A brilliant woman named Lisa emailed me after seeing my recipe for vegan Twinkies, and suggested I use my new Twinkie pan to bake vegan corn dogs (didn't I tell you the woman is brilliant?). I used the easy corn bread recipe posted in the comments on February 16th, replacing 1/3 cup maple syrup with 1/3 cup plain soymilk to make it not quite so sweet. I covered the bottom of the cup with batter, set a (slightly trimmed) veggie dog in the middle, then covered it with more batter. I baked them at 350ยบ for 25 minutes, and packed one in the lunch box with a tiny container of ketchup, baked Kettle Chips, steamed Brussels sprouts, and pink grapefruit segments.
Verdict: I baked two dogs so I could peek inside one and make sure it was done -- they were perfect! When shmoo came in the room I closed it back up and set it before him.
"A Twinkie!" he said.
"Open it up," I told him.
He peered inside. "It's...a TWINKIE DOG!" he exclaimed. "COOL!"
The other cool thing that happened today was shmoo choosing to eat his Brussels sprouts at mid-morning snack time instead of his fruit. Have I mentioned they sometimes get a mid-morning snack break? Well, they do, and he always chooses to eat his fruit and/or dessert, so it was neat to hear that he chose the veggie first. 5 stars. Thanks, Lisa!
86 comments:
Another awesome lunch! What a fantastic idea to make the corn dogs. Will have to keep that in mind for my own lunch. I do take my lunch to work everyday. Buying it seems like such a waste of $$. But then I quite often get bored. You're blog has been a real inspiration, not only for young children, but for us "older" ones as well. Thanks Jennifer!
Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow
Vegan Twinkie Corn Dogs!
Wow Wow Wow Wow Wow
'nuff said.
Did you know that the company that makes Kettle Chips uses the left over oil from frying to make bio-diesel to run their delivery trucks? So the more they sell, the more trucks go out, the more chips they make, the more biodiesel they use instead of regular gas. Awesome!
What was the Brand of Veggie dogs used? Great Idea.!!
Hoorah for Twinkie Dogs!!!!
I am awed yet again!
Sharyn
Is there a difference between brussels sprouts and brussel sprouts? Are brussels sprouts a brand name or something?
So there wasn't any crusts left? LOL
So there wasn't any crusts left? LOL
Very cool idea! I love that Shmoo couldn't wait to eat his brussel sprouts... I wish the same could be said for my crew here! :)
We like those baked Kettle Chips too - nice alternative to the higher fat chips out there!
>>>>Is there a difference between brussels sprouts and brussel sprouts?
No, they're the same thing. I always thought it was "brussel sprouts" but my dictionary/spell check tell me that "Brussels sprouts" is the correct spelling, with a capital "B".
I used Yves "Veggie Dogs", as they seem to be the ones shmoo likes the most.
And no, there were no crusts on this one! :-)
I am in awe! That is a positively brilliant idea, one which I will steal as soon as I find twinkie pans! :-)
Seriously, thanks. My daughter will love these.
Love the brussel sprouts!
R2K
Please don't take this the wrong way, it is not meant to be offensive. Why do vegans eat things like "fake" hot dogs or "fake" beef? Isn't veganism totally against killing animals. Why would you want to eat something that is replicating a dead animal? I am honestly just curious...
With all the wonderful (and some what heated) comments you've been getting I just stopped all together but I had to chime in today becaus this has to be one of the COOLEST things you've done in a while! Awesome, Awesome AWESOME! Now I REALLY should get one of these canoe pans!
anonymous-
Jennifer has answered this before. It's because Shmoo really likes them, and for him it's a good substitute for the meat, while still allowing him to be a normal little boy in comparison to his friends (how am I doing, Jennifer?) because showing Shmoo that veganism is easy and cool means it can have a more positive and lasting effect on his awareness later in life. And, hey, if you can make vegan Twinkies then maybe you can convert some of his little Shmoo-ey buddies.
Hey, anonymous, I'll answer your question! I've been playing with this concept in my mind for a while now (and wrote a long piece on my blog about it a while ago). I personally enjoy the occasional meat analogue in my diet, although I think the idea of a flesh analogue sometimes makes me uneasy.
I guess I feel that veganism is an ethical stance and lifestyle (no leather, wool, honey, animal products, animal-free personal-care items, etc.) that goes beyond dietary preference. So, essentially, people who go vegan tend to be concerned with ethics as a whole. I have met very few people who went vegan simply because they didn't like the taste of meat-- in fact, I admit to anyone I meet that I liked the taste of meat when I was an omni. But I gave it up because eating it was unneccesary and cruel.
