To me, a chili dog has always been a junk food extravaganza, usually made with sub-par ingredients and presented as a greasy, overcooked mess. But it is an American classic, and deserves better treatment than it usually gets. What happens when you take a 100% all-beef hot dog, add a fresh, toasted bun and homemade vegetarian pinto bean chili, and top it with sour cream, cilantro and scallions? This is a chili dog worthy of the name! It becomes a respectable lunch or dinner item and a great tailgate or fall picnic recipe. I would have served this at a White House picnic and been proud!

The trick is to use the best ingredients you can find. Buy the highest quality hot dogs and grill them, cook down the chili until it’s so thick that it sits majestically on the hotdog and doesn’t run all over the plate, go the extra mile to get really good buns, and garnish lightly with sour cream, cilantro, and scallions. The object is quality, not quantity, in serving up this meal-in-a-bun. Even junk food deserves a little respect!

Chili Dogs With Vegetarian Pinto Bean Chili

Serves: makes 8 hotdogs

Prep time: 1 hour and twenty minutes for the chili, ten minutes to grill the hot dogs, and five minutes to assemble them

Ingredients

1 pound 100% all-beef hot dogs
I package hot dog buns
1/3 cup scallion greens, chopped
¾ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

For the chili: (or you can double this recipe and save for leftovers)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground turkey breast
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
1 poblano chili pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cans of pinto beans, drained (15-ounce cans)
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar

To make the chili:

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large pot and add onions, peppers and garlic, and cook at medium heat for five minutes.
Add ground turkey, breaking up pieces and cooking until it is completely browned.
Mix in chili powder, cumin and oregano, salt, pepper and sugar, and stir well.
Add tomatoes, and simmer for ten minutes.
Add chicken stock and pinto beans and allow to cook at least an hour, until chili is very thick.
Grill hot dogs until grill marks appear.
While hot dogs are grilling, place opened buns at the edges of the grill and toast lightly, but don’t let them burn.
Place hotdogs into buns, top with chili and add sour cream, cilantro, and the green part of scallions.