Everyone deserves a treat from Santa Paws this festive season, including our four legged friends! This super simple recipe makes around 15 dog biscuits (using a 10cm cookie cutter), and are the perfect Christmas treat for your dog!
Ingredients
- 150g plain or wholemeal flour
- 80g xylitol-free peanut butter*
- 1 banana
- 4 tablespoons hot water
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
*Check the ingredients of your peanut butter – xylitol is toxic to dogs.
Method
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Preheat your oven to 170°C. Mix together the xylitol-free peanut butter and hot water in a bowl.
- Add the banana to the bowl and mash with a fork until most lumps have gone.
- Add the flour and cinnamon to the bowl and use your hands to form a dough. The texture should be quite firm and sticky.
- Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough to about 1cm thick.
- Cut out into your favourite Christmassy shapes and place on a lined baking tray.
- Bake at 170°C for around 15 minutes or until golden brown. Once cooked, leave to cool completely before your dog does the taste test!
Your homemade Christmas dog treats can be stored in an airtight container for up to 10 days. A friendly reminder that this recipe is intended as occasional treats for your dog, and should be fed in small amounts alongside a well-balanced diet. These treats are not suitable for dogs with nut allergies or other special dietary requirements.
This entry was posted in Dogs
Elise Pulbrook is an Australian chef, baker, Australian Masterchef 2021 semi finalist and, as of recently, – chicken keeper! She’s sharing one of her favourite ways of using those lovely fresh eggs on the Omlet blog, a scrumptious asparagus, leek and pea frittata!
My favourite egg recipe of all time is my Zia Maria’s asparagus frittata. I’ve changed her recipe slightly, adding leek and peas. Sometimes Zia Maria adds chopped boiled potato. At the start of Spring, there has never been a shortage of asparagus in my family. Koo Wee Rup is Victoria’s asparagus country and my large Italian family has roots there. Zio Frank would bring at least one large polystyrene box of asparagus down to Melbourne every year for his sisters to divide amongst themselves.
This is a recipe I make as soon as sweet stems of asparagus come into season. To make this with my own chicken’s eggs is deeply satisfying! This is a thin frittata that is flourless and it is often referred to as an omelet within my family.
Ingredients:
- 200g chopped leek
- 200g chopped asparagus, woody ends removed
- 200g baby peas
- 10g chopped garlic, approximately 2 cloves
- 230g whisked egg, approximately 4 large eggs
- 30g fresh chopped parsley
- 2 -3 pinches of salt, or to taste (every salt is slightly different in its saltiness, know your salt!)
- 1 tsp chilli flakes, or to taste (some chilli flakes are hotter than others!)
- 1-2 pinches dried oregano or zaatar
- 40g grated pecorino cheese, or enough to cover the surface of your omelet
- Light olive oil for frying (at least 100ml, remember to be generous with your olive oil and cook like an Italian!)
Method:
1 – Heat a large well-seasoned cast iron pan or non stick fry pan. If using a 30cm fry pan, the quantities in the ingredient list will allow you to make two omelets. I have used a 35cm cast iron skillet for the frittata pictured. A rule of thumb for the success of many recipes is to choose the appropriate pan for the task at hand.
2 – Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to your pan and begin to sweat your leek over a medium heat. Add two pinches of salt to help extract moisture from your leek and accelerate its cooking time. When your leek has softened and tastes sweet, add your garlic. Allow the garlic to soften and perfume the oil. Next, add your asparagus. Allow the asparagus to fry by slightly increasing the heat of your pan and allowing it to sizzle. Stir occasionally, avoiding any browning. We are aiming for a tender ‘just cooked’ asparagus with a slight crunch and bright sweetness. Add the peas and allow them to blister into radiant green jewels. The peas will only need a moment or two. If using frozen peas, you’re essentially just defrosting them in the pan. Taste the vegetables and, if they are all beautifully tender, remove them from the heat and into a large bowl.
3 – Mix the vegetables with the whisked egg, parsley, chilli flakes, a pinch of oregano and a pinch of salt.
4 – Wipe out your pan, bring to a medium-high heat and then add a generous 5mm layer of olive oil. Don’t allow your oil to smoke but do allow it to be hot enough for your frittata to sizzle once poured into the pan. Once you do pour your frittata mixture into the pan, flatten it out quickly using a spatula, pushing the mixture completely and evenly cover the surface area of your pan. Sprinkle over the grated cheese and the remainder of your oregano.
5 – Turn on the grill function of your oven to preheat while you are waiting for the edges of your frittata to start to brown. Check the bottom of your frittata by using a spatula to peek underneath. Once it has begun to brown, transfer the pan to the oven and leave to grill until the cheese on top has melted and begun to brown. Remove from the grill.
