The passage of time has confounded me yet again. Sure, I remembered to mark today’s date as something out of the ordinary and had sufficient time in which to prepare for it, but it doesn’t feel like enough time has passed for us to have arrived at this day yet. You see, my puppy, my innocent little baby, is celebrating her birthday today, and I couldn’t be more incredulous. Wasn’t it just a month ago that we drove down the coast and plucked her out that tiny pen holding her brothers and sisters, curious eyes fearful of the uncertain future before her? Although it’s easy to to forget how long Isis has been keeping all of us company, it’s becoming harder to deny that she is slowly but surely shedding her hyperactive youthfulness in exchange for the more mature, calm disposition of a full-fledged adult – Turning 10 years old (Or 70, depending on who you’re talking to) will do that, I suppose.
Long gone are the simpler days, when peeing in as many new rooms as possible was practically a competitive sport, never mind the fact that she was the only competitor. Less often do we return home to discover horrific scenes of destruction as well… But fluffy balls of yarn still prove to be too great a temptation when left within reach, no matter her increasing age. Still, her tastes have become greatly refined since puppy-hood, especially in earlier days when anything even borderline edible [And many things completely inedible, too] would end up in her mouth before we would ever see her approach. Deftly stalking her prey, many rotten vegetables, insects, plastic toys, any so on would meet a swift end via her sharp teeth and tumultuous digestive processes. I remember that milk cartons were a particular delicacy that Isis delighted in, and even after we stopped them, they would still mysterious appear in our yard, carried in by the joyful pup herself. It took us months to figure out that she was in fact stealing them from the neighbors’ recycling bins as if they were her personal all-you-can-eat buffets!
In her advancing age though, she has grown increasingly picky about her food. Only grudgingly eating her own food, it’s real meals that she craves these days. Crumbs of meat scraped from my father’s plate are the ultimate indulgence, just barely out-ranking pizza crusts. Unbelievably, not even all human food is pleasing to her refined palate now; Pretzel crumbs or lettuce leaves? Forget it. What about chunks of apple? Once a real treat that she would snap up and devour with such gusto that neither core nor seeds would remain when she had finished, but now something that she leaves on the floor, untouched. I simply can’t understand her behaviors sometimes.
For this very special birthday of hers, coming up with some sort of desirable treat was not as easy as it used to be. Afraid of a potential rejection and the shame of making something that not even a dog would eat, I almost didn’t venture to even try. Still, it’s not everyday that your darling puppy turns 10, so I sucked it up for her sake and made my best effort. It’s the thought that counts anyways, and there was no way I could sit idly by when she deserved so much more.
Ultimately, I decided that homemade biscuits should sufficiently satisfy my choosy pup. Adhering to her standard criteria for acceptable foods, I developed these snacks to be similar to pizza crusts in texture, giving her a solid crunch and dog-friendly flavor with every bite. Additional protein joins the mix by using soy flour in order to make it a more nutritionally rich treat, because who wouldn’t want their loved ones to stay healthy and happy for as long as possible? Aromatic and tempting even to me when the emerged from the oven, I was reluctant to give them all away when the time came. They are perfectly decent for humans to enjoy as well… But I don’t know if Isis would be so willing to share with me!
Dog Biscuits
Protein-rich soy flour makes these a healthy treat for dogs of all ages, but you can also use chickpea flour or fava bean flour instead.
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Soybean Flour (or Chickpea Flour, or Fava Bean Flour)
- 1 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 3/4 Cup Coarse Yellow Cornmeal
- 1/4 Cup Dried Parsley
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Cup Vegetable Stock
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Stir together the bean flour, cornmeal, 1 cup of the all-purpose flour, and parsley together in a medium bowl. Add in the oil and veggie stock, stirring well. Once fully combined, add in the remaining amount of flour, and keep on stirring it until all of the dry ingredients have absorbed – It may take quite a bit of mixing, agitating, and kneading, but it will all come together eventually!
- When your dough is completely homogeneous and only slightly sticky, use a rolling pin to flatten it out to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use cookie cutters to make the shapes that you want and lay them out on a silpat-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 25 – 30 minutes until golden brown. Remove biscuits from the oven and let air-dry overnight, or for at least 8 hours before storing in an airtight container.
- Keep in mind that homemade biscuits go bad much faster than store bought, so use this as an excuse to spoil your furry friend even more than usual!
Notes
Store your biscuits in the freezer for up to 6 months, if you won't go through them as quickly.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
30Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 61Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 25mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 2g
All nutritional information presented within this site are intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information on BitterSweetBlog.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate. Even though I try to provide accurate nutritional information to the best of my ability, these figures should still be considered estimations.
