Monday, October 29, 2012

Dog Treats

We're almost done with Vegan MoFo, and wow, it's gone by quickly! In preparation for my next little adventure, the Virtual Vegan Potluck, I've done a short video - on how to make vegan dog treats. It's almost Halloween, and no doubt you'll have plenty of treats of your own, so how about whipping up a little something for your favorite pup? If you don't have a dog, make some for your friend's dogs, or take some to the shelter, or have them ready for trick-or-treating canines that wander the streets with their pet children.


I have big plans to do lots more videos, so this is really the pilot for my "show". This is really a new trick for me, and it's low tech for sure. I'm the camera crew, the prep cook, the dishwasher, the "talent," and everything else it takes to get a video from iPad to YouTube to you. I've decided not to bother learning a bunch of fancy editing tricks. Instead, I'm going for sort of a "live TV" kind of thing, going from start to finish, mistakes included. Maybe I'll decide to add some polish later, but for now, you're getting the real me, which is sort of silly, I'll admit. I hope you enjoy this new venture of mine. Stay tuned for more PVTV!



Vegan Dog Treats

4 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups almond pulp (left over from making almond milk)
1 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup flax seed meal, or whole chia seeds
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup miso
4 cups water

Stir everything together in a large bowl. Spread about 1/4 inch thick on 4 non-stick lined dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 105ยบ for 6-8 hours, or until the top feels dry. Flip the treats over, peel off the non-stick liners, and continue to dehydrate for several more hours, until the treats are dry and crunchy. Break the slab o' treats into bite size pieces.

Here's a little trick that didn't make it to the video. Slip a plastic bag over your hand and you'll easily be able to press the batter onto the trays. Wish I'd thought of that sooner. We learn as we go.


If you don't have a dehydrator, spread the batter onto well-oiled, or parchment lined cookie sheets, and bake in your oven at the lowest possible setting until the treats are dry and crunchy. It might take several hours, but if you cook them at too high a temperature the edges will burn before the center is done. You might need to turn them over, or even break them up a bit at some point, so the center can dry. It's not French pastry. It's dog treats. Don't worry if they aren't pretty. Your dog will still love them.