A garden-fresh hot-dog topping to remember

I’m probably not the only one who has been trying to squeeze the last bit of life out of summer before fall sets in. Not that we wouldn’t like to jettison the summer temps that surged again late last week to turn Labor Day weekend into another oven. But the foods of summer—I wouldn’t mind keeping them around a while.

I saved my upscale hot-dog recipes for the holiday weekend that we just observed. “Build a Better Hot Dog” was the theme of a recent Southern Living feature that taught everyone how to dress up the average frankfurter.

Among the four dress-ups proposed I liked best the Greek-style version because it called for some garden-fresh elements—cucumber, lettuce (I used spinach), red onion, and tomato, along with fresh dill. A creamy sauce with Greek yogurt as its base accompanied a marinated salad-like topping. The recipe called for sun-dried tomato chicken sausages, but I used a simple turkey frank and a hoagie bun.

Previously Hubby might have turned his nose up at the thought of hot dogs for supper, but he consumed these eagerly and asked whether he could split a second one with me. In his mind this was a feast. I echo what the magazine reported—it was frankly delicious.

Greek-Style Dogs

1 (7-ounce) container 2-percent reduced-fat plain Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons light mayonnaise

1 tablespoon grated cucumber

2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives

1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

salt (or salt substitute) and pepper to taste

4 sun-dried tomato chicken sausages (I used turkey franks)

reduced-fat hot-dog buns

toppings: shredded romaine lettuce, thinly sliced red onion, diced tomato, diced cucumber, bottled Greek dressing

Stir together yogurt, mayonnaise, grated cucumber, chives, dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cook sausages according to package directions. Place sausages in buns. Top with yogurt mixture, lettuce, red onion, tomato, cucumber, and Greek dressing. Makes 4 servings.