Vegan Chili Carrot "Dogs"

Actress, vegan food expert and bestselling cookbook author Tabitha Brown serves up hilarious food reviews and delicious recipes with a side of positivity, earning her the nickname "America's Mom." Just in time for football season, she shares a recipe for (meatless) chili carrot dogs from her new vegan cookbook, Cooking from the Spirit. Tabitha says you don't have to be vegan to enjoy this dish—or any of the others in her book—so give it a try. And don't worry about the lack of measurements. Follow Tabitha's instructions and trust yourself!  

"Hot dogs are wrapped up in so many memories for me. My mama's second favorite thing to eat after potatoes was a hot dog loaded with chili and coleslaw and onion, the way we eat it in the South. There were those after school trips to Sealtest with my grandaddy where we'd get hot dogs if we weren't feeling like having cheeseburgers. And also around that time when I was a little girl, my best friend Toye and I used to go with her uncle to the furniture market in High Point, North Carolina, where we'd sell hot dogs to the shoppers. Later, when I was a teenager, my friends and I would go to this convenience store called Times Turnaround where for one dollar you could get two hot dogs (sometimes three, when they were doing a special). You know, we didn't have a lot of money, so we'd get them fully loaded with chili and onions and mustard and relish and a bag of chips, and that would be the meal. And honey, life was just so simple and amazing. 

So, when I went vegan, I knew I had to find my new loaded hot dog, and I was telling  myself that I gotta get this right, because I need it. But I was trying not to eat so much processed food, so the store-bought hot dogs weren't an option. Then people started asking  me over and over if l'd seen online where you could turn a carrot into a hot dog. And it was one of only a handful of recipes that I ever got online, and of course I didn't follow the recipe exactly, honey. I made it my own. The natural next step was adding my pecan chili. And that's what I did, and baby, it's so good. Oh my gosh. And it's literally just vegetables. Now, if my mother ever saw this, I know she would laugh and say, 'Girl, no you ain't makin' no hot dog outta no carrot!' That makes me smile, just like so many of my memories from when l was a child and teenager. And sometimes that's what I think about when I have my chili dog, you know? Life can be simple and still so amazing. So enjoy that." —Tabitha 

For more popular vegan recipes, check out Rach's Spanish Lentil Soup with Potatoes and Tahini Crispy Rice Treats.