I think that meat analogues serve a purpose. Vegans who formerly enjoyed the taste of meat may like the variety that they bring to a diet. New vegans/vegetarians may like the fact that comfort foods from their omnivorous days are still available to them in a cruelty-free form. And, for some vegans/vegetarians, meat analogues provide a nice middle ground for family gatherings with omnivorous relatives-- in fact, I just made "steak" and "chicken" fajitas with my omnivorous parents.
Many vegans, however, don't like meat analogues (on many counts-- nutritionally, philosophically, and in terms of taste and texture). I kind of play with this idea myself-- why am I OK with eating fake chicken if I'm creeped out by the idea of eating fake cat? After all, morally, I take the stance that it is just as wrong to eat a cat as it is to eat a chicken. . . so yeah.
I don't think there's a quick and easy answer to your question. I do know that when I eat my tofurkey sandwich, I enjoy it on a taste level, and on a moral level--nothing had to die for me to eat my lunch. I know in my head that the sandwich (or pot pie, or whatever) I'm consuming is cruelty-free. And really, I've been vegan/vegetarian for so long, I don't even know if meat analogues taste like flesh or not. I mean, they kind of just taste like chewey salty protein stuff. I don't really think that most animal analogues "replicate a dead animal" as they don't contain fake bones, fake gristle, fake e.coli, whatever. So it doesn't really seem "dead" to me.
This is long. I hope I gave you a kind of idea as to what some vegans feel about this issue!
Thanks for answering my question. I really love this blog and the ideas are so wonderful. Even though I'm not a vegan I find so many wonderful and healthy ideas here. It's great to have so many options that children will enjoy and are good for them too.
Your response is oh so concise and so very well informed! I second it entirely!
Mock Meats:
This is a great response from Jo Stepaniak - a cookbook author and "vegan living isssues" expert about mock meats in the vegan diet.
http://www.vegsource.com/jo/qa/qamock.htm
I agree with the vegan vulcan. For most people fake "meat" is a great transitioin food (I tricked my boyfriend with veggie pepperoni!) I never really liked the stuff and though it probably isn't to healthy (it is very processed and dyed), it is great for those who like/miss the taste of meat.
Besides, even if it's not exactly "health food" it is SO much healthier than real meat that is often full of antiobiotics, steroids, etc.!!
P.S.-
Jennifer- Once again I love this lunch!! Great idea!! I use to love corn dogs before I went vegan and I still miss them!! I don't like veggie dogs when they're plain so I'm gonna try these! Thanx for another great idea!!
This is the best! I am so inspired by your site! I hope you don't mind I stuck a link to you on my homepage to help me remember to check back often!
My 2 cents for anonymous about vegetarians eating fake meat products -- Great question! For me, it is so liberating to bite into a tofu pup and enjoy it without wondering if this is the bite with the eyeball...or grisle...or ligaments...or whatever else they put in them! Speaking of veggie dogs -- what a clever idea!
Just today I bought ingredients to experiment and make my daughter safe corn dogs for her food allergies and I come home and find that you had done it for little schmoo!!! I will definitely be using your recipe. Thank you so much!
Where can I find the twinkie pan?
:)Kim
Thanks, guys -- I like your answers to the question of "why eat fake meat".
>>chewey salty protein stuff
Yep, but somehow I don't think that would sell as well as "hickory smoked tofurky"!
>>Where can I find the twinkie pan?
It looks like they discontinued the Hostess Baking Set, but do a Google search for "cream canoe baking pan" and you should find a lot of them.
Super cool idea and I like the array of colors once again. I am not a fan of the fake meats, but this is a brilliant idea, and super-cool for kids!
Nifty! Tofu dogs make me violently ill (some chemical they use, I guess) but it's still an awesome idea. It looks super cute, too!
"a TWINKIE DOG!" -- it just doesn't get any better than that.
Hi Jennifer. The corn dog looks awesome, and my boyfriend would probably kiss my feet if I made him one of those.
