Lightlife Smart Dogs – More Than Just Hot Dogs

A Lightlife Smart Dogs Review – Tree Ways of Preparing These Popular Sausages

Hot Dogs, so easy to make, and the perfect quick fix after a busy day. It doesn’t need much time and you can be very creative, prepare them in different ways. The other day I went shopping and I bought vegan Lightlife Smart Dogs. It was a busy day and when I came home I was starving. I didn’t feel like cooking an elaborate meal, so I decided to make hot dogs. After all, I already had what I needed; the sausages, buns, and everything else I could throw on there.

Nonetheless, there is so much more than making plain hot dogs, although I do admit that they are delicious and I love them. But who needs a recipe for a hot dog? Well, I will still share my way of preparing hot dogs, but I will add two more ideas for meals that can be used for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Hot Dogs First

One day I’d like to make my own hot dogs. Although I have looked at tons of recipes, vegan hot dogs are one of the few sausages I haven’t made yet – It may also have been due to laziness 😉 but for now I am going to use Lightlife Smart Dogs, which I really like. They are very tasty.

One day, however, I’ll make them from scratch, and I’ll tell you all about it. And all right, I’ll share the recipe 😉

There are several good hot dog brands around, such as Beyond Meat, Tofurkey, Trader Joe’s, and others. I like Lightlife Smart Dogs, and as I mentioned in a previous post, there isn’t that much variety of vegan brands in my town. I’m not complaining though. I am happy I can get my hands on some.

Time for A Recipe

A short list of ingredients:

• Lightlife Smart Dogs
• Hot dog buns (the ones I use are vegan, whichever brand you use, please check the ingredients if you’re not sure)
• 2 lettuce leaves
• A slice or two of chopped onion
• Mustard (I prefer Dijon, but use any you like)
• Ketchup
• (optional) 1 chopped mushroom cap

Just a Few Minutes

• Fry the sausages for 2 minutes
• Add the sliced onion (and mushroom) and fry for 2-3 minutes   
• Heat the hot dog buns (on the stove or toaster)
• When the buns are sufficiently heated, place them on a plate
• Mustard goes on one side of the bun, ketchup on the other slice
• Put 1 lettuce leaf on the mustard slices (I tore the lettuce into small pieces)
• Then lay the sausages on the lettuce leaves
• Add the fried onion
• (I added the chopped, fried mushroom to one of the hot dogs to try it out, and it tasted really good)
• Close the buns
• And now dig in 

Basically you can add anything you like. How about sauerkraut? So yummy. Veganaise, chili peppers for the more adventurous, BBQ sauce, arugula, guacamole, black bean salsa, Mexican salsa, mango salsa, tamarind sauce, …

You don’t have to follow my exact instructions. Be creative. I have used different salsas and also sauerkraut for my hot dogs. So good! If the mushroom didn’t convince you, then leave it out. I just love to try new things and improvise.

(For more ideas, this cook book has it all, yes, also vegan sausages) 🙂

The Homemade Vegan Pantry: The Art of Making Your Own Staples (English Edition)

How long did it take?

Quick and easy to make, especially when you’re in a hurry or you’re starving and you need something quick.

If cooking is not for you, and you think hot dogs is about all you can manage, don’t dispair ;-), vegan food can be delivered to your door. 

Second Idea: Fried Beans and Sausage

Yes, the same Lightlife Smart Dogs can be used for a delicious and filling breakfast. I always like to do different things, especially with food. Routine is a killer, and if hot dogs are the only thing we can make with those thin sausages, our food would be pretty boring, wouldn’t it?

What Ingredients do you need?

• Olive oil 
• Half a chopped onion
• (I added cut up nopal, which is a Mexican edible cactus. Depending on your country of residence, this is obviously optional) 😉 (Or you could replace it with something else, perhaps potatoes or Bell peppers, whatever you fancy)
• A pinch of salt
• 2 chopped mushrooms
• 2 cut up Lightlife Smart Dogs
• canned or packaged cooked Mexican beans

Instructions

• Cut 2 Lightlife Smart Dogs into small pieces
• Heat a few spoonfuls (3-5) of olive oil in a frying pan
• Add the chopped onion (and the nopal, if you have it) 
• Fry for 2-3 minutes, until the onion is glazy
• Add the chopped mushrooms and the sausages
• Fry for another 3 minutes or until you see the sausage pieces turn slightly brown on the sides.
• Pour the beans over the sausages and veggies
• Stir
• Cook on low heat for 3-4 minutes

Ready! This is a wonderful breakfast. It will leave you sated and you won’t feel hungry for a while. I know, because I ate it this morning 😉 I had it with a slice of rye bread and plant-based margarine. You can also use vegan butter which is available in stores or can be homemade.

Third Option, For Lunch or Dinner

I hope you like lentils. I do. They are so versatile and you can create mouthwatering meals with them. As a bonus, lentils are a healthy protein and iron source. You can’t go wrong here.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of dry lentils (previously soaked for an hour) 
• 3-4 table spoons of olive oil
• Half a chopped onion
• 2-3 chopped garlic cloves
• 3 Lightlife Smart Dogs, cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon of crushed black pepper
• 2 teaspoons of curry
• A pinch of salt
• Half a teaspoon of turmeric
• One bunch of chopped spinach
• One half of a Red Bell pepper
• Optional: 1 chili guajillo (makes it a little spicy) 
• 1 tea spoon of soy sauce (gives it extra flavor)
• 1/3 cup of white wine

Instructions

• Make sure the dry lentils have been soaked for an hour
• Heat 1 cup of water in a pot. Add a pinch of salt.
• Boil the lentils (between 25-30 minutes, or until tender). If more water is needed,pour in a little more, but not too much
• Heat the olive oil in a frying pan
• Add the salt
• Then, put in the Bell peppers and fry for 3 minutes
• Add the onion and chopped Lightlife sausages. Fry for 2 minutes
• Add the garlic and spinach
• Add curry, pepper,and turmeric (and chili if you’re using it)
• Fry for another minute or two
• After that, pour in the wine
• Let it simmer for 8-10 minutes
• Add the soy sauce
• Let it simmer softly for another 5 minutes or until the wine has evaporated
• Add the cooked lentils
• Stir and leave on low heat for a minute or two.
• Taste. It should be ready now

That didn’t Take Long, Did it?

There you go, here are three different options to use the Lightlife Smart Dogs. You can stick with the traditional – and oh so yummy – hot dogs, but you can also get creative and make a hearty breakfast with beans, or a nice, tasty dinner with spinach and lentils. The recipes and guidelines I provided should not be strictly followed. I often use a little more olive oil, but I realize that many people prefer not to use so much, and so the amounts I have given here should do for the minimum amount. As I said, creativity in the kitchen can lead to incredible results.

I hope you like my ideas. Let me know if you have any additions to my recipes or any variations that you tried. I am always happy to discover more culinary secrets 🙂