Vegan Caramel Corn

This year I am hosting Thanksgiving dinner for the very first time! So consequently I am extremely busy this week getting ready for the holiday. That means, I don't really have time to type much about this recipe. I will say, however, that it is surprisingly easy to make. Also, if you're looking for some good ideas on holiday goodies to make for friends and family, this caramel corn makes for a fantastic gift. (Not to mention, you can make way more caramel corn for a fraction of the cost of pre-made caramel corn bought from the grocery store. Plus it tastes much better homemade!)

Additionally, if you're looking for a light dessert to make for Thanksgiving day to follow up your hefty holiday meal, this is a great alternative to the traditional heavy Thanksgiving desserts.

I warn you though, this dessert is EXTREMELY snackable! My husband and I had to fight ourselves from eating the entire batch in one sitting.

Vegan Caramel Corn

Ingredients:
14 cups popped popcorn
1 cup dry roasted peanuts (optional)
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated, nondairy butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Lightly grease a shallow pan, such as a roasting pan.

Place the popped popcorn in the pan. Add the peanuts, if using, to the popped corn. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring enough to blend. Once the mixture begins to boil, boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat, and stir in the baking soda and vanilla. The mixture will be light and foamy. Immediately pour over the popcorn in the pan, and stir to coat. Don't worry too much at this point about getting all the popcorn coated.

Bake for 1 hour, removing the pan every 15 minutes and giving the popcorn and nuts a good stir. Line the countertop with waxed paper. Dump the popcorn out onto the waxed paper and seperate the pieces. Allow to cool completely, then store in an airtight container or resealable bag.

**Tip: Give the popcorn an entire hour in the oven, stiring every 15 minutes, otherwise the caramel will be too sticky and difficult to eat.

P.S. Love the vegans in your life. Since Thanksgiving is known for not being very vegan friendly at all, you can at least offer them a delicious dessert!

Corn Dog Muffins

Corn dogs. One of the most popular meals on a stick. Next to Mac & Cheese, it is a favorite dinner among children everywhere. Plus, parents love them for their quick and easy preparation. In nearly 20 minutes, without any effort at all, dinner can be on the table and mom and dad just saved themselves the hassle of making dinner after a long and busy day.

But in this day and age, parents are becoming more aware and concerned about what their kids are consuming. Organic, low sugar, low sodium, whole wheat, fair trade, no aspartame, low fat foods...it's enough to make a parent go cross-eyed when they are grocery shopping. But it doesn't have to be that complicated. Sometimes, the easiest thing you can do for you and your family is to start off with small steps. And one of the best ways to do that is by some good ol' fashioned home cooking. Rather than deep fried frozen meals, a homemade meal can make all the difference nutritionally.

So where do corndogs come in? Well, my family is big into corndogs but unfortunately corndogs are far from healthy. Battered, deep fried, frozen little weenies of mystery meat placed conveniently on a stick for quick consumption. But they taste so good! I knew I had to come up with a way to still enjoy the corndog taste without all the processing in between.

Now, don't get me wrong, this recipe isn't what I would call healthy. However; it is at least good middle ground. My family can still have their delicious corndogs, I still get the convenience of a pre-made meal, and it doesn't involve a deep fryer. For those of you with busy lives, I highly recommend making this recipe ahead of time and freezing it. Just like regular corndogs, you can simply reheat them in the oven for a nice easy meal. But the best part is: it's still a home cooked meal!

If you look at the list of ingredients you will see that there is bacon fat in the recipe. Obviously that doesn't scream "healthy", however; it does add a fantastic smokey flavor. You can, of course, use butter in place of bacon fat. But, in my opinion, fat is fat. Either butter or bacon fat, the nutritional value isn't much different. Might as well go with the one that adds a nice smokey flavor to your corndog muffin.

Anyway, if you try this recipe out, let me know what you think!

Corn Dog Muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons bacon fat (the following link will tell you more about the glory of using bacon fat in your cooking: http://thetastyspoon-gingerales-kitchen.blogspot.com/2011/05/fat-can.html)
1 egg
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
6 hotdogs cut into fourths (you'll have 24 hot dog chunks total)
Honey

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Grease 12 muffin tins and set aside.

Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.

Add the bacon fat, egg, and buttermilk to the flour mixture. Using a submersion blender or a food processor, blend until smooth.

Pour the batter into the muffin tins, filling only half way. Then place two hotdog chunks into each muffin tin. Pour remaining batter over top of the hotdog chunks until completely covered.

Bake for 15 minutes.

When done baking, allow the muffins to cool on a wire rack. As they are cooling, brush honey over the tops of the muffins.

Serve warm.