Another thing I love? A recipe with very few dishes to clean. I can’t really call this recipe a one-skillet meal, though it’s pretty darn close. The chicken, itself, is cooked with the multitude of spices and vegetables in one big skillet, so only one pan there. But, you’ll want to serve this over rice or noodles for a nice starchy counterpart, and that will have to be cooked in a separate pot.

The last thing I love about this recipe? Lots of toasted spices. Yuuuum. This Indian dish will have you’re whole kitchen smelling like a spice factory. I love toasting spices not just for the aroma, but because of the depth and roundness they bring to the dish. The savory chili powder and garlic complement the sweet cinnamon, paprika and ever-complex cardamom spices. The fresh ginger and garlic lends a brightness to the dish, but the yogurt really mellows out all of the spices so they don’t overpower each other.

Kashmiri chicken is a great way to shake up your chicken dinners and try out a plethora of different spices. And, while this dish may look like it yields a lot, I promise it won’t last long on your table. Mr. Big Flavors and I were sure we’d have leftovers, and somehow ended up licking the sauté skillet clean.

Kashmiri Chicken

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Serves	4
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	45 minutes
Total time	1 hour
Meal type	Main Dish
From magazine	Penzey's Spices

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1 cup red or green pepper (diced)
• 1 cup red onion (diced)
• 2lb boneless, skinless chicken legs (cut into cubes)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 " piece of fresh ginger (grated)
• 2 large garlic cloves (minced or pressed)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 cup greek yogurt or light sour cream
• 1/2 cup sweet white wine (we used moscato champagne)

Optional

• 2 cups black rice (for serving)
• fresh cilantro (for garnish)

Directions

1.	In a large skillet, heat 2 - 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add peppers and onions. Cook for about 7 - 10 minutes, until onions are soft and translucent.
2.	Lower heat to medium low and add all spices, garlic, and ginger. Stir to toast the spices for just about 2 minutes.
3.	Add chicken pieces, season well with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is browned and covered with spices.
4.	In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt and wine. Pour this mixture on top of the chicken. Stir to combine all ingredients.
5.	Cover the pan, reduce heat to low, and continue to cook for about 30 minutes. Serve over black rice with cilantro for garnish.

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Actually, grilling is also a pretty handy alternative when you’re strapped for time or exhausted after a long day. That’s because it’s such an easy way to get big flavors out of your everyday cut of meat. And, it doesn’t take a ton of work or hours of active preparation. That’s exactly why I love this chicken leg recipe. Since work has been pretty crazy lately (ok, it’s been very crazy lately and I’m officially complaining about it), it’s nice to have a quick and easy meal to rely on.

The hardest part with this recipe is actually remembering to marinate your chicken the night before (i.e. do this on a Sunday so you’ll be ready for Monday). The marinade is Thai-inspired, with a bit of heat and sweet from the garlic, lemongrass, and chili peppers. Make sure you thoroughly coat all of the chicken with the marinade, and let the meat sit long enough to ensure it stays tender and moist.

When you get home from your exhausting day, just crack open your favorite beverage and fire up the grill.  Make sure to turn your chicken on all sides so the skin can get all charred and crispy (my favorite part!). The grilled meat has a smoky, spicy flavor and is tasty both hot or cold. These legs are great with a side of grilled vegetables (think zucchini or squash) to round out a light and healthy dinner. And, if you’re thinking lunch leftovers, simply slice the meat off the bone and place it on top of some lightly dressed salad greens.

I’ve missed you summer! I’m just so happy its time to cue up the pork, turkey, chickens and beef. Grilling season is back!

Grilled Thai-Style Chicken Legs

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Serves	5
Prep time	4 hours, 15 minutes
Cook time	30 minutes
Total time	4 hours, 45 minutes
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish

Ingredients

• 1lb chicken legs (about 10 legs)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 large garlic cloves (minced or pressed)
• 1/4 cup jarred lemongrass slices (chopped plus 2 TBSP of liquid)
• 4 small dried chilies
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons oyster or fish sauce
• 2 teaspoons chili powder

Directions

1.	Place chicken legs in a large dish or plastic bag for marinating. Season well with salt and pepper.
2.	In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, lemongrass, sugar, oyster sauce and chili powder. Add the dried chilies. Whisk to combine. Season with salt and sugar to taste.
3.	Pour marinade over the chicken legs. Cover or seal, and refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight.
4.	Preheat grill to 350 degrees. Use tongs to transfer chicken legs to the grill. Turn chicken often, to ensure grill marks cover all sides. Keep grill covered when not turning to keep the heat around 250 - 300 degrees.
5.	Transfer chicken to top rack of the grill (or move off the direct heat). Continue to cook until internal temperature is 170 degrees. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

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Where do you find black rice? Let me save you some time. Because if you follow my line of thinking, there are no less than three potential places that a bag of black rice could be found in the grocery store.  I found the Lotus Foods black rice in the actual rice aisle at our local Wegmans – not in the specialty Asian food section and not in the organic section.

