Low-Carb Corndog Bites

~by Nikki

So…corndog bites. Why for, right? Well, if you’ve read this blog for a while, and have seen my forays with Thai Chicken and Banana Bon-Bons, you know that I have a certain affection for food on a stick.

Well I’d been thinking lately that I need to add to my collection of stick food offerings on the blog and what better way to do that than with the classic: the corn dog!

Now I know what you’re saying. “A corndog?!? A fatty, carby corn dog?!?!” Don’t worry…I’ve got you covered. And I even found a way for newer folks to be able to eat this. So let’s do it!

I made this from the leftover cornbread batter from one of my Holiday Preview offerings. But I’ve made it before. The tricky part, for me, about this is that you don’t need much. So what I’ve started doing is making a batch of cornbread and just leaving out about a fourth of the mix to use for corn dogs. That’s infinitely easier than trying to figure out just the right amount of ingredients to coat five dogs (two for each diva and one for me).

So, whereas yesterday I gave you one shake two ways, today you get an instant recipe remix! (I should stop. I’m spoiling you.)

First up, the cornbread. Totally marriage between “5 Ingredient Fix” and “Semi-Homemade”

Nik’s Low(er) Carb Cornbread

• 1 pkg. corn muffin mix (I like corn muffin mix better than cornbread but your mileage may vary)
• 1 c. low-carb baking mix (here’s one I like that is also available in some stores organic food aisles)
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 c. canola oil
• 1 c. milk
• Optional: 1 scoop of unflavored protein powder, like BiPro USA

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour into a well-sprayed baking pan and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until a fork inserted in the center comes out clean. (NOTE: if you use protein powder it may cook a bit faster. Start fork testing at 10 minutes.)

You can use this for a variety of things: as mini-corn muffins, stuffing (let it sit in the oven overnight to get a little stale first), as a side dish. And, of course, you can set aside batter to make corn dogs!

On to the doggies.

Nik’s Corndog Bites

(This is the recipe for one serving. Multiply up as you see fit)
1 fat-free hot dog (I used Oscar Meyer)
¼ c. Nik’s low(er) carb cornbread batter
2 tablespoons flour (as a bariatric food purist, I used Carbquik)
Toothpicks
A zip-top baggie

Directions:

Put your flour in a baggie.

Cut your hot dog into six pieces of equal size and drop them into the baggie and shake. It will come out looking like this:

One by one, spear the pieces of hot dog with a toothpick and shake off the excess flour. Dip them into the cornbread batter and make sure they are well coated. (And, if you are neurotic like me, use a knife to make sure the batter is well distributed). You DO NOT want a ton of batter on this. The batter will puff up and you will have a monstrocity. A thin layer is advised. Here’s a pic of my little doggie swimming in the batter:

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray it down. Place your dogs on it and bake at 350 for about 12 minutes. These puppies cook fast so keep an eye on them. I did mine in the toaster oven.

And of course, I gotta give you the money shot!

Now you can dip these in whatever you want. I’m a ketchup gal. But if you have a good corndog dip recipe (especially a spicy one!),  send it our way!