Monthly Archives: January 2012

Dog Friendly Roast Beef Supper

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Baby, it’s cold outside, and we need some slow cooked goodness!

I bought a couple of beef top sirloin roasts a while ago and took one out of the freezer the other night. It’s a small guy (.707kg) – but perfect for this family because we’re trying to eat far less red meat these days. Sad but true.

I usually use a lot of chopped onions to flavour the roast and the gravy – but no onions this time since I’m sharing it with Fido. Simple is best when it comes to cooking for The Boys, so this dish is neither sweet nor salty, but it’s got warmth and depth.

This roast beef supper is accompanied by a side of sweet potato mashed – you will notice over time that I use sweet potatoes in as many recipes as possible!! The dogs are crazy about them and they are a super healthy veg! This recipe is also great with a package (20-25 or so) mini-potatoes.

INGREDIENTS:
Top Sirloin Roast (or whatever beef you prefer to slow cook)
2 large sweet potatoes
2 cups low sodium beef broth
4 cloves of garlic
2 TBS corn starch
TSP sea salt
Pinch of fresh thyme

Turn your slow cooker to the high setting.

Peel your sweet potatoes (I use a knife, it’s easier) and chop them into large chunks.
Chop your garlic cloves

Pour 2 cups of beef broth into the slow cooker. Sprinkle the sea salt and pinch of thyme in. Brown your roast quickly in a frying pan. Get a nice brown crust on each side. Place the beef into the slow cooker.
Add the garlic and sweet potatoes. You can add the cornstarch in right away, or wait until about an hour before it’s done. It tastes great either way.

I cooked it on high for 4-5 hours. All slow cookers are different, so you know yours best!

This time, I took out my sweet potatoes an hour before, and then added my cornstarch.

Simply mash the sweet potatoes – brilliance – you don’t need to add anything to them, they already have the delish juices from the roast, the beef stock, some sea salt and thyme infused. So darned simple!!
Serve with sliced beef and a salad for the peeps.

Save the leftover delish gravy (if there is any!) to add to your other home cooked dog meals or whatever you feed your dog…or make yourself some french fries the next day. MMM. French Fries.

$$$ Factor: 2 sweet potatoes are around $2 bucks. I bought this sirloin for $4.59. Appx. half container of beef stock – 80 cents. Spices/salt/garlic negligible. Maybe 10 cents altogether if you insist!
Total cost for dinner – $7.49. Divide by this family of 2 adults and 2 large dogs, that’s $1.87 per. I’m calling this a CHEAP EAT!! Andy and I have to have some raw greens in the form of a salad, so add a few bucks. But still – that’s cheap for a succulent slow cooked roast beef served on a bed of sweet potato drowning in dog-friendly gravy.

MMM. Gravy.

I’m neither a vet nor an animal nutritionist.  This recipe is not meant to replace a proper and balanced diet for your dog.  You should to speak to your own vet before trying new recipes or feeding any home cooked foods to your dog.

Turkey Blueberry Kibble

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Homemade Healthy Turkey Blueberry Kibble

Making kibble is not for the faint of heart. I have to put that out there! It’s for the dedicated person who enjoys baking. Kibble needs to be well rounded and therefore contains a lot of ingredients. It’s the type of recipe that could discourage those on the fence when it comes to considering home cooking – which is the last thing I want to do.

Having said that – THIS IS NOT A DIFFICULT RECIPE- it just has a lot of ingredients and steps when compared to most of my other recipes. I usually keep my dishes simple so that people can be easily convinced to whip stuff up for those with four legs on a regular basis.

Here’s the bonus though – lotsa yield with this one. There is plenty to freeze and if you mix it with a meatloaf or stew (that’s what I do) then it will last for two weeks. I often double it so I get maximum payout for my effort!!

Dogs drool over their Homemade Turkey Blueberry Kibble

My kibbles always follow a similar formula.