What’s the deal with black rice?  Well, judging by a quick Google search, black rice has been quite the rage since 2010.  This rice is high in antioxidants (the same kinds that are found in blueberries) and rich in iron. Black rice, also known as forbidden rice, is organic, with a ton of mineral content, and also provides a source of protein and fiber. And, it’s both gluten-free and vegan. Overall, it’s a healthy product at a relatively cheap price. And, it’s so tasty! The texture is smooth and soft, and not chewy if cooked properly. It doesn’t taste healthy, like brown rice sometimes does.

The salad dressing is made with a coconut milk, honey, and fresh lime which coats and soaks into the black rice, resulting in a creamy texture. You can really mix up the vegetables to what you have on hand, so I added some cucumber to the dish to provide a contrasting crunch factor.  The mango and cilantro, in my opinion, are a must. These two ingredients bring that refreshing, fresh, summery flavor. This salad is meant to be served at room temperature and is very simple to prepare ahead of time. So if you’re looking for a non-traditional side dish to bring to your Memorial Day party, look no further. This salad will be quite the crowd pleaser.

Black Rice & Mango Salad

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Serves	6
Prep time	20 minutes
Cook time	30 minutes
Total time	50 minutes
Meal type	Lunch, Salad, Side Dish

Ingredients

• 1 cup black rice (we used Lotus Food Forbidden Rice)
• 2 scallions (diced)
• 1 small red pepper (diced)
• 1/2 small cucumber (diced)
• 1 mango (peeled and diced)
• juice from half of a lime
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne oil
• fresh cilantro (chopped)

Directions

1.	Cook rice according to package instructions (ours took about 30 minutes).
2.	While rice is cooking, make the dressing by whisking together lime juice, olive oils, coconut milk, and honey. Season with salt to taste.
3.	Drain rice, transfer to a mixing bowl, add all vegetables, mango, and pour on dressing. Toss to combine all ingredients. Let cool completely (or speed up the process using your fridge or freezer).
4.	Season to taste with salt and fresh cilantro. Enjoy!

Shared with Saturday Dishes

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So, yes, I’ll publicly admit that I am guilty of “sneaking in” candy and Diet Coke via my oversized purse when on occasion. And, no, I don’t feel guilty about it. Because what some might refer to as “sneaking in”, I refer to as “saving my hard-earned cash”. (BTW – mint.com states that the markup on movie theater candy and popcorn is an average of 1,275%. How’s that for outrageous?)

My favorite movie candy? Sno-caps, of course! I love the flavor of the semi-sweet chocolate pieces and the texture of those crunchy, tiny, white non-pareils. What’s even better is mixing up a quick batch of movie theater candy cookies. That way, you can have a bunch of your favorite movie snacks all rolled up into one big, chewy, sweet snack.

These drop sno-cappy cookies are perfect for those days when you want a sweet treat, but don’t really care about presentation. Some days, there just not time to go through all of that extra effort of rolling and shaping dough.  So, with this recipe, you just scoop up a spoonful of dough and plop it on a baking sheet.  No fuss and so easy to do, making it a great activity for the kids.

I added some orange extract to the cookie dough, because I love the combination of orange and chocolate. These cookies are a traditional sugar cookie, using vegetable oil instead of butter and white sugar instead of brown. I recommend sifting the flour so the cookies bake up high and have a cake-like texture. They’re chewy and soft with no crispy edges or middles. So, it’s pretty much the perfect vessel to counterbalance the Sno-caps’ crunchy non-pareils and the M&M’s outer coating.

Can you ask for any more than a super-quick cookie stuffed with your favorite movie candy? I think not.

