Making the Connection~Dog Food and Finding Better

Making the Connection~Dog Food and Finding Better

While reading Obligate Carnivore: Cats, Dogs, and What it Really Means to be Vegan by Jed Gillen, I learned about how most dog and cat food is ground up euthanized shelter cats and dogs. One will say "this doesn't really happen..." or "how can we allow this...". The truth is that as consumers, we don't ask questions and the corporations have a low bar set, and with an abundance of by-product we get this. We must start calling companies and asking questions. Use google as a tool and look up the ingredients as a starting point.



I already had my dogs on a vegan dog food, still buying out of convenience. After moving back to Texas and being short on funds, but not wanting to go back to buying a crap "animal based" dog food, I started cooking for my dogs. There is a reason why mother nature doesn't allow cannibalism. My dogs had never been that interested in their food, until I started cooking for them. Now they can't seem to get enough.

Starting off with grains:
Brown Rice
Quinoa
Pearl Barley
Steel Cut Oats
Oatmeal

Vegetables:
Cabbage
Spinach
Brussels Sprouts
Green Beans
Carrots
Eggplant
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Butternut Squash
Pumpkin
Bell Peppers
Kale
Peas
Tomatoes (NO LEAVES)
Sweet Potatoes
Red Potatoes


Fruit:
Blueberries
Peaches
Apples
Pears
Strawberries
Bananas

Added:
Coconut Yogurt
Peanut Butter
Tahini
Apple Sauce
Lentils

Traditional Mexican Salsa

Traditional Mexican Salsa

The history of Salsa sauce originated with the Inca people. Salsa (combination of chilies, tomatoes and other spices) can be traced to the Aztecs, Mayans and Incas. The Spaniards first encountered tomatoes after their conquest of Mexico in 1519-1521, which marked the beginning of the history of Salsa sauce. Aztec lords combined tomatoes with chili peppers, ground squash seeds and consumed them mainly as a condiment served on turkey, venison, lobster, and fish. This combination was subsequently called salsa by Alonso de Molina in 1571.

This is the traditional Mexican Salsa from the Mid section "DR" Mexico City region:
Four plump Tomatoes or six Roma Tomatoes
1/4 cup on white onion (best onion for salsas is the vidalia)
One Jalepeno
One yellow or red pepper
One Tomatillo-used to cut down on heat and bitterness of Jalepeno
One cup of Fresh Cilantro
1 1/2 to 2 limes depending on how tangy you like it.

Instructions:
Cut or use a food processor to cut vegetables finely
Mix together in a bowl
Add salt to taste
Squeeze one 1/2 to 2 limes in bowl (to taste)

Let sit for 45 minutes

Add Mango or Pineapple to give a different dimension.

Simple Oven Roasted Peppers

Simple Oven Roasted Peppers

This is great if you have an abundance of peppers. Bruce and I had picked up SO many peppers from the farmers market, that I sliced them and stuck them in the freezer. As a reminder or to help the learning curve, frozen peppers that are thawed will become mushy. So use them in stir fries or roast them to toss into your hummus.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Place sliced frozen peppers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the slices. Toss into your dish and enjoy!

P.S.~ This cuts down on your waste. You don't have to buy roasted peppers in a jar and this is SUPER easy!!!

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers
Serves 8; Vegan

1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (I used fresh)
2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup quinoa (for a kick cook it with some curry powder- 2 Tbs.)
1 large or 2 small Patty Pan Squash
1 1/2 cups Daiya pepper jack cheese, divided
4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed (I used Polbalmo Peppers)

Directions

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.

4. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.

Nutritional Information
Per 1/2 stuffed pepper: Calories: 279, Protein: 14g, Total fat: 10g, Saturated fat: 3g, Carbs: 36g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 518mg, Fiber: 10g, Sugars: 9g

Smothered Cajun-spiced Squash

Smothered Cajun-spiced Squash
Serves 8; Vegan

Fat Tuesday Style Meatless Monday Recipe

1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1 clove of garlic, minced (1 tsp.)
2 butternut squash, quartered and seeded, each quarter halved
2 Tbs. plus 8 tsp. Cajun seasoning, or more to taste, divided
4 large onions, halved and sliced (8 cups)
4 medium red or green bell peppers, quartered and sliced (2 cups)
8 large celery ribs, sliced on the bias (2 cups)
5 Tbs. flour
1 1/2 Tbs. cider vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine 1 Tbs. oil and garlic in a small bowl. Brush garlic-oil mixture over butternut squash pieces, and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle each squash piece with 1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Bake 45 minutes to an hour, or until squash pieces are tender enough to easily pierce with fork.

2. Meanwhile, heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, bell peppers, and celery, and cook 20 to 25 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir flour into onion mixture, and cook for 1 minute, or until flour begins to brown, stirring constantly. Stir in vinegar, remaining 2 Tbs. Cajun seasoning, and 6 cups of water. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally.

4. To Serve: Place 2 squash pieces on plate. "Smother" with 1 cup onion mixture.

Per Serving: (2 squash and 1 cup onion mixture) 201 cal.; 3 grams prot.; 9 grams total fat (1 gram sat fat); 30 grams carbs.; 0 mg chol.; 976 mg sod.; 6 grams fiber; 9 grams sugar

Found in Vegetarian Times-Feb. 2009