Middle Eastern-style Hot Dogs

Today, a very dear friend came round with some delicious fresh vegetables for us. As it was lunch time (and my sugars were beginning to drop), I wanted to throw something together really quickly but in so doing, I did not want to compromise taste. I had a packet of pure chicken hot dogs (picked up from the freezer section of the 99 Cent Store - yep, one of my new favourite places to find great bargains and fresh produce), and decided to use half the packet in the meal as my "meat".

So what to do with some fresh veg, a packet of pita bread, and hot dogs? Time to create something new and "different". I knew it would be a gamble, but if you know me by now reading my blogs, I like to gamble and experiment. My husband might not enjoy all my experimentation, but he's such a trooper and puts up with a lot.

Believe me when I say that not all the creating that goes on in my kitchen ends up on this blog. I do have a disaster every now and then... Like the other night when I was exhausted and did not cook the chicken I was making all the way through. Poor hubby pointed it out to me half way through the meal. Took a bit of quick action to sort it out, but the rest of the night was held in bated breath for any "side effects". Thank goodness, none hit.

But that said, lets get back to today's "gamble". All bets were on as I threw together something really fast, based on what I was craving (Middle Eastern), sugars going low (which meant I had to act fast), and stomach screaming out to be fed.

I was really happy with the results! It was super easy and fast to make, and it was really tasty. It might look a bit "different", but this is my own version of what I am calling Middle Eastern-style Hot Dogs.

If you have hummus lying around the fridge, or baba ganoush, adding this to the finished "hot dog", will definitely give it an even greater and more rich flavour. The baba ganoush would add a smokiness to the whole flavour experience.

As I've said before, open your mind to imagination and explore.

Happy Cooking, Happy Eating!


Ingredients:
1 white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 zucchini, diced
1 red pepper, diced
4 chicken hot dogs, sliced
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp Middle Eastern 7 spices
1 tbsp tahini sauce
Salt to taste
4 slices pita bread

1. Fry the onions and garlic until glassy, add the red pepper and cook until the red pepper begins to "brown" but NOT burn.
2. Add the sliced hot dogs, spices, and lemon juice. Add zucchini and cook until softened. Add a little pinch of salt (or to taste). Add the tahini sauce and mix through. Immediately remove from heat.
3. Ladle some of the mix into the middle of a pita bread and roll up.

*** *** ***