Orange Sno-Cappies

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Serves	14
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	10 minutes
Total time	25 minutes
Meal type	Dessert, Snack
From magazine	Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 2/3 cups vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon orange extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (sifted)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sno-caps
• 1/2 cup M&Ms

Directions

1.	In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla, and orange extract.
2.	Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix over low speed, just until flour is incorporated.
3.	Add the candy, using a spoon or spatula to fold into dough.
4.	Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop 2 TBSP cookie dough and drop onto the baking sheet, spacing each cooking 2 inches apart.
5.	Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, until cookie bottoms are golden brown. Remove and let cool.

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You will never find me complaining about this kind of weather.  We’ve spent every spare minute soaking up the sun and basking in this warmth. But, all of this soaking and basking can be dehydrating! Thus, the need to mix up a thirst-quenching drink. Enter in this pineapple-mint slush. What a great way to cool down on a hot day.

And the best part? It takes *maybe* 5 minutes to whip up. You do have 5 spare minutes, don’t you? Good. Because that’s all you’re going to need for this recipe. Well, that and some pineapple and herbs. Simply blend up the pineapple with fresh herbs, ice, and club soda. Easy. Done. The fresh fruit lends the refreshing sweet flavor, but does not overpower like a lemonade or sugary juice drink. And, I love when fruit has a fresh herb to accompany it. That’s where the mint and basil come in. Not only are they fragrant, but they’re also crisp and savory, creating a new level of freshness for the drink.

We’ve been making mocktails lately, but you could easily change this into a refreshing adult beverage, too. Simply substitute half of the club soda for vodka. Talk about your chilled drink with a kick.  When the first batch doesn’t stretch far enough, you can walk back to the kitchen to quickly blend up another round. No simple syrups, no muddling, and no shaking required. Just blend and pour.

So even if it hasn’t warmed up (yet!) in your corner of the world, keep this recipe handy for when it does. It’s cold and refreshing, just what you’ll need to sustain the hot, sunny days. With so many fruit and herb combinations, don’t be surprised if you see some variations on a theme coming along in the next few months. I’m preparing for a mocktail binge.

Pineapple-Mint Slush

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Serves	4
Prep time	5 minutes
Meal type	Beverage

Ingredients

• 2 cups cubed pineapple
• 2 cups crushed ice
• 1 cup plain club soda
• 4 fresh mint leaves
• 4 fresh basil leaves

Optional

• 1 tablespoon agave syrup

Directions

1.	In a blender, combine pineapple, ice, and herbs. Cover and mix until a thick puree forms.
2.	Add club soda. Cover and blend until well pureed. Taste with a spoon. If the slushy is not sweet enough, add some agave syrup until you are satisified with the sweetness.
3.	Pour into glass, garnish with pineapple and mint, and enjoy!

Shared with: Wednesday Extravaganza

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Flash forward two months later, and we’re finally using that pizza stone I purchased as a family Valentine’s Day gift. (Don’t you just love using holidays as a reason to warrant purchasing new kitchenware?) Oh boy, what a difference a good pizza stone makes. We finally succeeded in baking up that perfect crust. One that’s crispy and golden brown, not teetering on the edge of crunchy and burnt, with a fluffy interior to chew. (So, if you’re in the market for a new pizza stone, I might suggest you splurge for the Emile Henry pizza stone.)

This recipe is one you’ll want to bookmark for summer, when the gardens are growing and the CSA boxes are over-flowing. The first step to this pizza is prepping the baba ghanoush spread, but with many more vegetables than just eggplant. The spread, by itself, is a wonderful appetizer or super easy, light dinner for the summer months (when you don’t want to turn your oven on). And, its perfect for those of us who like the flavor of eggplant, just not its spongy texture.  Instead, the spread is creamy with a smoky flavor from grilling all of your favorite vegetables. There’s a bit of scallion and red pepper for a bit of a kick, and fire-roasted tomato and garlic to add a depth in flavor.

Then, this pizza is simply finished with plenty of fresh mozzarella, basil and grilled onion. The result is a meat-free pizza that is rich and creamy from the mozzarella and baba ghanoush. It’s not often that we do meatless meals, so I was happily surprised that this pizza was so filling.  This pizza would also be a great fit for grilling. You could actually cook everything from the baba ghanoush spread to the pizza crust over the flame.  So, let me be the first to motivate you to break down and buy yourself a pizza stone. The difference in the crust will amaze you. Then, fire up the grill to bring a welcomed twist to the traditional pizza night.

