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“Chocolate” Chip Peanut Butter PUPcakes

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“Chocolate” Chip Peanut Butter PUPcakes

The “chocolate” chips are actually unsweetened carob chips, which are safe for dogs.  These PUPcakes seem to be an immediate favorite with our pack.  Our pups were begging for samples before the cupcakes were even out of the oven! After the PUPcakes cooled completely, a taste-test by our 4-legged Head Chef proved that these tasty treats are Cello-approved!

 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 1/2 cups organic whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup organic peanut butter
    • ***Be sure the peanut butter you choose does not contain xylitol, which can be toxic to dogs
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
  • 1/3 cup organic honey
  • 3 organic eggs
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened carob chips

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat oven to 400° F
  • Put the whole wheat flour in a bowl and set aside
  • Place peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave for about 10-15 seconds
  • Combine the peanut butter, applesauce, and honey.  Stir well.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the eggs.
  • Add the whisked eggs to the peanut butter mixture and stir well.
  • Slowly begin to add the flour, mixing to combine after each added portion
  • Add the carob chips and stir
  • Use a 2-Tablespoon sized cookie scooper to fill mini muffin liners.
  • Place the filled liners into a 24-cup mini muffin pan
    • if you don’t have mini cupcake liners, you can spray each muffin pan cup with an organic non-stick cooking spray before scooping in the dough to each cup
  • Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centers of each PUPcake comes out clean.
  • Let PUPcakes cool on a wire rack in the pan for about 10-15 minutes
  • Remove PUPcakes from pan and continue to cool completely on a wire rack
  • Refrigerate or freeze
    • PUPcakes will last about 3 weeks in the refrigerator, or approximately 6 months in the freezer
      • If freezing, be sure to thaw PUPcakes before serving

French Toast (Dog-Safe)

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You might be wondering what the difference is between a typical French toast recipe, and a dog-friendly French toast recipe.  The difference is very minimal – but EXTREMELY important.  Most French toast recipes call for nutmeg.  Nutmeg is a huge NO-NO on your pup’s ingredient list due to a compound in the nutmeg called Myristicin , which can cause seizures in dogs.

Dog-Safe French Toast

Ingredients:

  • 1 organic egg
  • 2 organic egg whites
  • 1/2 cup  organic milk ***
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon organic ground cinnamon
  • 4 slices organic bread
  • non-fat butter flavored cooking spray

***Some dogs do not do well with milk.  We used regular milk, but if your dog does not do well with regular milk, you can experiment with almond milk, coconut milk, or goat’s milk. 

DIRECTIONS:

  • Whisk egg and egg whites.
  • Add milk, vanilla and cinnamon, then whisk again.
  • Coat your skillet with non-fat cooking spray and set stove to medium-low heat.
  • Generously dip the bread into the egg mixture, turning the slice to coat it thoroughly.
  • Cook the bread slices in the hot skillet, turning until both sides are lightly browned.

Most people top their French Toast with butter and/or syrup.  Hold off on those not-so-healthy toppers for your pup.  Instead, choose strawberries and/or bananas to add some sweetness, or drizzle a small amount of organic honey on top.

Pumpkin Seed Encrusted Chicken Quarter

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Ingredients:

  • Chicken quarter (skin removed)
    • NOTE: We choose to only use chicken that was raised to top standards (strictly vegetarian fed [no by products in feed], with no added antibiotics , no physical alterations, no supplemental growth hormones, have appropriate litter provided for comfort and to satisfy natural foraging instincts AND are 5-step® Animal Welfare Rated.
  • 2 tablespoons of organic olive oil
  • 2 ounces of organic raw pumpkin seeds
  • Juice of 1-2 organic limes (we used 2 small limes)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric

Directions:

  • Pre-heat oven to 400° F
  • Add all ingredients except for chicken to a food processor, and pulse until desired consistency (we pulsed just until all ingredients were mixed so some pumpkin seeds were left whole – but you can pulse until all seeds are in smaller chunks, or completely ground).
  • Remove the skin from the chicken quarter.
  • Press pumpkin seed mixture on to top of chicken.
  • Place chicken in skillet or pan and cook for 50-60 minutes,  or until internal temperature of chicken reaches a minimum of 165° F, chicken is no longer pink, and juices run clear.
  • *****PLEASE NOTE: Chicken meat should be removed from the bone before serving to your fur-kid.  Please also check all removed meat for small bones before serving.

BONE appétit !

