RECIPE: Healthy homemade dog treats 

Local chef Julie Van Rosendaal is out with a new cookbook for your pet.

Rodendaal’s cookbook “In the Dog Kitchen” features healthy, homemade recipes for dogs.

RECIPES

Fish Bait

Ingredients

• 213 g can salmon, tuna or sardines packed in oil or water, undrained
• ¼ cup (60 mL) canola or olive oil
• 3 cups (750 mL) whole wheat flour
• 1 cup (250 mL) cornmeal

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

Put the salmon into the bowl of a food processor (without draining it), then fill the can with water and add that, too. Add the oil and process until smooth. (Alternatively, mash the mixture really well with a potato masher or fork.)

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cornmeal and salt. Add the salmon mixture and stir until you have a soft, sticky dough.

Roll or pat the dough out about ¼-inch thick on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Cut the dough lengthwise into strips, then crosswise into sticks whatever length you like. If you want them firm, pull them apart so that they bake from all sides; otherwise, leave them as is, and you’ll easily be able to break them into sticks once baked.

Alternatively, roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and place on a parchment-lined sheet. Press each one down once or twice with the back of a fork, like a peanut butter cookie.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, until firm. Let them cool on the sheet, or turn the oven off but leave them inside to harden as they cool.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies. Store them in a tightly covered container – and if they still contain some moisture, keep them in the fridge

Peanut Butter Flax Cookies

• ½ cup (125 mL) chunky peanut butter
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup (125 mL) ground flaxseed

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.

In a medium bowl, stir together the peanut butter, egg and ground flaxseed until well blended and smooth.

Roll the mixture into marble-sized balls and place on an ungreased sheet; press down on each with a fork to flatten, like a peanut butter cookie.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden and firm. If you like, turn off the oven and leave them inside as it cools to allow them to harden as they cool.

Makes about 1½ dozen cookies.