Baked Corn Dogs and Browned Butter Vegetables

Tonight’s dinner plans went from: “Let’s go out to eat” to “I have to stop at the store to get milk so I will pick up a take and bake pizza” to “Welcome home honey, the girls and I are making corn dogs”.  Typically life travels in the other direction, but one of my enjoyments is cooking with my girls.  Our oldest cut the hot dogs in half while the youngest got to push the pulse button on the food processor.  Yes, now I have a mess to clean up (compared to if we had gone out to eat), but we had a lot more fun!

Baked Corn Dogs

Serves 8

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup cornmeal

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1/3 cup skim milk

1 egg

8 low-fat or soy hot dogs, cut in half

Preheat oven to 375. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside.

In a food processor, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pulse three times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly. Add milk and egg. Pulse just until the dough holds together.

Remove dough and place it on a cutting board. Knead about six times.  Then, using a rolling pin, roll into a flat rectangle.  Cut 16 equal rectangles (the width should be the same as the hot dog half and the length of the rectangle should be the diameter of the hot dog.  Take one hotdog half and place it on the short side of the rectangle.  Roll the dough around the hot hog.  Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Trim edges if needed. Repeat with the remaining hot dog halves. 

Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown. 

Browned Butter Vegetables

Serves 6

3 tablespoons butter

3 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons vegetable stock

8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1 head broccoli, cut into florets

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic.  Sauté 1 minute.   Stir in vegetable stock, mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower. Cook 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.