completely vegan.
2) Carrots are so juicy and perfect when boiled, marinated and grilled.
3) They contain a load of creamy chickpea, onion, lettuce and pickle salad.
4) They are SO fun to make!
5) They are even more fun to eat!

I was craving these carrot dogs for quite some time now. I imagined so many different versions of them. Usually when I think of a new recipe, I cannot go to sleep before I have a 100 % complete picture in my head of how I would make them. Every last detail has to be set in my head. All the tastes and textures come together in my mind before cooking. So usually I don't have any surprises when I taste the final outcome. Somehow I already know how it would taste. This time it was the same and I am so satisfied with the results! Soft homemade hot dog buns, well seasoned smoky grilled carrots and a pile of creamy, crunchy chickpea salad to top it all of.

I was actually a bit worried when I didn't notice any hot dog buns at the grocery store. So I had to make them myself. I am so happy I did! They turned out so pillowy soft and fluffy. I just used this yeast dough recipe to make the buns. Scroll down for tips how to make them super soft.

This recipe takes some time to make but I promise you it will be fun! Why not to give it a try this weekend? Enjoy it with your friends, family, loved one or just by yourself. Happy grilling!


Serves: 8 carrot dogs

Ingredients:

For the carrots:
  • 8 large carrots
  • 1 Tbsp oil
  • 1 ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 heaping tsp paprika powder
  • 1 ½ Tbsp soy sauce
  • ½ cup / 120 ml water

For the creamy chickpea salad:
  • 14 oz / 400 g canned chickpeas
  • 3 medium pickles
  • 1 small onion
  • a big handful of lettuce
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ground black pepper to taste
  • ½ cup / 120 ml vegan light or heavy cream or sunflower sour cream or vegan mayo or homemade vegan cream

+ store bought hot dog buns or make them yourself using this yeast dough recipe (tips to follow)
+ (some ketchup for serving)


Directions:

Wash the carrots but don't peel them. Boil them until soft but not mushy (don't add any salt just yet). Drain and let them cool down. Mix oil with salt, herbs, paprika powder, soy sauce and water. Peel the carrots and put them into a plastic bag. Cover the carrots with marinade and let them marinate in the fridge for at least a few hours or overnight. 

For the chickpea salad, drain and rinse the chickpeas. Mash them a little using a fork. Don't mash them completely, leave some of them whole. Add thinly chopped pickles, onion and lettuce. Add vinegar, oregano, salt, pepper and vegan cream or sunflower sour cream. Mix everything together. Put the salad into a fridge until it's time to grill the carrots.


To make perfectly soft hot dog buns, use this yeast dough recipe. Just make the dough and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour. Then knead the dough again and divide it into 8 pieces. Form 8 hot dog buns (if the dough sticks, make your hands a bit oily) and place them on a baking tray covered with parchment paper. It's good to place them near to each other, then they will stick together when baking and the sides will be much more softer. Let the buns rise in a warm place for about 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 F / 200 C. Bake the buns for 20 minutes. Don't overbake them. They need to be just lightly golden brown on the top and bottom. Take the buns out of the oven, brush them with water and cover them with a moist kitchen towel. Let them be until you grill the carrots.

Take the marinated carrots and put them onto a stick. Grill them until they have grill marks and start to get much more darker. Take a hot dog bun and cut it open. Cover the inner sides of the bun with a little bit of ketchup. Add a lettuce leave, grilled carrot and top it all of with a load of chickpea salad. Enjoy!

PS! Carrots are also fun in this carrots in a blanket recipe.