Baba Ghanoush Pizza

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Serves	8
Prep time	40 minutes
Cook time	20 minutes
Total time	1 hour
Meal type	Appetizer, Lunch, Main Dish

Ingredients

• 1 pizza dough
• olive oil
• 8oz mozzarella cheese (sliced)
• 1/4 small red onion (sliced)
• 6 fresh basil leaves (chopped)

Baba Ghanoush

• 1 eggplant (peeled, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices)
• 1 red pepper
• 1 tomato (cut in half and seeds scooped)
• 3 scallions
• 2 cloves garlic (peeled)
• 4 fresh basil leaves

Directions

Baba Ghanoush
1.	Preheat grill to 400 degrees. Toss eggplant, scallion, tomato, red onion and red pepper in olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap garlic cloves in a small piece of alumninum foil. When the grill is hot, add the vegetables and garlic packet.
2.	Cook the veggies, turning occasionally. Remove from grill when all vegetables are soft and charred, (the eggplant will likely be done last, you want it to be very soft). Let cool slightly.
3.	De-stem and remove excess charred skin from the pepper, remove outer skin of scallion, and transfer all vegetables (except red onion) and basil to a food processor. Process, while streaming in 1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil, until puree is very smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Puree can be made a day ahead).
Pizza
4.	Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Shape pizza dough onto a pizza stone, then prick the dough all over with a fork.
5.	Brush olive oil (we use garlic olive oil) all over the pizza dough. Season with salt and pepper. Place in oven to parbake crust for 7 - 9 minutes.
6.	Spread baba ghanoush all over pizza. Top with mozzarella cheese, grilled red onions, and basil.
7.	Cook for another 10 - 12 minutes until crust is crispy and cheese is bubbling. Serve!

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Share the Big Flavors!

Well, the basic premise was Bourdain pacing on stage, telling stories and speaking his mind. And, there were plenty of video clips to evidence his stories and views. But, he wasn’t preachy or boring. Instead, he was rather clever and humorous.

From watching many episodes of “No Reservations” and “The Layover” I have come to admire how Bourdain can speak so effortlessly and freely, rarely skipping a beat between his descriptive language and insightful thoughts. Think motivational speaker meets world traveler meets stand-up comedian. And, even though I was never really sure what to expect with each change in topic, I still found myself hanging on to and attentively listening to each sentence.

Not surprisingly, one of the major discussion points was the notion that food at its very core is a way of life and an important part of all cultures. He spoke about the Namibia people serving him a certain organ from a desert warthog. By hunting, killing and then cooking this animal, these people are intimately connected to their food.  They anxiously await Bourdain’s acknowledgement and approval.  Obviously, these aren’t 5 star chefs, here. These are people who are proud of this food because it’s a piece of who they are. I think this notion should resonate with most people. When you cook a meal from your childhood or prepare an ethnic dinner, you share this food with your family and friends, hoping they enjoy what they’re eating. That’s not because you want validation in the amount of time it took you to prepare it or the price of the ingredients. You want them to love the meal because it’s a celebration of heritage, family, and an important part of who you are.

What does this have to do with cherry-chocolate chip “cone”olis? Well, nothing really. Except that cannolis are a traditional Italian dessert. And I’ve never met an cannoli that I didn’t like. Traditionally, the shell is made by deep-frying pastry dough then shaping it with a special cannoli mold. The filling is a combination of ricotta and sugar, and your favorite flavors or mix-ins. You could add orange or almond extract, or mix in chocolate chips, pistachios or chopped fruit. The end result is a brilliant contrast between smooth cheese filling and a crunchy outer shell.

These “cone”olis are proving to be a suitable authentic cannoli substitute. I saw this recipe around Easter, and the idea has been stuck in my head ever since. The taste of these “cone”olis is pretty close to the real deal but you won’t need to do any the deep-frying; simply open a store-bought package of small, sugar cones. The key to a great “cone”oli is filling the cone just before serving so it stays crunchy. Another step you don’t want to skip is draining the ricotta of any excess moisture. The filling should not be watery, but rather smooth and firm. We recommend the Polly-O brand for this recipe; it’s our favorite ricotta by far. We chose to stuff our filling with chocolate chips and maraschino cherries, but you can change this up to fit your preferences. I just love the combination of super sweet cherries with bittersweet chocolate.

