Hot Dog Chili!

Yes, I did it again...Welcome to my new blog layout! I much more happy with this design, for some reason, the last one just wasn't me! Please let me know what you think. The colors match my kitchen and something about the whole layout, makes me smile :).

Now, on to the actual post. Hot Dog Chili. Don't worry, this household does NOT (I repeat DOES NOT!) eat hot dogs. The thought of consuming what those guys are made of makes me literally want to ralph! I found a fun substitute for hot dogs made of soy (don't worry, they are not GMO) "Smart Dogs" by Lightlife. At first my post was going to be a review on these hot dogs but I decided to add a good recipe to the mix but, still let you know our thoughts on the "fake" dogs. I was really surprised when P admitted that, "for some reason, I really really like these!" to my relief, since the whole time we were eating them I worried that he would spit them out in disgust! It has been so long since I have eaten a "real" hot dog that I don't think I could tell a difference, but my husband on the other hand, I'm sure could have. He actually liked them though! We both definitely recommend them and even if your not vegetarian, I must say they are MUCH better for you than the so called "meat" version!

The chili we topped them with was SO good. I think I could have slathered the stuff in the bun by itself and eaten just that. We were being kind of "oxymoron-ish" by eating chicken chili with a vegetarian hot dog but it was GOOD!

Chicken Hot Dog Chili
recipe adapted from All Recipes
2 1/2 pounds ground chicken (I used half chicken half pork loin to make it more moist)
1 cup water
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/3 cup ketchup (make sure its high fructose corn syrup free!)
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon agave
1 tablespoon chili powder
crushed red pepper flakes to taste
Directions
1.Crumble ground meat into a Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in water, and mash ground beef thoroughly with a potato masher. Stir in tomato sauce, ketchup, salt, pepper, agave, and chili powder; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer, 60 to 90 minutes, until the sauce reaches a medium consistency that is not too soupy.

I hope your weekend is filled with relaxation, smiles, and love!!