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Well…it’s that time of year again…”TREAT” time. The goblins are out, treats are being bought and we are all ready to hear that ol’ saying, “Trick or Treat’“. I wish Halloween could turn into one of those healthy, natural even organic times of the year! Well..at my house it will be. I am just finishing up my third batch of cookies ( with an adoring audience and lots of cute little tongues hanging out). I know that many of you reading this post would never think of excluding your furry babies from a special time of the year, right?
Before I share some healthy treaty treats with you, I have to say that all of these recipes do ot come from me. In my job as a Career Advisor, at Concordia University, I am often blessed to meet students who teach and inspire me….one of those students is Berke Ugar. Berke is a bonified dog lover who definitely ensures that his dog Licos, as well as a good number of needy dogs, get healthy cookies. Berke has given me a lot of great tips, great recipes, as well as insight that I am truly grateful for. At first when he wanted to share these recipes, I thought to myself that it would be time-consuming, more expensive, and not embraced by my furry babies who have their hearts set on “good boy/girl” treats and suppertime “desert” on a daily basis. But I decided to give it a try and was pleasantly surprised…quite the opposite happened…not really that time-consuming, not expensive, and quite yummy..let’s just say that at my home both the furry babies and humans have been seen snacking on these healthy and tasty treaty treats! So now it’s time to share…ENJOY!
1. BANANA CARROT
Ingredients : 3 carrots, 1 banana, ¼ cup of olive oil, 2 cups of whole wheat flour, 2 table spoons of oat bran
Preparation: Shred carrots in a bowl; gradually mix the oil, banana, oat bran and flour. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic-wrap and let stand for 30minutes in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 325 Fahrenheit. Cut the dough into your shape of preference. Droplets work well. Bake for about 35 minutes, and then decrease the temperature to 190 Fahrenheit allowing them to dry for another 35 minutes. While drying in the oven you can sprinkle regular flour on top of them. Enjoy!
2. APPLE ALMOND
Ingredients :2 apples, 2 table spoons of almond flakes, ¼ cup of olive oil, 2 cups of whole wheat flour
Preparation: Shred the apples into a bowl: mix the almond flakes, the olive oil and the flour. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic-wrap and let stand 30 minutes in the fridge.Pre-heat the oven to 320 Fahrenheit. Cut the dough into your shape of preference. You can roll the dough to desired thinness and then cut it into circles using a bottle cap.
Bake for about 35 minutes and then decrease the temperature. Enjoy!
3. Cheese Fingers ( a real favorite!)
Ingredients :1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 ½ cups of shredded skim mozzarella cheese, 3 table spoons of olive oil, 1 egg ( Keep in mind that some dogs are egg-sensitive!)
Preparation: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until the dough is not sticking to your fingers. If the dough is too sticky add more flour, if too dry add more water. Let the dough stand for about 30 minutes in the fridge. Preheat the oven to 345 Fahrenheit. Shape the dough into little balls and roll them into sticks on a baking sheet. Bake them for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown depending on the oven and then let dry at 195 Fahrenheit for another 20 minutes. While drying you can sprinkle flour on top them. Enjoy…Please leave some for the dogs!
4. TUNA ONIGIRI
You no longer have to feel guilty when you indulge in sushi night.
Ingredients : 1 cup of sushi rice, 1 cup of water, 2 sheets of roasted seaweed, 1 can of low sodium white tuna, 2-3 table spoons of sesame
Preparation: Prepare sushi rice using a cup of water and a cup of short-grain sushi rice. Forfurther instruction on preparing sushi rice; you can refer to Google; there are
many easy recipes using either a rice cooker or just a single pan. Since this recipe is mainly intended to satisfy your dogs’ appetite, don’t use any vinegar while preparing
the rice. Once your rice is ready, let it to cool down for 7- to 10 minutes. If you want your onigiri to be stickier-cool less. In the mean-time, cut the seaweed into small pieces. Mix
the seaweed with the rice once it is ready. Spread the rice in your palm, put the tuna in the middle and roll it into a ball. Sprinkle the sesame on the onigiri..:) Enjoy but skip the Sopporo!
And last but not least…..
5. PET PUMPKINS
Ingredients :1 ½ cup of whole wheat flour, ½ cup of oat bran, 3 table spoons of olive oil, 6 table spoons of pumpkin pie filling, Dry Turkey sticks
Preparation: Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until the dough is not sticking to your fingers. If the dough is too sticky add more flour, if too dry add more pumpkin pie filling. Let the dough stand for 30 minutes in the fridge.Preheat the oven to 400 Fahrenheit. Shape the dough into little balls and place them on baking sheet. I used dry turkey pieces to imitate the pumpkin stem but it’s all cosmetic and totally optional ( However, it is Halloween afterall!) Bake them for 30-40 minutes depending on the oven and then dry them at 195 Fahrenheit for another 20 minutes. Enjoy….ummm!
It’s Halloween….these recipes are sure to please those veggie, meat and fish lovers! Let’s all have a safe and healthy Halloween!
And as a side note…for all of you who had the chance to visit the Beaconsfield Pet Fair that was held in September, Berke adopted the last dog that was still looking for a home at the end of the day from La Pension du Jardin Secret..Jazzy now has a wonderful home with Berke, his wonderful girlfriend Silvia and of course…Licos….Jazzy was a Birthday gift to Silvia..a real win-win for all I say!:)