Basic Kibble Mixture:
2 cups of Rye Flour
2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup rolled oats (NOT instant)
1 cup wheat germ
2 cups of dry milk powder (or non-fat milk powder)
2 teaspoons of bone meal powder (from health food store – not garden stores)
Tsp salt
3 cups of water
4 eggs
1/3 cup olive or canola oil
Up to 4 cups of cooked ground meat – in this case, turkey
3 cups of mixed vegetables – in this case – two cups of fresh blueberries, one cup of mashed sweet potato

SOME SUBSTITUTIONS
-I go to the bulk food store for a lot of my ingredients. If you don’t have time or live near one, you can use whole wheat flour rather than the rye flour. If you don’t have the oats – replace with another cup of brown rice or vice versa. Dry milk powder and bone meal powder can be skipped if your dog gets alternate sources of calcium. These subs will still make a decent kibble.

Begin by preheating the oven to 300 degrees.

In a frying pan, cook up two packages of ground turkey (appx 2 lbs). This will give you about four cups of cooked meat.

I microwave my sweet potato for 12 minutes. Nice and mushy to work with. A decent sized one gives you about a cup of mashed.

Four Bowls of Goodness for homemade Turkey Blueberry Kibble

Next, mix together the dry ingredients. A couple of cups of rye flour, and a couple of whole wheat. Then, Add a cup of cooked brown rice, and a cup of rolled oats. Do NOT use the instant oats, they’ve got additives we don’t want here. I like toasted dark. Two cups of dry milk powder– use non-fat if you want to reduce the fat content here. Add 2 teaspoons of bone meal powder or another supplement so that we can make sure our dogs get their require calcium intake. Lastly, finish it off with a teaspoon of salt.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the oil. Pour the three cups of water into the dry mixture, and mix. Then add the eggs and oil. Give it a good mix up. If it’s too dry, add a little water, but you do want a thick paste here. Add blubes and sweet potato. Strain your turkey meat. Some people puree their meat, but personally I don’t see a big difference in the end result and it’s a messy proposition.
Stir altogether again.

This is enough for three or four baking pans depending on how thin you spread the batter. You may want to freeze half and cook the other half, or cook and then freeze (easier in my opinion).
Turkey Blueberry Kibble before it goes into oven

Line the baking sheets with parchment paper. (trust me).

With a spatula, spread a very thin layer of the mixture on to the pan. No more than a quarter inch thick, the thinner the layer, the crunchier the kibble can get. We want this to dry out, that’s why we cook it at a lower temperature.

Bake for approximately 45 minutes to an hour – until it’s golden brown. If you leave it in the closed oven for additional hours, it dries out more for a crunchier result!!
You may want to check out the recipe for Everything But the Kitchen Sink Kibble. Here are a few pics.

Fido & Wine: Basic Meals (Doggone Good Stew & EBTKS kibble)

I’m neither a vet nor an animal nutritionist.  This recipe is not meant to replace a proper and balanced diet for your dog.  You should to speak to your own vet before trying new recipes or feeding any home cooked foods to your dog.

Crack for Dogs

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That’s what my leo lovin’ friend Lori Dzingala of Heronview Raw & Natural and Heronview Leonburgers calls these…and she’s right!

I incorporate raw elements into my dog’s home cooked diets. My goal is to get people thinking outside the proverbial box of food, and to feed pets fresh food. My show filmed Lori at her farm, in the Episode “Raw” and my favourite sound bite was when she said, (in a nutshell) how can something be healthy if it’s been cooked to the point where it’s brown sludge? Bingo. Did you know that they spray the hard pellets of dry food with fat, digests, or other compounds to make it more palatable? Only to have your dog turn up it’s nose at the unappetizing mess in front of them. Can you blame them?

Anyway, don’t buy into the baloney about Raw being dangerous or bad for dogs. Not only do they love raw food, they smell better, look better and perhaps best of all – their poops are the tiniest ‘lil things after…and if you hate a stinky litterbox for your cat – try raw feeding and note the difference.

If you’d like to see our Raw exploration, we have put that part of the episode on the Pet Network website. After Laura visits Lori, she makes dog sushi back in her kitchen…mmmm dog sushi…
Fido & Wine – “Raw”

As for the crack (I had you at Crack for Dogs, didn’t I?) The reddish one is a frozen offal cube and the other one is frozen tripe (with stomach contents). I feed these to The Boys every night at 7pm and they start whining and pacing around 6:00 because they just can’t wait for the next hit. It’s a nice, substantial snack for my guys. They eat them frozen so I don’t have to deal with any STANK – and they eat them out back.