6 – Serve cut into squares as part of an antipasti selection or wedged between buttered sliced bread for lunch. Enjoy!
This entry was posted in Chickens
-The Best Things In Life Are Sweet-_________________________________________
The OMLET (Omelette) Cake
Ingredients for the cake batter (for a ÿ25 cm cake tin):
- 900 ml milk*
- 250 g sugar
- 250 g butter/margarine
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- 5 eggs*
- 250 g flour
- 1 packet baking powder
- a pinch of salt
- 1 package of clear cake glaze*
- 1 can apricots halves (850 g drained net weight)
- 1 can apricots halves (425 g drained net weight)
Ingredients for pudding cream:
- 100 ml milk*
- 2 packets vanilla pudding powder
- 80 sugar
- 1 packet vanilla sugar
- 2 cups sour cream*
*For a plant-based or vegan option:
As a milk substitute you can use any non-dairy milk (e.g. almond or oat milk). As 1 egg substitute use 1/2 mashed banana (5 eggs = 2 ? bananas) or 70 g apple puree (5 eggs = 350 g). You can buy vegan sour cream or soy yogurt. Instead of the clear cake glaze you can use agar-agar powder.
Instructions
- Grease a cake tin (ÿ25 cm). Preheat oven to 170 degrees C/338 degrees F (convection oven).
- Boil 900 ml milk in a saucepan. Mix in a bowl the remaining milk, 80 g sugar and vanilla pudding powder until smooth, stir into the boiling milk and cook well for 1 minute while stirring. Pour into a bowl and let cool, stirring several times.
- Mix butter/margarine, 200 g sugar, 1 pinch of salt with the mixer until you reach a creamy texture. Mix in eggs one at a time. Mix flour and baking powder and stir in 2 tsp of lemon juice. Put the batter in a greased cake tin and bake on the middle shelf for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, drain the apricots well and collect the juice. Stir the pudding again, and now stir in the sour cream with a whisk. After the 20 minutes baking time, spread the pudding cream evenly on the batter. Cover the cake with apricots and bake for another 20-30 minutes. Let cool down.
- Mix the icing powder, remaining sugar, 1/4 liter of apricot juice and remaining 2 tsp of lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to the boil while stirring. Now spread the glaze with a tablespoon over the apricot halves so that it looks like egg white. Allow to become firm.
You can use peaches instead of apricots as well.
If you want to bake the ultimate “Omlet”-cake with a ÿ12 cm cake tin, use 1/2 of the ingredients and only one apricot halve on top of it.
If you prefer a more traditional Easter cake, here is a super delicious yet easy recipe:
_________________________________________
Carrot-Marzipan-Cake
Ingredients for the cake batter:
- 350 g wheat or spelt flour
- 4 eggs*
- 400 g carrots
- 100 g ground hazelnuts
- 100 g ground almonds
- 200 g sugar
- 1 packet vanilla sugar
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 vanilla pod
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 packet baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 200g marzipan
- 200 ml rapeseed or sunflower oil
- 200 ml milk*
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- extra portion love
Optional adult version: 150 ml advocaat
Frosting:
- 70 g icing sugar
- 200 g coconut yogurt
- 30 g coconut paste
- shot of lemon juice
optional: food colouring, e.g. green colour
Decoration: e.g. Marzipan carrots, chopped pistachios, dried flowers, grated coconut
*For a plant-based or vegan option:
Use 2 tsp baking soda and 2 tsp cider vinegar or alternatively banana/apple puree as egg substitute (1/2 mashed banana per egg; 70 g apple puree per egg).
As a milk substitute you can use e.g. almond milk or oat milk, or any other non-dairy milk you prefer.
Instructions
1. Grease a cake tin (about ÿ25 cm) or use baking paper. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C/347 degrees F (convection oven).
2. Mix dry ingredients (flour, hazelnuts/almonds, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon) and the eggs in a bowl with a mixer. In a separate bowl, peel and grate carrots and mix them with the wet ingredients (vanilla extract, oil, milk, lemon juice).
3. Now slowly heat the marzipan in a saucepan, stirring repeatedly until it becomes a liquid mass. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together and gradually add the marzipan (and optional advocaat) to the batter, mix well.
4. Pour the batter into the cake tin, smoothen it and bake it for about 50 minutes (skewer test).
5. Let the cake cool down and prepare the frosting in the meantime. Mix the sifted icing sugar with yoghurt and coconut puree and season with more icing sugar and a shot of lemon juice. You can add food colouring to the frosting if you wish. Now spread the frosting on the cooled cake and decorate as desired, e.g. with marzipan carrots, chopped pistachios or dried flowers.
