Juneteenth and Vegan Hotdogs

I won't get into the history of Juneteenth. You have probably seen loads of information played on repeat for the last few days. But if not, check out www.Juneteenth.com and do some learning. Some of us have celebrated and some are just learning about the importance of Juneteenth. Blackness has been magnified this year. I am not mad. I love the episode of Black-ish dedicated to Juneteenth...go watch it. It's season 4, episode 1. You're welcome.

My family has never celebrated. This year we changed that. I want these children to know ALL of their history. That won't happen in K-12 in South Carolina. I am a witness to that.

I'm still recovering from surgery and Covid-19 is escalating higher than it ever has here, but I needed this family time more than I even knew. It was good to be with my people, especially the babies! I did entirely too much and I am paying for it today, but I don't have a single regret. I made shirts for those interested (not smart to do last minute) and we put some hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill. When I say we, I mean my mother LOL. It was a good time.

One of my sisters is vegan. She rocks it out too. She cooks more than she has in her whole life, but it is working for her on her journey to becoming the best version of herself. I remember asking her about carrot dogs last year and she was NOT interested. I low key wanted to try them myself, so I decided to make them. I did a quick Pinterest search and found a recipe that I had most of the ingredients for. I only had to buy Maple syrup and the carrots. 

You start by peeling and sculpting the carrots to look like hot dogs. I peeled them, but I was not interested in becoming a sculptor and I didn't want to waste that much carrot. So I just peeled them and cut the ends off. Then you boil them for 10 minutes (my water was already boiling when I added the carrots), pierce them all over with a fork and pour on the marinade. I had planned to prep them the night before, but I forgot. They got about 5 hours of marination time. They were then grilled a few minutes and were ready to eat. They were delicious! I ate 2 of the carrots on their own and was really impressed with the flavor. My sister ate it like it was intended and she liked it too! 

The recipe I used was from https://www.whereyougetyourprotein.com/carrot-hot-dogs-vegan/ and I will definitely make them again! I'm thinking Chicago style next time! 

I hope you and your loved ones are staying safe during this pandemic. It looks like we are going to be in this for the long haul. 

XOXO,

RoJo