* Please note that I’m neither a vet nor an animal nutritionist, so it’s advisable to consult with your own authority when trying new foods, and also to ensure that your dog’s home cooked diet is balanced & includes all of the nutrients that are necessary for your dog’s health.

Kebabs

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This was a last minute “what the heck am I going to make for dinner” creation. Part of my post-holiday-season flab-reduction-plan is to try to eat more chicken and turkey and very little red meat. Well, I forgot to take chicken breasts out of the freezer and I didn’t feel like stopping at the grocery store on my way home from the office, so I was forced to get creative with two packages of ground chicken.

Ground chicken is blah in my books. Not good with tomato sauce, and so-so in tacos…I need to jazz these up and keep them dog friendly at the same time.

I had seen kebabs made from ground turkey in one of my new cookbooks that I got for Xmas, and I thought, hmm…that looks interesting. I’ve made shish kebabs tons of times with chicken breast chunks, seafood, and steak, but never ground meat. I’ve had excellent ones in a Persian restaurant, so I thought, perhaps I can take this here ground blah and give it enough spice to make it interesting and still cool to share with The Boys.

Number one and very important – NO ONIONS. This is a key ingredient in most of the recipes you’ll find for these types of kebabs but never cook with onions if feeding to your dogs! The tricky thing is, those very onions, those onions that could make our dogs so very sick, are what gives the bulk of the flavour to something blah like ground chicken on a stick!

So I scratched my head and came up with a plan that actually worked. Here it is.

INGREDIENTS:
2 packages of lean ground chicken (these are generally around 0.454 kg)
1 Asian Pear or 1 juicy apple such as Royal Gala or Delicious
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup fresh chopped cilantro (you could try replacing with a tsp of dried coriander but I personally love the hit of fresh cilantro my favourite herb!)
3 cloves of garlic (mashed)
Pinch of sea salt

In a large mixing bowl, add the lean ground chicken, and grate in your asian pear or apple. I grated in my three garlic cloves, as my super awesome grater turns it into a mushy paste. If yours isn’t like mine, just chop your garlic and mash it up with the side of your chef knife or whatever you have on hand that will do the trick. Grab a handful of cilantro (about a half cup) and give a rough chop to release some of the sweet grassy goodness. Add to bowl. Then add your teaspoon of cumin, teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of sea salt (about a tsp).

Mix this together – use your hands, don’t be a meow!!
Time to make “long flattish balls” (oh come on now, how else can I describe these?!) on your skewers. I have four chef’s pantry skewers that have changed my life! I put two long balls on the skewers and set on your baking tray. I line my tray with foil for this as I’m going to broil these kebabs and that means juices will drip ‘n cook. I despise scrubbing baking trays or anything else for that matter.

Now, Let the flavours marinate together for about a half an hour.

This batch yields about 8 kebabs. You could of course, use bamboo skewers, just soak them in cold water for a bit so they don’t burn before they go in the oven.

Set your oven to broil. Cook on one side for 10 minutes, then flip the skewers, and cook on the other side for 10 minutes.

Yum.

$$$ Factor: Freshco had packages of lean ground chicken on sale for $2 – a total deal!! I love deals on meat, huge savings. I bought a ton! total deal $2 ground chicken

I used 2 packages ($4), asian pear which was on sale for 25 cents, maybe 10 cents worth of cilantro and the other stuff consists of cheap pantry spices that cost practically nada. So the grand total for the meal was $4.35, and it fed myself, Andy, and The Boys. We ate kebabs for about a buck a body. Well, we had rice with it, but rice is inexpensive, so we’re still under five buckaroos!

Does this recipe and affordable price inspire you to home cook for your dog?

* Please note that I’m neither a vet nor an animal nutritionist, so it’s advisable to consult with your own authority when trying new foods, and also to ensure that your dog’s home cooked diet is balanced & includes all of the nutrients that are necessary for your dog’s health.

Breakfast of Champions

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My favourite breakfast is the good old fashioned “All Day Breakfast” at a greasy spoon. Home cooked breakfast for dogs coming right up! I thought I’d create a healthier version of this for The Boys. Sorry fellas – that means no sausage, bacon, home fries or toast!  Have no fear – a simple, yet beautiful Fried Egg, sunny side up, with a wee bit of spinach and a side of Doggie Granola Bars did not disappoint my biggest fans.  (watch them chow down here)

The egg on its own is a great little meal for dogs. You could also add grated carrot, small amounts of cooked veggies, shredded meat…whatever you have left in your fridge that’s safe for dogs to eat.  Go dog wild!  Or keep it simple – whatever you like, I’m just happy if you make your dog an egg sometime.  You can make the egg dish for less than 50 cents and takes less than five minutes – so no excuses, get crackin’!

