Chili-Cheese Dogs in Beach Blankets

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
3/4 pound ground beef, turkey or tempeh
1 tablespoon (a palmful) chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons dehydrated onion
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup water
1 tube refrigerated pizza dough, found on the dairy aisle
8 beef, turkey, pork or tofu dogs

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Yields: 8 dogs

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a small pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the meat to the pot and brown it up, 6-7 minutes.

Add the chili powder, garlic powder, dehydrated onion and a little salt and pepper. Add the tomato paste, stir it around a minute, then add the water and stir. Turn the heat down to low, simmer 5 minutes and turn off the heat.

Roll the pizza dough out into a big rectangle. Cut the dough in half lengthwise with a small knife. Cut the dough into four equal pieces across -- you should end up with 8 small, rectangular pieces of dough. Across the center of each rectangle place a couple spoonfuls of chili sauce and a small handful of cheese. Set the dog on the dough, and wrap and roll the pizza dough around the dog like a blanket, sealing in the chili and cheese. The nubs of each end of the dog should be peeking out.

Bake in the oven 18 minutes until golden. YUM-O!