On a different note, I have been studying food combining principles a little bit, and I've read that it's best to eat fruit on an empty stomach and wait at least 30 minutes or longer before eating a meal. Apparently when we eat fruit with our meals it causes fermentation and hinders the digestive process. Anyway, don't worry too much if he always picks fruit for his snack, cause it seems like that's a good thing from the research I've been doing (this topic is also has to do with Candida-related disorders which also relate to The Body Ecology Diet if anyone wants to look up more info). Also, most vegetables combine well with everything, so you can't go wrong there!
p.s. Obviously, I realize that veganism has enough rules to where you wouldn't want to bog him down with even more restrictions, but I think it's good to be aware of as many nutritional theories as possible.
hi, i came across your blog and i was wondering...that amazom.com icon you have on the side? how did you do that?
My family uses analogs which, most often, do not taste anywhere NEAR the flavor of the real thing. We use them for creative cooking and for additional protein sources. Quite honestly, I could careless if my hotdogs taste, look, or smell like hotdogs. What I care about is if it tastes good.
That corn dog looks so dang good! Shmoo is lucky to have such a great mom who puts so much thought into his lunches. They are always so healthy and creative. I think of all the parents I see at the grocery store buying their kids lunchables, TV dinners, chips and soda and it makes me cringe. You should think about writing a cookbook with these recipes. I think it would be a huge hit! Thanks for sharing with us.
when my son is old enough (he's only 11 months) i hope to make lunches that do as capably and deliciously a job of showcasing vegan food as yours do.
and never trust spell check. brussels with a capital b is the capital of belgium not the vegetable that your son relishes.
love your website! thanks for putting yourself and your lovely food ideas out there.
In my household we use meat analogs here and there for their culinary function. My husband is a big fan of them because they serve as a good vehicle for barbecue sauce/wing sauce/peanut sauce/etc. I enjoy cooking and although I buy vegan cookbooks when I can, with some cuisines these simply aren't available. Veg meat can be great for that purpose; it's a substitute that doesn't require additional recipe tweaking, which is nice when I'm trying something out for the first time.
I really like the philosophy of the guy who runs the Field Roast company. He makes what he calls "vegan grain meats." They're not called fake hot dogs or turkey or anything, they have their own vegetable flavors and stand on their own as delicious products. What they do is combine eastern use of gluten to stimulate meat texture with the western tradition of making flavored mixtures like sausage.
They're a good stand-in for the meat in recipes or as part of a meal, but they taste uniquely good. And he doesn't have any problem with calling them "vegetarian meat," because that's what they are. People understand what that means without having to explain it. They understand what to do with it. It's good, made with identifiable ingredients, and has flavors of things we recognize (like 'tomatoes' and 'lentils').
I love your blog! Even thou I am far off being a vegan I get hungry looking at your lunchboxes :)
For a varsity student these packed lunch boxes are a dream come true!
Thanks for sharing your blog!
Hey ! What a great blog !! Fantastic meals - sorry my english is very bad ;-((. I am training for marathon, and this meals are realy good and light for my stomage - and trainings in the eavening..... Angie - Germany !!!
Just wanted to say i love your blog ! Everyday i try to come by and see what you've made, and how many stars it was granted.
I must find one of those twinkie makers! Another awesome lunch, but that's to be expected. Keep up the excellent work!! Shmoo is sooo lucky! :D
-ashley
Hi, Jennifer, It occurs to me that you need a prominent Faq link, including pointers to places for discussions about why vegan, where to get the lunch box (I know there's already a link for that in the page), why fake meat, etc.
Hi there, Jennifer this is a great blog. We are not a vegan household but do try to eat healthy and organic. You have inspired me to start my own blog for the rest of us who eat "everything"! The mums at my sons Kindergarten kept asking me what I was packing in his snack boxes and when I found your blog, well it was my last push to get it going!
In case anyone is interested my blog is the The Daily Tiffin.
And Jennifer Thank you!
One of the most interesting vegan meals I've ever seen. You could seel those commercially, I know I'd buy them! Morningstar Farms make corn dogs but I think they have egg whites in them along with a load of very unpronouncable ingredients.
www.vegantwins.com
Jennifer,
You rock! This site has inspired me to make my lunches more interesting. I made myself pizza, and muffins, and a great salad the other day.
You inspire me to try harder, and show me that the goal of interesting lunches is attainable.
Thank you.
So, your son actually likes brussel sprouts?!? wow... You're so blessed to have such a smart and sophisticated eater. ESPECIALLY since you make such lovely meals every day. It would be such a waste if he was one of those picky eaters who likes nothing but junk (not that they don't grow out of it). Hey, I did. :) But yeah, you and Schmoo (& hubby) were definitely made for each other. Keep it up!