Dogs love eggs and eggs have just what dogs need, protein and fat. Eggs are nutrient rich, and an egg given two to three times a week can be very nutritious for your dog! If your dog is a senior or on a low fat diet, simply discard the yolks and use the egg whites.

FRIED EGG:

Ingredients:
One Egg
5-10 baby spinach leaves
Sprinkle of dried Kelp (*optional)

 

I’m assuming most of you know how to fry an egg…right? Well, fry your egg sunny side up. I got fancy and did a chiffonade with the spinach, but you could simply give them a little chop chop. Turn off the burner, remove the egg from the pan and let it cool in the dog’s bowl. Drop the spinach into the still-hot-but-cooling pan and let it wilt for about 15 seconds. Add the spinach to the egg.  Sprinkle some Kelp on the egg. Looks like black pepper but it’s not!  (don’t recommend feeding pepper to dogs) Kelp is rich in vitamins and minerals.   I’m a big fan – so I add a sprinkle to most of my dogs’ meals on a daily basis.

I saw a recipe on a dog training site that inspired me to create my own version of these go-to treats.  They made a great substitute for a side of toast.

 

 

 

 

DOGGIE GRANOLA BARS:

2 cups of flour (rye or whole wheat)
1 cup of rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup of wheat germ
½ cup of cooked quinoa or other seeds such as pumpkin
2 TBP of dry milk powder (*optional)
¼ tsp salt (*optional)
1 egg
1 cup of no salt or low sodium chicken brother
½ cup of water
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

2 mixing bowls
Rolling pin
Baking tray
Parchment paper (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.

 

 

 

 

 

Break the egg into another mixing bowl. Add the water and the chicken broth and stir together until blended.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir. Let this mixture set for about twenty minutes to half an hour.

Cut a large sheet of parchment paper to the size of your baking sheet. You don’t have to use parchment paper, you can use a large cutting board or your counter surface, but I don’t like to have a sticky mess to clean up afterward, so I do this on the parchment and then just toss it into the garbage afterward.

Sprinkle some flour on the parchment and rub some on your rolling pin. Drop your granola ball onto the surface and start rolling it out. You want them to be about a ½ inch think or so. Cut them into bars or smaller pieces depending on your breed of dog/preference.

Somehow, I ended up with the United States of America. As you can see, there’s no need for silly things like perfection and precision when cooking for dogs!

If you want them to be a bit shinier, you can brush on some egg wash before you bake them.

Place them directly onto your ungreased baking sheet and bake them at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes. A trick with this kind of treat or kibble is to turn off the oven, but leave them inside the oven for about 4 or 5 hours to make them a bit harder if you like.

These treats are so simple and dogs love them. The chicken broth helps to attract even the pickiest customers. Yes, these bars have grains, but they are good grains. The other ingredients, such as toasted wheat germ, rolled oats and quinoa are very nutritious.

The ingredients on the list are items that you probably have in your pantry all the time. (if not, you should keep them stocked!)

SUBSTITUTIONS/ADDITIONS:
I do want to include some substitutions or additions in case you want to adapt this recipe with other ingredients that you have or things that your dog loves.

1. You could try flax seeds or pumpkin seeds instead of quinoa. Speaking of – did you know that quinoa is actually a seed, not a grain. It’s true! Full of protein and amino acids. I learned that while researching it for the show.
2. You could try spelt flour or even use unbleached all purpose flour if you like. A homemade treat made with AP flour  will still be healthier than store bought ones with preservative and Dog knows what else.
3. You could use veggie broth or beef broth instead of chicken – just try to minimize sodium and check the ingredient list for onions – onions are not for dogs.
4. You could add very small amounts of dried fruits/berries that are safe for dogs.

