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

Raw Pear Walnut Cheesecake

Raw Pear Walnut Cheesecake
Vegan; Raw; Gluten Free; Serves 8

Lately I've been on a ginger kick. From the Ginger Chai cupcakes for my birthday to this, it seems that striking gold with my adult recipes =)

Ingredients

Crust:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup Medjool dates, soaked overnight
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Filling:
3 cups raw unsalted cashews, soaked overnight and drained
1 ripe pear, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup coconut oil, liquidfied
2/3 cup ginger syrup
1/4 cup pear juice (unsweetened)
1 whole vanilla bean pod, split open and vanilla scraped out

Topping:
1 pear coarsely shopped
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
2 tsp. ginger juice


Steps

1. To make the crust, pulse walnuts, dates, and sea salt in a food processor until well combined and crumbly. Press the crust into the bottom of an 8-inch spring form pan.

2. For the filling, combine cashews, pear, coconut oil, ginger syrup, pear juice, and vanilla in a food processor or high-speed blender until smooth and well combined. Pour the mixture on top of the crust and spread evenly.

3. To make the topping, add pears, walnuts, and ginger juice in a bowl. Combine until walnuts and pears are coated and pour on top of the 'cheese' layer. Freeze until set, about 3-4 hours.

4. Take the cake out to thaw for about 40-50 minutes before serving. You'll want to cut it when it's still semi-frozen.

Not Your Traditional Waldorf Salad

Not Your Traditional Waldorf Salad
Vegan; Serves 6; 30 minutes or fewer

When my sister had asked me to find recipes for jicama, I knew the perfect recipe to try out. Using what Bruce and I like instead of what is called for in the true Waldorf Salad, this is a tasty light meal. Serve with some garlic bread, but better yet, use it in a sandwich and it's good eating.....

Salad:
1/4 cup broken pecan nuts
1/2 jicama, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 bosc pears, cored and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup red grapes
1/2 a pound of spinach

Dressing:
1/2 cup vegan mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 Tablespoon parsley

1. To Make Salad: Preheat oven to 350. Spread pecans on baking sheet and toast 8 to 10 minutes, or until fragrant. Set aside to cool.

2. Combine jicama, pears, grapes and toasted pecans in a large bowl.

3 To Make Dressing: Stir mayonnaise, lemon juice, maple syrup and parsley in a small bowl. Season with black pepper, if desired.

4. To Serve: Arrange a handful of spinach on each plate or bread and top with 1 cup of salad and other slice of bread, if making a sandwich.

Adapted from The Classic Waldorf Salad