LOADED CHILI DOG's

Chili Dogs are a sandwich that does not get nearly the press or consumption frequency of the hamburger, but it is just as American and can be very, very scrumptious.

The items used here can all be picked up at your local grocery store. The roll this sandwich is on is the King's Hawaiian brand hot dog bun. These are great rolls for a couple of reasons: 1) the taste and texture of this bread has that one-of-a-kind slightly sweet, full taste of all King's bread; and 2) this is a good choice because the roll is sliced down the center, which allows the sandwich to stand up to "loading" (it will not breakdown under the weight of the toppings). One of your most important choices is the "dog" itself. I discovered and became a fan of Nathan's hot dogs several years ago. This is coming from a person who had really come to dislike hot dogs with the exception of a treat at a ball game. The company in my opinion came out with a masterpiece with this sausage recipe and it has been around since 1918 and is the self-proclaimed original Coney Island Dog. I believe them. Another good choice is Hebrew National. Whatever you choose, you have to have a great tasting hot dog as your base. I have made my own hot dog chili and it is nice to keep a couple of small containers in the freezer. There are several store bought versions of "hot dog chili" at your store, I have tried several.

I do not like the canned items... just too much tin and other aftertastes interfering and it overpowers the whole sandwich. I have purchased 4 Star Beef Chili this time and I see no reason to look any further. This is a great product with perfect consistency, very well drained in the grease department, great flavor and a meaty (but not overpowering) taste so it balances nicely in the sandwich rather than taking over.

For the pickle I chose Famous Dave's Signature Spicy Pickle Spears. I had not noticed the small print on the jar denoting that this was a sweet/hot spear. It was the only pickle spear I had in the house so I sliced the spear in half and split it between two chili dogs. It ended up working. It does not bring any significant heat with it. In the future I will simply do what my dear Joe does and add habanero peppers to a jar of good kosher dill spears and let it hang out in the fridge for a week. So in essence I recommend you use Joe's hot and spicy pickle spears. I used sliced jarred jalapenos, rough chopped green onions and French's yellow mustard to round the whole thing out. This turned out to be a truly good chili dog. I will stick to all of the same items in the future with the exception of the pickles. As to the hot dog chili, I like the 4 Star Beef Chili as well or better than any that I have made. It is nicely priced and ends the argument for me about homemade versus store bought in this case.

Just a quick recap of everything you will need: King's Hawaiian Hot Dog Buns. Nathan's Foot Long 100% Angus Beef (naturally gluten free) Hot Dogs. 4 Star Beef Chili. French's Yellow Mustard. A Good Hot Pickle Spear. Sliced Jarred Jalapeno. Rough Chopped Green Onions. Play with the items mentioned above and swap out, add or omit elements to your taste, half the fun of a good chili dog is the variety of ways you can dress it up or down...

The next time I throw down some chili dogs, it is my intention to give Applegate Farms, Natural Big Apple Hot Dog a try. In a recent taste test. Applegate came in second to Nathan's and well before Hebrew National. The best reason to try this product however is the healthiness of it... Yes, I said healthy in reference to a hot dog. These hot dogs contain a mere 110 calories per frank and 9 grams of fat compared to double that in almost all other full flavor hot dogs on the market. What they do not contain is Nitrates, Gluten, Hormones, Antibiotics and even avoid the GMO connection as they use 100% grass fed beef. They are offering 3 versions of their hot dogs. 2 are Applegate The Great Uncured Hot Dog... these are the store items and come in Beef or Chicken. The 3rd hot dog product is what I have my eye on and that is the Natural Big Apple Hot Dog. So, besides all of the healthy reasons to try the Appleton Farms hot dog is the reviews coming in... the Natural Big Apple, frank is being described as having the taste, smell and “snap” of a N.Y. street vendor hot dog. That makes it worth a try... will check back and give my own review.

All Organic Mixed Green Salad with Grape Tomatoes and Avocado.

Sometimes I just want something cool and fresh and a mixed green salad with a little avocado and some grape tomatoes is usually just the thing. I would normally toss this with an oil and vinegar type dressing, however I went for creating a near fat free Ranch that tasted good instead.

I tried Greek Yogurt a few months back and really liked it. That is saying something for someone who cannot tolerate the texture of yogurt. The Greek style is so thick it is basically spreadable, I decided to grab a plain non fat all natural Greek Yogurt and experiment. 

Sounds lovely huh? Stay with me on this one for a moment before you exclaim, lost me!  My angle works like this, a buttermilk ranch has a bit of a tang to it; so does plain Greek Yogurt and it is thick enough to stand up to a Vitamin D Milk (don't use skim, unless you could care less about the illusion of richness). 

No Mayonnaise required here! Just whip it up ahead of time the same way you would if you were using Mayo and Buttermilk. Refrigerate and let is thicken.

I decided that just because I had hit on a low-fat rich style dressing which I actually like it was no excuse to pour more dressing onto the salad. I enjoy the taste of the vegetables and you still have to watch calories and salt. 

Now if I can only figure out the seasoning in Ranch I could avoid that excessive salt!!! 

Hmmm, any one know a copycat recipe.