I love these as part of a meal or as a treat. That’s a double whammy!

$$$ Factor: An egg costs less than 30 cents. A couple leaves of spinach – negligible. Doggie Granola bars – I used about 25 cents worth (each) of flour, rolled oats, wheat germ. Plus 30 cents for the egg, 25 cents for the quinoa, 75 cents for the cup of broth…what’s that $2.05 for the batch? A whopping 10 CENTS PER GRANOLA BAR!

The breakfast in the picture rings in at 50 cents.
I rate this some serious CHEAP EATS FOR YOUR DOG.

I’m neither a vet nor an animal nutritionist.  This recipe is not meant to replace a proper and balanced diet for your dog.  You should to speak to your own vet before trying new recipes or feeding any home cooked foods to your dog.

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Toronto Star Article: Fido & Wine

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We were thrilled when Jim Wilkes expressed an interest in writing an article about the show!  Check out the Miniature Toy Australian Shepherd- new relatively new breed, very cool.

Back to Dinner with your dog

Dinner with your dog

October 27, 2011

Jim Wilkes

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Laura Ducharme left, host of the Pet Network’s Fido and Wine show, and producer Jen Mitchell nuzzle Bambi, a Teacup Australian Shepherd, during a shoot at Paws Way on Queen’s Quay.

Jim Wilkes/Toronto Star

 

The idea for Pet Network’s Fido and Wine TV show came to producer Jen Mitchell when her dog Hank grew listless and out of sorts.

“Coming through the winter a couple of years ago he started slowly looking shabbier, dull-coated,” she recalls. “He started whining constantly.

“He couldn’t run and he just seemed to be in pain.”

A vet told her Hank, a 10-year-old chocolate Lab, had arthritis and needed long-term medicine to fix what ailed him.

“But I don’t believe in people or pets taking a lot of medication unless you really have to,” she says. “If you can heal yourself through food and getting the right nutrition, that was the best place to start.” So Mitchell took the same approach to Hank as she would to herself. She started feeding him the kind of healthy homemade meals she’d eat herself.

“I love to cook. I do it for myself,” she says. “And when you look at commercial food for dogs, they can put almost anything in it.

“Trying to decipher a pet food label is all so mysterious.”

She said she noticed results right away when she began a meat-based diet. The spring returned to Hank’s step and the whining stopped.

“Dogs aren’t supposed to have a lot of grain, if at all,” Mitchell explains. “Give them as much meat as you can afford to feed them.

“Obviously it’s cheaper to buy processed food than it is to buy fresh meat and vegetables. Just like feeding your family, it can be expensive or economical, depending on how you shop.”

So she prepared human-grade meals for her four-legged pal.

“Sometimes it’s a lot healthier than the stuff I cook for my fiancé and I,” she laughs.

And so was born the idea for a TV show.

Mitchell recruited host Laura Ducharme and they’ve put together a first season of shows that air on Rogers Channel 268 on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. The shows are rerun during the week and on the digital iChannel.

“It’s a pet cooking show, but it’s for you, too,” Mitchell says. “If you’re making fish for supper tonight, why not give your dog some and here’s how to do it.”

Following her formula, Hank “is super-fantastic,” she says. “He is shiny, happy, nimble.

“He’s not a young pup any more, but I take him along on bike rides and he runs beside me. It’s made a huge difference.”

Ducharme said the three passions of her life are dogs, food and wine, so the show is an extension of her own life, where Phoenix, a yellow Lab and beagle cross, is a just another member of the family that includes her husband and three kids, age 11 to 21.

“My whole family eats what I’m making and Phoenix does, too,” she says.

She said her family was a bit skeptical when she started cooking meals they could all eat.

“And then they took a few bites and scarfed down the whole thing,” she laughs.

A favourite recipe is chicken and waffles, layered with green apple slices and parsley, although Phoenix doesn’t get the maple syrup treatment like they do.

She even made Phoenix a meat birthday cake with sweet potato icing, dyed pink with beet juice.

“Most people I know are very supportive and think it’s all great,” says Mitchell, who also has another dog, Miko. “But you definitely get people who think you’re nuts.

“It’s not good to feed your dog red velvet cupcakes every day, but I consider them to be like my babies, my kids. I don’t feed my family processed food every night, so why would I feed them anything different?”

See Fido and Wine online at www.thepetnetwork.tv/fido-wine and www.facebook.com/fidoandwine