Enjoy!
Bon appÈtit
&
Happy Easter from the Omlet Team!
Tag us on social media (Instagram: omlet_uk) with an image of your cake!
This entry was posted in Food
Try out these delicious homemade frozen treats that dogs will go crazy for! These are super quick and easy to make, and kids will love getting involved with different fruity creations…
You will need…
An ice cube tray – (moulds to make larger ice cubes are available on Amazon)
500g Greek Yogurt
200ml of water
A selection of dog-safe fruits, such as apples, bananas, blueberries, mango, peaches, raspberries, strawberries, and watermelon.
We used an ice cube tray which makes large 2 inch square ice cubes. This quantity made approximately 8 at this size ice cube.
Method
Prepare the fruit and cut up into smaller bite size pieces.
Depending on the size of ice cube tray, fill the molds up to a third high with yogurt, followed by a small splash of water. Pop a few small pieces of fruit into the moulds, before continuing to fill the molds with yogurt, splashes of water up and pieces of fruit up to the top.
Pop in the freezer for at least 4 hours depending on the size of the ice cube moulds.
Allow the treats to thaw for 5-10 minutes before feeding to your dog.
Other Frozen Treats…
If your fruit bowl contents are on their way out and unlikely to be eaten by the humans in the house, you can also freeze cut up pieces of the fruit, like apples and bananas, to give to your four-legged friends directly.
Don’t forget!
Remember to give your dog treats in moderation, alongside a healthy diet. Supervise your dog when eating these frozen treats and remove at any sign of distress. These frozen fruit cubes should be given to your dog as a treat, with other solutions in place to keep your dog cool, such as access to shade in the garden and the coolest room in the house, fresh water, walks at the coolest time of day etc. Consult your vet if your dog is showing signs of distress or potential heatstroke.
This entry was posted in Dogs
For most pet dogs meal time isn’t very challenging time of the day. Typically owners only put the food bowl down and leave them to it. If this suits you and your dog that’s absolutely fine, but they would without a doubt not have been served food in this way in the wild. Instead they would have had to scavenge and hunt for their meals, keeping both mind and body active. If you feel like you would like to challenge your dog and enrich their daily routine, then making some changes to their meal times can be a good start.
Adding more mental stimulation to your dog’s life can have several benefits. It keeps them busy and tires them out in a similar way to a long walk. Many dog owners forget about challenging their dogs mentally, and when they encounter problems with boredom and linked behavioural issues like chewing, pacing, jumping and barking, they just presume they need to increase the physical exercise. This helps, but it doesn’t satisfy your dog’s hunger for mental stimulation.
Mentally stimulated dogs are not as hyperactive, and they tend to adapt more easily to stress. This is useful if you’ve got a very worried pup who shows aggression towards other dogs walking past the house, struggles with separation anxiety or gets stressed during thunderstorms or fireworks.
Brain games are therefore a brilliant way of tiring your dog out for the evening, or before you leave for work in the morning. By combining this with their normal feeding time, it won’t take much longer than normal, and your dog will love the extra challenge. Additionally you don’t have to worry about giving your dog too many treats as they are rewarded with food they would have eaten anyway.
So what are some fun ways of mentally stimulating your dog during meal times?
The aim is that it should take your dog 10-15 minutes to finish their food. Make sure you supervise your dog the first few times you’re trying a new way of feeding.
Our first tip is nose work. Using their nose comes naturally to dogs, and searching for their food will definitely add stimulation to their daily routine. Scatter the food in the garden so that your dog will have to sniff around to find it. You can also do this indoors, but it might be good to choose a room that’s easy to clean and where the pieces of food won’t get stuck under furniture. If you want to make it even more challenging you can hide little heaps of food under a bush, on a window sill or behind some flower pots. If your dog doesn’t get the game, start with something that smells a bit more than their normal dry food.
Our second suggestion is puzzles and food dispensing toys. The Classic Kong is the most well known food dispensing toy, but you can also find treat balls and complicated puzzles that provide your dog with a harder challenge before they are rewarded with food. The idea with most of these is that your dog will have to move the toy around the floor or press certain parts of the toy to make the food fall out. Dogs absolutely love this, and as they get rewarded again and again it can keep them entertained for hours.
If you don’t want to buy toys you can make some yourself. Try putting the food in a cereal box and taping it shut, in a toilet roll with folded sides, or in a plastic bottle with some holes cut out where the food can fall out. This can get a bit messy, and definitely noisy, but it’s worth it when you see your dog running around trying to get into the box, tail wagging with excitement.
