Pumpkin is Good for Dogs

• Pumpkins are everywhere… I got some pumpkin butter from Trader Joe’s, have not tried it yet…Pumpkin is good for dog tummies…

  “adding two teaspoons of canned pumpkin in you dog’s food helps the digestion process”

  http://raisinghealthydogs.com/discover-the-health-benefits-of-canned-pumpkin-for-dogs

  I made my own version of this pumpkin meat loaf with ground turkey for cici and she loved it…Healthy Digestion Pumpkin Meatloaf

  AllNaturalPetCare.com

  1.5 pounds lean ground beef
  1 cup mashed or unseasoned canned pumpkin
  1 egg
  2 TBSP plain active yogurt
  1 tsp aloe juice
  1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  1 cup of finely chopped parsley
  1/2 cup peas
  1 cup finely chopped cooked greens, such as turnip greens
  1.5 cups rice infant cereal
  1 tsp seaweed/algae
  1 tsp calcium montmorillonite clay
  1 tsp paprika
  1/2 tsp cinnamon
  * Optional supplements

  Preheat oven: 350F
  Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
  Pack firmly into loaf pan greased with extra virgin olive oil.
  Bake for about 1.5 hours.
  Cool & slice.
  This meatloaf freezes very well in convenient, single-slice portions

  

  this sounds yummy and I think can be adapted for dogs, too…

  Pumpkin Whoopie pie

• This Wicked Pumpkin Whoopie Pies recipe is adapted from the recipe printed on the 207 Show’s web site on WCSH6.com (the NBC TV affiliate in Portland, Maine). I have not changed the substance of the recipe, but I have revised the wording a bit for clarity and added some of my own helpful tips and notes in italics.

• I have broken out this recipe into two parts — the pumpkin whoopie pie shells recipeand the cream cheese whoopie pie filling recipe — to make it easier to follow since the cake shells and filling are made separately and then sandwiched together.

Ingredients

• 1 15 oz can of pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups brown sugar (firmly packed)
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (heaping)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Grease a large cookie sheet or line it with parchment paperand set it aside.

I always have needed two or more cookie sheets for mine, but it depends on the size of the scoops you use (which also determines the number of whoopie pies this recipe will make).2. Beat pumpkin, eggs, oil, and brown sugar together until fluffy with an electric mixer. Stir in the molasses.

A handheld mixer is fine.3. Combine the dry ingredients together and mix them into the pumpkin mixture until well blended. The batter will be thick (it should hold its shape when placed on the cookie sheet).

Make sure you measure 3 heaping cups of flour (approximately 3 1/2 level cups) and 2firmly packed cups of brown sugar so you get the correct amounts of each in the batter.

Also, feel free to use different spices if you prefer. For example, if you don’t care for ginger, you could substitute a smaller quantity of nutmeg.4. Scoop large, rounded spoonfuls of the cake batter onto the prepared cookie sheet(s), spacing them at least 2 inches apart.

Feel free to make your whoopie pie shells larger or smaller by changing the size of the mounds of batter. Remember to adjust the baking time accordingly and keep a close eye on the cakes so you don’t under- or over-bake them.

Both Amy and I recommend using an ice cream scoop to remove the same amount of cake batter for each whoopie pie shell and to form the batter into neat, uniform mounds. Using the ice cream scoop to portion and shape the batter helps you make cake shells that are uniformly sized with round edges that are easy to match up in pairs, rather than the unevenly sized shells with wonky edges that often form when anything other than a scoop is used.5. Bake the whoopie pie shells for 10-13 minutes (depending on the size scoop or spoon you used to portion the batter).

6. Cool the whoopie pie shells on a large wire cooling rack while you make the cream cheese

 filling with marshmallow creme / fluff (see recipe below).

7. When the whoopie pie shells have cooled, turn over half of them (flat side facing up) and place a scoop of cream cheese filling in the center of each cake shell. Top with the remaining cake shells.

Use the same ice cream scoop you used to portion out the cake batter to top half the cake shells with a mound of the cream cheese filling.

Ingredients

• 6 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 stick (1/4 c.) unsalted butter (softened)
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 3 heaping tablespoons marshmallow creme (such as Marshallow Fluff)
• 2 teaspoons water

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy.

Note: 3 heaping tablespoons of marshmallow creme is equal to approximately 4 level tablespoons of fluff.2. Sandwich pairs of cooled pumpkin whoopie pie shells together with scoops of this cream cheese filing.

http://www.squidoo.com/pumpkin-whoopie-pies-delicious-halloween-and-fall-treats#module162356029

Pumpkin Bread Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups (200g) flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup (200 g) sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (240 ml) pumpkin purée*
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) olive oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) chopped walnuts

* To make pumpkin purée, cut a pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff, lie face down on a foil or Silpat lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Freeze whatever you don’t use for future use. Or, if you are working with pumpkin pieces, roast or boil them until tender, then remove and discard the skin.

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.

2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts.

3 Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.

Can easily double the recipe.

Yield: Makes one loaf.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/pumpkin_bread/

http://icanhas.cheezburger.com/dogs/tag/pumpkin/page/4#post-3514484736

Pumpkin Peanut Butter Dog Treats
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 large eggs
2/3 cup pumpkin purée, canned or fresh
3 tbsps peanut butter

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place all ingredients in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium for about a minute or until the dough looks like a bunch of little dough balls. If you pinch a piece and it crumbles, add a little water. If it’s really sticky, it’s too wet and you’ll need to add a little flour. Gather the dough together and form into a ball. Place on a lightly floured work surface and roll it out to about 1/4-inch thickness. You can either use a cookie cutter to cut out cute shapes or use a knife to cut squares or strips. I am pretty sure the dog doesn’t care, but I rather prefer the cute shapes. I gather the scraps together and roll them out again and again until I’ve used up the dough. Place the cookies on a baking sheet. They can be crowded pretty close together since they don’t expand much. Bake 15-20 minutes for softer treats or 30 minutes for hard treats (Kaweah likes crunchy treats, just like her person – me). Let cool completely. Makes 100+ 1-inch heart-shaped dog treats.

http://userealbutter.com/2012/04/18/pumpkin-peanut-butter-dog-treats-recipe/