Cherry – Chocolate Chip “Cone”olis

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Serves	12
Prep time	24 hours, 30 minutes
Meal type	Dessert
Website	Food Network

Ingredients

• 2 cups ricotta cheese (we like Polly-O brand)
• 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/3 cup maraschino cherries (chopped up finely, pat with a paper towel until dry)
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (plus more for decoration)
• 12 small sugar cones

Directions

1.	Place ricotta cheese in a cheese cloth. Place cheese cloth in a strainer over a bowl. Let rest overnight, to drain the excess moisture from the ricotta cheese.
2.	Transfer ricotta cheese to a large mixing bowl. Add powdered sugar and almond extract. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
3.	Then, fold in the chopped maraschino cherries and chocolate chips.
4.	Use a small spoon to fill each sugar cone by pushing the filling down and into the tip of the cone until each cone is completely filled. Mold more filling around the top of the cone to get that ice cream scoop shape.
5.	Roll top of cone into extra chocolate chips, if desired. Enjoy!

Shared with: Simple Living and Eating, Weekend Potluck, Totally tasty Tuesdays

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But, while I’m eating this food, I can’t stop thinking about why I don’t prepare meals like this at home. Really, the ingredients are not hard to find or even too difficult to prepare. And, it’s got to be way healthier than the cheese laden enchiladas or pizzas that I often turn too. I love that Thai food relies on a combination of sweet and savory flavors, and is packed with plenty of vegetables and lean protein. Thus, it’s been my mission since our last trip to this restaurant to be on the hunt for new Asian and Thai-inspired recipes. Well, apparently Bon Appetit and Rachael Ray read my mind, because there are a plethora of recipes for these types of dishes in their recent magazines.

I’m starting with the March cover of Bon Appetit. I was drawn to it initially because of the vibrant colors – purple onion slices, bright green cilantro, and mild orange broth.  The recipe called for turmeric and coriander which just happen to be two of my favorite spices. The method is to prepare a paste with spices, shallot, garlic, and chilies. This paste is then cooked with the coconut milk and chicken stock to create a fragrant broth, naturally sweetened from the coconut milk along with savory notes from the paste ingredients. Then, just cook up the protein (we decided on chicken and shrimp) and add some lo mein noodles. It’s a fairly simple process, and doesn’t take long to pull together. And, since soup is always better the next day, you’ll have a great leftovers lunch!

Despite the addition of the chilies and their seeds, I did not find the broth to be overly spicy. In fact, next time, I might add more of these chilies to “kick it up a notch”. While Bon Appetit’s recipe tells you to cook the chicken and then shred, we decided to take a different approach. To keep it more true to the soup we get from Taste of Thai, we cut the raw chicken up into cubes, and then pounded them into thin pieces. Not only does chicken cook faster this way but I think the shape is better served for this dish.

Chicken & Shrimp Khao Soi

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Serves	4
Prep time	40 minutes
Cook time	15 minutes
Total time	55 minutes
Meal type	Main Dish, Soup
From magazine	Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cans unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1.5lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut into 1 inch cubes)
• 12 medium uncooked shrimp
• 9oz organic lo mein noodles (We used the Roland brand - three bundles)
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Optional

• thinly sliced red onion
• bean sprouts
• cilantro
• lime

Kaho Soi Paste

• 4 dried chilies
• 2 shallots
• 6 cloves garlic (peeled)
• 1 2 inch piece of fresh ginger (peeled, chop in half)
• 1/3 cup cilantro
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala

Directions

Khao Soi Paste
1.	Place chilies in a small sauce pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Let the chilies soak for 15 minutes until softened. Transfer chilies to a food processor and set the water aside.
2.	Add shallot, garlic, ginger, cilantro, coriander, curry powder, garam masala and 3 TBSP of the chili water to the the food processor. Process ingredients until a paste forms, scraping down the sides of the bowl and adding more of the chili water, if needed.
Soup
3.	Use a meat pounder to pound diced chicken into flat pieces. Set aside.
4.	Add paste to a large pot over medium low heat. Cook, stirring and scraping constantly, for about 5 minutes.
5.	Add coconut milk and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Add chicken and shrimp. Let cook for about 5 minutes, until proteins are cooked through.
6.	Then, add fish sauce, sugar, and season with salt.
7.	In a separate pot of boiling water, cook lo mein noodles according to package directions (about 2 minutes). Drain.
8.	Place noodles in bottom of serving bowls, top with chicken, shrimp and broth. Serve lime wedges, bean sprouts, cilantro, and red onion along side.