Re: fake meats
I'm a vegetarian and I originally became one because I didn't like the taste of meat/found it gross. I always hated when my parents served steak when I was growing up and I would point out to them that what they called "juice" was actually blood. Yeah, they really liked that.
That being said, I eat fake "meats" because 1)it's easy and 2) I find they don't taste too meaty for me and I avoid the ones taht do and 3) my husband is omni and it's easy to make veggie burgers together because he enjoys them as much as I do.
By the way, I love this corndog idea! My husband loves the veggie corn dogs from Morningstar Farms and I think it would blow his mind if I made them for him from scratch!
I love the baked Kettle Chips. Lower in fat, and very tasty! I like them to dip into some salsa or guacamole.
Barbara
Ohhh you're making my son a happy kid! :) He's been requesting vegan corndogs for ages now and I wasn't sure how to go about it. Now I'm off to buy a twinkie set! Thanks so much for all your wonderful ideas!
What a cool idea!!! Looks like it was a great lunch.
What a cute blog! Thanks you have given me some ideas for lunch. :)
Keep up the good work!
I want to jump in on the "fake meat" issue.
The fact of the matter is... I LOVED the taste of meat. If they could find a way to safely grow meat in a lab, without ever using an animal to do it and without risk to my health from added chemicals, etc. I would probably add it back into my diet in moderation (since we all know meat is pretty bad for you!).
Fake meats give me a chance to enjoy the things I liked to eat back in the day but in a more ethical and healthful way.
However, I don't generally buy fake meats because (1) they're sort of high in sodium and (2) they're EXPENSIVE!!! Every now and then I'll make a run to May Wah grocery (www.vegieworld.com) and get some of their mock meats, which are less sodium than commercial brands and at a reasonable price... but even that pulls my purse strings a little bit.
But yeah, bring ON the fake meat! :-)
My thoughts on fake meats...
When I was an omni, my meals consisted of a meat, potatoes of some type or another and a vegetable. Very traditional. Very boring.
It wasn't until I went veg that I started eating meals from outside that format regularly instead of just in ethnic restaurants or as treats.
I found myself eating more single-dish type meals, like curry, chilli, pasta, salads and stir fry. Or meals consisting of lots of small servings of things, like smorgasboards, tapas, sushi or dim sum. Trying to find varied sources of iron and protein meant I experimented with a ton of foods that I'd never tried before.
So while the fake meats have their place for omnis making the transition or as a comfort food for people who miss meat, I feel bad when I see people relying on them too much, because it means they're missing out on what was - to me - one of the unexpected pleasures of going veg.
Earlier comment mentioned an interest in locating Hostess "Twinkies" baking pan; found them in stock at Bed, Bath and Beyond (both online and in a store)
Happy Baking!
Oh, but where do we poor Canadians get our Twinkie pans? I want a tofu corn dog too!
geosomin, if you can't find twinkie pans, you should be able to find corn-on-the-cob shaped cornbread pans. I imagine you could embed a veggie dog (possibly split lengthwise) in one of those.
Sometimes supermarkets and variety stores carry this sort of thing. Or Ebay. The online online source I can find is a US one here;
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU=13830282
They don't seem to ship to Canada. Maybe you could have it sent to a friend or relative in the States and they could mail it to you?
An alternative for those without Twinkie pans might be "corn stick" pans, which bake cornbread in corn-cob-shaped depressions. There's a picture here:
http://www.mainstsupply.com/product.cfm/6/6/58156
I can't find a Canadian online source, but you may be able to find them in cookware stores. They are made in cast iron or aluminum. There were lots on eBay when I checked, but all from the USA.
But what I want to know is what else can Jennifer do with a Twinkie pan????
Sharyn
Haha! Good question Sharyn! What would Jenn think of next?
This is definitely one of my favorite VLB posts! I've been wanting to make my own corndogs for the kids. Now, I gotta get me one of those pans!
Ordered my pan today! Had it in my mind ever since I saw Jennifer's twinkie recipe (I'm sorry - there is no other "comfort food" than a twinkie for me ...) and once I saw the corn dog twinkie I was a goner. Ordered mine from bakerscatalog.com.
Debbi
Betty Crocker makes a canoe pan as well (www.bettycrocker.com) and the icing injector looks way better than the twinkie one did.
I have the Betty Crocker Bake and Fill, and I LOVE it. It's so fun. I'm hoping to get the canoe pans soon.
