Cooking for your dog, while usually portrayed as the realm of the truly bonkers, is actually pretty easy.
Now, let me amend that: if you are cooking ALL of your dog’s meals without supplementing with any commercial dog foods at all, then it can get complicated, as dogs need a lot of certain minerals and vitamins we aren’t used to providing. This involves feeding things like organ meats and raw bones and fish oils and/or other supplements, and it also involves quite a bit of measuring. It may even involve math. So do your research if you ever decide to quit dog food entirely.
However, a pot of homemade stew is an excellent addition to your dog’s life, and they will adore you for it.
The general rule of thumb here is about 40% protein, 50% vegetables and 10% carbohydrates. You can improvise within those parameters if you enjoy experimenting. If not, try the recipe below.
All of these recipes keep well, so freeze whatever you won’t use in the next few days.
Lamb Stew Recipe
2.5 lbs lamb—leg of lamb or lamb stew meat are great choices, but ground lamb works too
1 lb bag of frozen greens—collards, kale or spinach are all great
1 lb green beans, fresh or frozen, in inch-long pieces
1 lb carrots, fresh or frozen, sliced
.5 lb potatoes
You’ll need a very large pot for this, and it makes a lot of leftovers.
If your lamb is in big chunks, cut it down into inch-sized cubes. Toss the meat in the pot and start it cooking along with 1c water. Let it simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add in the vegetables and potatoes and stir. Cover the pot and cook for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally, or until the meat is tender.
Serve at room temperature so your dog doesn’t burn his mouth, or stuff into Kongs and freeze for later.
Recipe Ideas
Burrito Bowl
Protein: a mix of lean pork and canned beans
Vegetable: chunks of sweet potatoes and frozen corn
Carbohydrate: brown rice
Chicken Cacciatore
Protein: boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Vegetables: bell peppers and zucchini
Carbohydrate: pasta
Fresh or dried parsley
Beef Curry
Protein: stewing beef, or even ground beef
Vegetable: cauliflower and peas
Carbohydrate: brown rice or potatoes
Add a dash of turmeric
Temerity Dogs 