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

Some Tricks of the Trade....

Some Tricks of the Trade....

Alright, over the weekend I spent close to 36 hours in the kitchen. Getting ready for the holiday season, my family always gets baked goods. Turning the family favorites vegan, is not that difficult if you know what you're doing. So, I'm going to share these tips in hopes that it makes a holiday special and animal friendly....

Eggs: This is a fairly easy one. There are a lot of good egg replacers on the market. I like Bob's Red Mill. Most vegan recipes will call for Ener-G egg replacer. Sometimes, depending on what you're making, you can use bananas or applesauce.

Egg Whites: What I do is soak over high heat, 1/4 cup to 3/4 cup (if making a meringue go with 3/4 cup) of flax seeds over medium-high heat for 20 minutes. You'll get a thick egg white like texture and using a fine strainer, over a bowl you'll be able to dip/whip/or dunk the "egg white". When making a meringue, whisk on high until fluffy. Add some powdered sugar and/or maple syrup to sweeten.

Egg Yolk: There is a wonderful product call The Vegg. It can be used just like eggs in recipes, from baked goods to breakfast and dinner. A teaspoon with 1/4 cup water will act as the egg yolk. I used this in my cookies over the weekend, and it was perfect! I had no problems with binding and it smells just like a cracked egg. I will use this the next time I make latkes, since the potato starch didn't hold them together....

Cardamon Oatmeal Fig Cookie

Cardamon Oatmeal Fig Cookie
yields about 16 cookies

By replacing the cinnamon and raisins, and using figs and cardamon you find yourself with spicy and earthy flavors in your mouth! Finding this recipe was a blessing, since I had figs in the fridge that were going to turn at any moment. Bruce loved these and in fact, I offered one to my boss and he liked it! My boss is the "we have to eat meat" kind of guy, so there you go.....

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
2/3 cup gluten-free flour mix, such as Bob’s Red Mill (or all-purpose flour)
1 1/2 tsp egg replacer
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 T coconut oil, melted
2 T unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup fresh figs, stems trimmed and chopped into chunks (use at least one cup)


1. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, egg replacer, baking soda, salt, cloves, cardamom and oats together until thoroughly combined.

2. In a smaller bowl, mix together the brown rice and maple syrups with the coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together. Fold in the fig segments. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.

3. Once the cookie dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the dough by heaping tablespoons onto the baking sheets, keeping in mind that these cookies will spread out (so don’t crowd them together).
Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until cookies have firmed and are golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let sit on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before serving. Enjoy!

Found: Keepin' It Kind

Oatmeal Banana Energy Bars

Oatmeal Banana Energy Bars
(Makes a 9 inch square pan)

2 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup flax seeds (ground or crushed)
4 Tbs Rice Protein Powder
1 cup vanilla rice milk (Pacific)
6 Tbs egg replacer (like Ener-G or Flax Seed jel)
2 bananas- ripe and pureed (or sub fruit/pumpkin puree, equal to 1 cup)
1/2 cup applesauce- unsweetened
1/4 cup agave or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon (omit if adding chocolate)

Add-ins if desired
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips or carob chips
1/2 cup nuts of choice, crushed
1/2 cup dried fruit (cranberries are a good choice)
Replace 1/2 fruit puree with peanut, almond butter or cashew butter

1. Preheat oven to 350

1. Mix all ingredients together (well), and place in prepared 9 inch square pan. Bake for approx 40-45 minutes. Cool and slice into desired size bars. Store loosely covered in the refrigerator. For travel, we simply remove bars and wrap them in a cloth napkin secured with a safety pin, string or band.
**Note: Make fruit purees (pumpkin, zucchini, apple, banana, prune, fig, etc.) and store in the freezer in 1 cup portions, then the desired flavor can be pulled out and used in baking and cooking.