From what I’ve read, traditional khao soi is served up with a side of crispy noodles, shallots and chilies (i.e. you’ll need to pull out the fryer), but I like Bon Appetit’s substitution with fresh bean sprouts and red onion. You still get the crisp textures, but without that extra work. With some extra fresh cilantro (my absolute favorite fresh herb, ever) and a quick squeeze of lime juice, this soup has a great balance of flavor and textures. I found it to be a great recipe to get a start into the wonderful world of Thai foods.

Shared with On the Menu Monday, Full Plate Thursday

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Talk about sass.  This dog is full of it, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. (Maybe it’s partially my fault, but) Izzy believes everyone should be all about Izzy. And, she’s lucky, because there aren’t too many people who meet her that don’t fall right in love with her. See, Izzy thinks she’s a person (and partially a cat, too). She could really care less about other dogs, but when she sets her sight on a person, she runs right over, hoping that they will dote all over her . It usually works, she’s pretty smart about her approach.

She seemingly has two different personalities – I reference them as the long-haired version and short-haired version. As soon as this dog comes back from the groomer sporting her summer ‘do, I swear she becomes a young, spry kid, jumping and running all over the place.  Then, when she’s got the winter look, wearing hoodies and performance fleeces, she turns into this wise, old woman who looks at you like she knows more than you. She’s much more calm, I’m assuming it’s all of that fur weighing her down.

Either way, long-haired or short-haired, a dog has to eat! And, like all dogs, Izzy is big on food. Treats, wet food, dry food, people food… she loves it all. As a matter of fact, she’s a huge fan of carrots, apples, yogurt, chicken and rice. Healthy, I know. That’s why I couldn’t help but to whip up a batch of these dog poochidatis. Get it? Like the Italian cookie, cucidatis? Except these are for dogs, thus they’re “pooch”idatis. These cookies are full of shredded carrot and apple and use whole wheat and ground oats as the flour base.

With a little egg to bind the dough and some water to moisten it, these treats are pretty healthy and Izzy loved them. And, they don’t contain any of those chemical fillers like you’ll see in most dog treat ingredient lists. I wanted to incorporate yogurt, because she loves it so much, so I ended up molding some paw prints into each cookie and filling them with some thinned-out greek yogurt. Of course, this step is optional.  You may not want to fill the paw prints if you don’t want to deal with a potential mess or if your dog just doesn’t like yogurt. However, I just feed the poochidatis to Izzy on the kitchen tile floor. She’s a fairly pristine eater, and licks all the yogurt off first before munching on the actual cookie.

This recipe will make a bunch of cookies, so if you only have one dog, I would recommend freezing half of the dough for future use. Also, note that I have provided two methods of storage in the recipe below. If you are using the yogurt, you’ll want to store these biscuits in the fridge. They do get a bit softer as they sit in the fridge, but they’re just as tasty. At least Izzy thinks so!

Healthy Morning Poochidatis (Dog Cookies)

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Serves	18
Prep time	20 minutes
Cook time	25 minutes
Total time	45 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup oat flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 carrot (peeled and shredded)
• 1/2 apple (peeled and shredded)
• 8oz plain greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions

1.	In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except yogurt and 2 TBSP water. Use a wooden spoon to mix all ingredients together.
2.	Turn dough out onto a floured work surface. Roll out into a flat surface about 1/2" thick.
3.	Use a biscuit cutter to cut out dog treats. Place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4.	Repeat Step 2 and 3 with remaining dough (or freeze half of the dough wrapped in plastic and placed in a freezer-safe container for future use).
5.	Use bottom of a pestle (or your finger) to create pawprint mold on each biscuit. Make sure the mold is deep and defined. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 - 25 minutes, until biscuits are golden and crispy. Remove and let cool.
6.	If desired, in a small mixing bowl, combine yogurt and water. Whisk to thin out the yogurt. Use a spoon or pipe yogurt into each pawprint mold.
7.	Place in an airtight container and keep up to a week.If you add the yogurt, be sure to store in the fridge with wax paper between each treat. Biscuits will get softer and yogurt will harden in the fridge, but don't worry, your dog will still eat them up!

**Disclaimer: Please note, I am not an expert on pet food and/or nutrition, nor do I claim to be. My dog likes apples, carrots, and yogurt, and to date, I have not read that these foods may be harmful. However, I Google articles for research, just like you probably do. So, like all human food presented on this site, feed these biscuits to your dog(s) at your own risk.

Shared with : Wednesday Extravaganza, Wonderful Food Wednesday, Full Plate Thursday

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