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I never was a dog person until I met Monkey, my sweetie’s Australian shepherd. Monkey showed me how genuinely loving a dog can be, how much fun it is to watch him just doing dog things. And maybe because he’s such a picky eater, he’s shown me how much fun it is to give a dog a treat he really appreciates.
That’s why I made these dog biscuits with very simple, healthy and delicious ingredients. As the text label reads:
“…Softened beef bones provide minerals, amino acids and a delicious animal flavor to these treats, while chia seeds add soothing starches and essential fatty acids which help promote a healthy metabolism. In addition, dog kisses just got a little sweeter, because the parsley in these biscuits are a natural breath freshener.”
If you’re wondering what “softened beef bones” could be, they are the byproduct of bone broth, a super yummy, super healthy food for humans (and pups). Bone broth is made by slow-cooking bones in water and a small amount of vinegar. As a result, the minerals and other nutrients in the bones dissolve into the broth, leaving the bones soft but still full of nutrients. The bones are so soft, in fact, that this recipe calls for grating them with a cheese grater!
These elegant, biscotti-like biscuits break easily into dog-bite-sized pieces, and also package very nicely into a quart jar or cellophane bag. I think they’d make a great holiday dog gift, or a thanks-for-dog-sitting favor.
- 2 cups softened beef bones, grated (see recipe below)
- 2 cups carrots, grated
- ½ cup parsley, chopped finely
- 3 eggs
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
[/url]- Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, and turn the biscuit mix onto the parchment paper, spreading it out into an even rectangular patty.
[/url]- Bake until the center is firm, about 90 minutes. Remove the biscuit cake, cut into slender lengths, turning each strip onto its side. Reduce the oven heat to 250˚F and bake again for another 45 minutes. Turn off the oven, and allow the biscuits to continue to dry in the cooling oven. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. To keep the biscuits longer, dehydrate them completely in a dehydrator or in an oven 200˚F or cooler.
- bones of grass-fed beef or lamb or free-range chicken (free of any skin)
- water to cover generously
- about ¼ cup apple cider vinegar to every half gallon of water
- Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker on a low setting. After 3-8 hours, remove the top layer of fat and a small amount of broth—make use of this nutritious fat source by putting it in a soup or using as a base for a sauce.
- This is also a good time to remove any meat from the bones. Remove the bones from the slow-cooker and allow them to cool until you can handle them easily; remove any remaining meat from the bones and place the bones back into the slow cooker. Allow the bones to cook for a total of at least 72 hours.
- Render the bone broth by pouring off the broth into sealable containers. The particulate matter is nutritious as well as the clear liquid, but if you like a cleaner look, you can strain out the particulates with a coffee filter or a few layers of cheesecloth. Bone broth will keep for about a week in the fridge, or it can be frozen for later use.
[/url]- Make a second batch of bone broth by adding more water and vinegar to the slow cooker, along with the already-cooked bones and slow-cook for another 72 hours. Render the bones by straining them from your now second batch of bone broth, which you can render now as well. At this point the bones should be soft and grateable. The bones will get progressively softer with each batch, so keep cooking if you want them super soft.
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Used In This Project:
- Large Labels • I chose the “Rustic Bistro” style in green.
- Text Labels • I chose the “Rustic Bistro” style in green.
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Lorraine is a medical student, writer and food lover living in her hometown of Portland, Oregon. Sometimes, Lorraine realizes that, for the most part, her family, friends and adored acquaintances are just a bike ride away. This gives her sense of cozy giddiness! Mostly though, she gets psyched about creating and sharing food, particularly the kind of food that is accidentally healthy and delicious. See more of her work at SweetAllium.
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