You can also use mealtime as an opportunity to practice tricks and teach your dog new ones. Don’t ask your dog to do the same tricks every meal time, as it will just become a part of the routine, and not challenging or mentally stimulating. By using this time for training you are able to give your dog more than just the one treat at a time, as it’s the food he or she is supposed to eat anyway. This will form a stronger positive association, and your dog might learn faster.
Another thing you can do to change the daily routine is to change the texture of the food. If your dog normally gets wet food, try freezing it into little discs or cubes that they will love crunching on. If your dog gets dry food you can mush it up with a bit of yoghurt or water. It’s all about novelty and enriching your dog’s daily routine!
This entry was posted in Dogs
Try something new for your pup and treat them to this dog-friendly pancake recipe with all the trimmings. This is also a delicious, healthy option for humans, too!
All you need for the pancakes are –
- 2 eggs
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1 tablespoon of flour
- Coconut oil spray for frying pan
Eggs are a great source of protein for dogs, and are full of vitamins which can benefit their diet. Bananas are also rich in vitamins and minerals, and they also help boost your dog’s immune system and skin health.
Mash up the bananas in a bowl or food processor. Add the eggs and mix. Thicken with flour until the mixture forms a batter-like texture. Spray the frying pan with Coconut Oil Spray on a medium temperature. Add a tablespoon of the mix into the frying pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook the other side. Allow the pancakes to cool before giving to your dog.
Suggested toppings for your dog’s pancakes –
- More bananas!
- Greek yoghurt
- Peanut butter (check there is no xylitol in ingredients)
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Apple
- Cottage cheese
- Small cubes of cheddar cheese
- Their own treats!
Flipping fantastic! Join the fun on Instagram and tag us in videos of your dog attempting to catch their pancake using the hashtag #FlippingFido.
Remember dogs should only have treats in moderation so consider the portion which is appropriate for the size of your dog to avoid overfeeding.
This entry was posted in Dogs
These delicious Apple and Cinnamon Dog Cookies are a great Christmas treat for your pooch this festive season, and they’re healthy!
Ingredients
Makes 10 cookies
70g coconut flour
1 egg
3 teaspoons of coconut oil
Pinch of cinnamon
1 apple (grated)
And a cookie cutter
180 C for 15 minutes
(160 C fan assisted or gas mark 4)
- Preheat the oven to 160c and prepare a baking tray with baking paper.
- Heat 3 teaspoons of coconut oil in a bowl in the microwave for 1 minute, or until soft.
- Mix together the egg, coconut oil in a bowl.
- Grate 1 apple into the bowl and mix.
- Add a pinch of cinnamon to the mix.
- Weigh out 70g of coconut flour into a separate bowl, and start to add a bit of flour at a time to the wet mixture, stirring as you go.
- Continue adding coconut flour and mixing until you get a dough like consistency. You may not need to use all the flour to achieve this. The texture will be sticky and slightly crumbly.
- Dust some coconut flour onto a clean surface and place the dough on top.
- Flatten the dough with a rolling pin or your hands until it is approximately 1 cm thick
- Use a small cookie cutter (approx 5cm diameter) to press out shapes in the dough and place them onto the baking tray. Handle these carefully as the dough can be fragile due to the lack of fat in the recipe (too much fat is unhealthy for dogs!)
- Once all the dough has been used and the cookies are all placed on the baking tray, place them in the oven for approximately 15 minutes, keeping an eye that they do not burn.
- Take them out the oven and leave to cool, at this point they will firm up a bit more, so handle carefully.
- Once cool, store in a cool dry place, and treat your dog to a delicious cookie!
Health Benefits
- Coconut flour is gluten free, perfect for dogs who suffer an intolerance of wheat. It’s also low in sugar and high in protein, fibre, and healthy fats.
- In small quantities, coconut oil can promote a healthy coat, improve digestion and assist the immune system.
- Eggs are also great for extra protein in your dog’s diet
- Did you know, cinnamon can be incredibly helpful for senior dogs who are suffering with arthritis? Adding a small amount to your dog’s diet can be incredibly beneficial.
- Apples are a source of Vitamin A and C so make a great, healthy treat for your dog, but don’t feed them the core when you have finished grating the apple, as the seeds are harmful.
As always, treats should be given to dogs alongside a healthy balanced diet, and do not feed them too many at a time.
We’d love to see your photos of this cookie recipe, tag us on Instagram using #OmletPets.
Sources:
https://www.chewchewtreats.ca/blogs/chewchew-treats-blog/coconut-flour-benefits-for-dogs
https://www.cesarsway.com/dog-care/nutrition/dog-approved-people-food
https://www.dogster.com/dog-food/about-cinnamon-for-dogs
https://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/can-dogs-eat-apples/29085
https://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/the-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil/
This entry was posted in Dogs
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