Holiday menu for your dog

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holiday menu for your dog

What would your dog love if she could choose a special holiday dinner?

We asked Audi Donamor to come up with something fabulous and she didn’t disappoint. This festive menu is nutritious as well as delicious. Remember to give your companion small servings if he’s not used to eating a lot of different foods. You may even want to sample some of the cooked versions of these recipes for yourself!

What’s for starters?

Savory soup with apples and sweet potatoes

Ingredients

1 cup homemade chicken stock or vegetable stock (organic soup bases are available at groceries and health food stores)
2 cups pureéd sweet potatoes or yams (squash can also be used)
1 cup pureéd red apples
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

This soup can be served raw or cooked.
Cooked: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Cool soup completely before serving to your animal.

Raw: Combine all ingredients, and add a tablespoon or two to regular meals.

Frozen: Freeze in ice cube trays for future treats and meal fixings.

Bring on the entrees

Turkey and sweet potato savory loaf

Ingredients

1 pound ground turkey thigh
1 cup shredded sweet potatoes or yams
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh cranberries, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced or grated
1 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
1 cup homemade chicken or vegetable stock

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a loaf pan or special holiday cake pan and line it with shredded sweet potatoes or yams. Lightly sprinkle minced garlic on top. Add 1/2 cup of stock. Pour lightly beaten egg on top. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of parsley over the mixture, and then add 1/4 cup of the cranberries. Distribute ground turkey evenly over mixture. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of stock. Sprinkle sea salt over top. Add the remaining parsley and cranberries. Gently press down mixture with a spatula. Place pan in preheated oven for 1 hour. Cool completely before slicing and serving. Don’t forget to garnish!

Note:  If you would like to serve this special holiday dish raw, simply combine ingredients rather than layering for baking.

Anyone for dessert?

Carob liver brownies

Ingredients

1 cup goat yogurt or Balkan style yogurt
1 cup fresh pureéd liver, e.g. chicken, beef, ostrich
1/2 cup hemp seed flour
1 1/2 cups whole oat flour
2/3 cup filtered water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
1 tablespoon carob powder
1 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a square cake pan, or line with parchment paper.  In a bowl, combine the whole oat flour and hemp seed flour with water, until you have a smooth consistency. Add the yogurt and liver, and mix well. Add remaining ingredients, making sure they are all well incorporated. Pour into cake pan. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until the top is dry to the touch and springs back when you touch it with a finger. Cool completely before serving. Store in refrigerator, or cut into small squares and freeze. For extra holiday cheer, ice cake with low fat cream cheese, and decorate with fresh cranberries and parsley.

Truffles

Ingredients

1 cup peanut butter, with no added salt or sugar
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup carob powder
1/2 cup goat milk
oatmeal
unsweetened coconut

Instructions

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Combine peanut butter, oatmeal, and carob powder. Form into small balls. Lightly dip in goat milk and roll in oatmeal or coconut, and place on cookie sheet. Place in refrigerator until serving. For extra holiday flair, top each truffle with a sun dried cranberry. The truffles freeze beautifully in Ziplock bags.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Audi Donamor has been successfully creating special needs diets for companion animals for two decades. She founded the University of Guelph’s Smiling Blue Skies® Cancer Fund and Smiling Blue Skies® Fund for Innovative Research. She is the proud recipient of a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and was honored with the degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, for her work in cancer, from the University of Guelph/Ontario Veterinary College. The Smiling Blue Skies Cancer Fund is also the recipient of the “Pets + Us” Community Outreach Champion Award.