Vegetarian Chili Cheese Dog

My boyfriend loves Sonic the Hedgehog, and if any of you know who/what Sonic is, you might also know that his favorite food is a chili cheese dog. So my boyfriend asked if I could make Sonic's favorite food for supper some night, and I said yes.

A chili cheese dog normally has beef in the chili, and is loading with a bunch of cheese and a pre-chili mix that contains way too much sodium, msg and isn't any where as tasty as a home made mix. It is also usually made with a beef hot dog.

Being a vegetarian, I needed to find a way to make this healthier and meatless. So I have gone to work in the kitchen tonight to develop a vegetarian(can be made vegan) chili cheese dog. Here's the recipe:

You will need:

-1 can of tomatoes(it doesn't matter if they are plum, whole, crushed or you can use 4-6 fresh ones. We are just going to boil it down, anyways).
-1 can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
-1 can of lentils, rinsed and drained
-1 medium onion
-1 red pepper(or green, or orange), sliced
-1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms
-1 clove of garlic, or 1 tsp garlic powder
-Olive oil
-1 tsp soy sauce
-1 small can of tomato paste
-1 spicy pepper of your choice(Jalapeno, Poblano, Banana, Cayenne, Habanero are just a few of the spicy peppers available. If you don't like spicy, I would go with a 1/4 cup of sliced banana peppers. They are mind, tasty and colourful.)
-Hot dog buns or bread
-Yves Veggie dogs
-Shredded cheese(moza, marble, cheddar or you can use a vegan cheese, nutritional yeast or no cheese).
-Spices

Place your tomatoes in a large pot. If you are using fresh, dice the tomatoes so that they are in chunks and add 1/2 cup of water to your pot. If you are using canned tomatoes, add the liquid in with the tomatoes. Heat on medium until tomatoes are cooking into a sauce.

Meanwhile, chop garlic and onions. Add a splash of olive oil to a frying pan and place on medium heat. Add garlic, onions and mushrooms. When the onions start to go floppy add your sliced red pepper and stir until it becomes slightly soft but still has some crunch. Add this mixture to your chili.

Chop your spicy pepper into little pieces and add to your chili along with your tomato paste and beans. Add your spices. Some of the ones I like to include in my chili are basil, oregano, chili powder, red chili flakes, mustard, celery seed, rosemary or thyme(not much of either). It all depends on what spices I have on hand. Cooking is all about experimenting, so don't be afraid to try different spices!

Cook your veggie dogs by boiling them. Place buns in a bowl, add your veggie dog and top with your chili. You can now sprinkle it with cheese, and viola! you have a veggie chili cheese dog!

* I try to sneak veggies into everything, so I put carrot and peas in the pod in my chili. You can also add corn, spinach or another vegetable that you like.

This recipe is healthier than the typical chili cheese dog, but I don't know if it is still considered overly healthy! If you have any questions or comments on how to make this dish better or healthier, please share! I always love to hear feedback!