Cello’s Cheezy Cheez-Its

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Who doesn’t like Cheese?! Cello’s Cheezy Cheez-Its is the newest recipe tried in Cello’s Cucina!  As always, this treat is made with all organic ingredients, and is 100% grain-free.

cheezits

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 cup organic almond flour
  • 1/4 cup organic tapioca flour
  • 1 certified organic egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup organic finely shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp organic safflower oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour and tapioca flour.
  3. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg. Then stir in the cheese and oil.
  4. Pour the cheese mixture into the flour mixture, and stir with a fork until thoroughly combined.
  5. Cut out a piece of parchment paper to fit your baking sheet, and use this piece as your work-space.
  6. Next, place the dough onto the parchment paper, and cover with a second piece of parchment paper. Using a rolling-pin, flatten the dough very thin (to about 1/16 inch).
  7. Remove the top piece of parchment paper and transfer parchment with the dough onto your baking sheet.
  8. Using a pizza cutter, cut the flattened dough into 1 inch by 1 inch squares.

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  1. Bake for 15 minutes. Leave the treats in the oven to cool after the oven has been turned off to ensure they get nice and crunchy!

Storage: These treats can be kept in the fridge for up to 1 month, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

“Bone” Appetit!

Valentine’s Day Grain-Free Peanut Butter-Honey Hearts

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ANOTHER snow day here in Southern NJ… perfect day for baking dog treats!

Cello waits and watches patiently as these yummy-smelling Valentines Day treats bake in Cello’s Cucina! 

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Peanut Butter-Honey Hearts

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Ingredients:

  • 2 cups organic buckwheat flour
  • 1 1/2 cups organic almond flour
  • 1/3 cup organic, natural peanut butter (no salt or sugar added)
    • Be sure that the peanut butter you use doesn’t contain xylitol)
  • 1 TB organic honey
  • 1 1/4 cups hot water
  • Additional flour for rolling (or parchment paper)

 

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F
  2. Mix dry ingredients together.
  3. Mix in the peanut butter, honey, and hot water.
  4. Knead the dough well.
  5. Roll out the dough into 1/4″ thickness and cut into shapes with dog cookie cutters.
  6. Bake on a lightly greased cookie sheet for 40 minutes. Turn off the oven and let them cool overnight. (I just took mine out at 40 minutes and cooled them on a wire rack – see notes below).

If your dog likes less-crunchy treats, you cool them completely on a wire rack, then serve them to your four-legged child!

These treats come out pretty crunchy even if you don’t keep them in the oven over night…so if your pup prefers softer treats, you can try reducing the cook-time, and cooling the treats on a wire rack.

Yield: Will depend on the size cookie cutter you use.

Storing: These tasty treats can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 weeks or n the freezer for up to 6 months.

Tips:  The dough for these treats can be pretty sticky to work with at first, especially while kneading.  You can dust your work place and rolling-pin with some extra buckwheat flour, or (my favorite) you can line your work place with parchment paper, then place another piece of parchment paper over the dough while rolling it out.  Also, keep a dish of extra buckwheat flour next to you and “dip” the cookie cutter in the flour each time before making the cut-outs.

Grain Free Ginger Bread Man Cookies

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Gingerbread Man Cookies

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 cups organic buckwheat flour
  • 2 tbsp organic ground ginger
  • 1 tsp organic ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp organic ground cloves
  • 1/2 cup organic blackstrap molasses
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup organic canola oil

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 325° F
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon and cloves until combined well.
  3. In a small bowl, stir together the molasses, water and canola oil.
  4. Pour the wet mixture into the flour.
  5. Stir ingredients until thoroughly combined.
  6. Roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness.
  7. Use a gingerbread cookie cutter to cut cookies.
  8. Lightly spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
  9. Place your gingerbread man cookies on the baking sheet.
  10. Continue to roll and cut out shapes with the remaining dough.
  11. Bake for 20 minutes.
  12. Cool completely on a wire rack, or allow to cool in the oven (after you turn it off) for a crunchier treat.

 

Yield – Will depend on size of your gingerbread man cookie cutter.  My batch made 30 gingerbread man cookies.

Storing – These treats should keep fresh for several weeks in the refrigerator, or in the freezer for approximately 6 months.

 

Mutt Meatballs

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This great dog treat recipe originally came from Dog Treat Kitchen. However, I altered the recipe a bit to fit Cello’s dietary needs.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups dry dog food, ground coarse using a food processor
  • 1/2 cup organic buckwheat flour
  • 1 lb. organic ground bison meat
  • 1/4 cup organic honey
  • 1/8 cup organic applesauce, unsweetened

 

Instructions:

  1. Cook the bison, breaking apart into very small pieces. (I boiled the bison, saving the broth for other future recipes).
  2. Pour the dog food into a food processor or blender and grind to a coarse flour.
  3. Whisk together the coarse dog food and buckwheat flour in a medium bowl.
  4. Stir together the meat, honey and applesauce in a separate small bowl.
  5. Stir the meat mixture into the dry mixture until combined.
  6. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  7. Form into meatballs – vary the size, or keep them all uniform.
  8. Serve fresh, or place in your freezer until frozen, approximately 2 hours.

 

Storing – This treat needs to be kept in the refrigerator or freezer. Keep in the freezer for up to 4 months.