Have you never thought about having your site's logo on the Colosseum or writing something on it??! here you can:
www.advertiseonthecolosseum.com
Plant KILLERS!
Geosomin, I couldn't find the betty Crocker "cream canoe set" on the Betty Crocker site (though they have lots of other interesting stuff), but I found one here;
http://www.shop.com/op/~Cream_Canoe_Pan_(10_pc_set)-prod-26905856
A US site, but they ship to Canada.
Is today a holiday?
There's no wednesday lunch posted
:(
I found the pans at this site:
http://bakerstools.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=BAKEALL_MUF
My daughter won't even try meat analogs, but I can't wait to try these on my son!
Brussels Sprouts' origins are European, and specifically near Brussels, Belgium. :-) Or at least, that's where they were first cultivated in a significant way. That's where the name comes from. After all, what would 'Brussel' be?
your site is awesome, love those laptop lunch boxes!
I love Brussel Sprouts too...:)
It is Brussels sprouts because it's named after the city. I'm pretty sure anyway. *looks it up*
Yup: Brussels sprouts were first cultivated in Belgium, and are therefore named after its capital, Brussels.
Random trivia: in India we call them baby cabbages.
Augh! That somehow didn't post until HOURS later and it was already pointed out anyway.
Oh well. Don't I feel silly. :)
Actually, looking at that Wikipedia article I have to say that personally I don't really consider "Brussel sprouts" a misspelling. The English name for the city is "Brussels," the Flemish name is "Brussel," and the French name is "Bruxelles," so personally I think the sprouts could legitimately be described with any of these names.
Here in the Netherlands they're just called "spruitjes."
http://www.bettycrocker.com/BettyStore/Store/CatalogDetail.aspx?oid=7755&Catalog=BettyCatalog
You are my new hero.
Hi Jennifer--Just wanted to let you know that I took your (and Lisa's) idea and twisted it a little to make Tamale Bites. Thanks for the inspiration!
That's pretty great. I can't justify buying a twinkie pan right now, but I have miniature muffin tins. I think I'll try cutting the dog into bite-sized pieces and making mini corn dog bites for my childlike boyfriend's lunch.
How fabulous!
Hi Jennifer,
I was just wondering how this would work with a "cheese" filling? I don't know the melting properties of vegan "cheese." But it might be something to try. Or maybe cheese surrounding the dog? Just thought of this when I saw the picture. Thanks for the lovely blog.
Every veggie hot dog barand I've tried has these tiny clear / opaque cubes in them. I first noticed them in Yves, but I've since found them in every other brand. They seem to be tasteless, but the weird me out. I assumed they were oils of some sort, and that I wasn't getting the dogs hot enough to melt them, but I've yet to get rid of them in any dog. It's really put me off of veggie dogs, which is annoying b/c I used to love them.
Do you have any idea what they are, and how I can make them go away?
Twinkie dog? Anybody else reminded of Weird Al Yankovic with this one? He used to cut Twinkies open and use them as hot dog buns before he went vegan.
To answer your question anonymous about why vegans would want to eat something immitating a dead animal. I can't speak for all vegans, but I'm not really vegan for animal cruelty as much as for health reasons, although animal cruelty is an issue. I guess I figure they are going to kill the animals regardless of whether or not I eat them, but scientific evidence is overwhelming in regard to how much healthier a diet which excludes meat and dairy items are, providing that you are mindful of making sure that your diet includes an inclusive range of nutrients.
It's also important to avoid excessively eating vegan sweets that will end up doing counter-productive harm because of high sugar content. After all, the point of being vegan in my book is to avoid an otherwise more disease-proned diet.
As far as the "fake meats" are concerned, they are a good source of protein when you don't feel like eating black beans or garbanzos all the time. I eat fake meats because they are delicious and healthy (as long as you don't overdo having a lot of the overly-processed ones), not to try and compensate for not being able to eat real meat since I grew up never eating real meat.
Just so it's clear to me. The wet ingredients for the corn dog batter consists of:
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/3 cup plain soymilk
Yep! I switched out some of the maple syrup so the batter isn't quite as sweet.
I can't wait to try this recipe. I can't stomach serving processed food to my family. I wonder if brown rice syrup would work well in this recipe in place of the maple syrup. It's not as sweet.
I made these today replacing all the maple syrup with vanilla soy milk and medium ground corn meal and my kids loved them!!! This will become a quick go to meal for busy days! The recipe is too easy! Great idea!
This receipe is very delicious. I will try to convince my wife to cook it :)
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