I felt like making these just to be funny. I grew up outside of Flint and worked at a Gyro and Coney Dog restaurant when I was 18. I was already a vegetarian by then so I never understood how the people I waited on could order several Coney Dogs at a time, inhale them, and then order more! People seriously go nuts for Flint Coney Dogs. Most of the recipes for the Flint style Coney sauce call for ground beef and ground up Koegel hotdogs (ground hot dogs on top of whole hot dogs, weird, huh?). Other recipes call for ground up cow kidneys and heart cooked in lard...a true nightmare for vegetarians (and even some die hard meat eaters)! The most famous place in Flint for an authentic Flint style Coney Dog is Angelo's. You are not likely to ever find a Veggie Coney Dog on the menu at Angelo's and some Flint folks might even take a swing at you for suggesting such a thing. Angelo's has been serving Coney Dogs in the same location in the same way since 1949. People get really serious about this stuff!
These were fun and so easy to make. They aren't the healthiest thing you could have for dinner but they are really tasty and WAY better for you than the original version (duh). If I counted right, there have less than 300 calories and about 7 grams of fat a piece. I should note that traditional Flint Coney "sauce" is more of a dry and crumbly meat topping- my version is more saucy.
Makes 2 Veggie Coney Dogs
1/2 Tbsp Earth Balance spread
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| Let's face it: they aren't much to look at. |
1 c. Frozen vegetarian ground meat style crumbles
1/4 c. Tomato Sauce
1/8 tsp Garlic powder
1/4 tsp Chili powder
Pinch black pepper
1/2 tsp Prepared yellow mustard
2 Veggie hot dogs (Smart Dogs or Yves' Good Dogs are both good options)
2 whole wheat buns
Diced white onion-about 1/4 c.
More mustard
Melt Earth Balance in a frying pan over medium heat and add crumbles. Sautee until warm and heated through. Add tomato sauce, spices, and the 1/2 tsp of the mustard and stir well. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, prepare your dogs according to package directions- grilling is the preferred method.
