"He loves me, he loves me not..." Fortunately, that's something you never have to worry about with your dog. He'll love you through thick and thin, no matter how you look or how much money you have. It doesn't get any better than that for Valentine's Day!
Your dog gives you unconditional love, and you love him with all your heart, too. But you can do one thing your dog can't: You can make him some delectable Valentine's goodies as an extra special treat. (If your dog had opposable thumbs and could read, he would do the same for you.)
Here are three of our favorite Valentine's treat recipes from the Interwebs. They're so good you might be tempted to have a bite yourself. (Well, maybe not the liver treats...)
Carob-Dipped Valentine's Day Dog Treats
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1/2 cup beef or chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1/4 cup cooking oil
- 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 cups carob chips
Preheat oven to 300 F.
- In a large bowl, combine egg, applesauce, broth, honey, molasses and oil. Gradually stir in flour.
- Dough should be stiff, add flour or water to adjust.
- On a well-floured surface, roll out dough into 1/4 inch thickness.
- Use a heart shaped cookie cutter to make shapes from the dough
- Place on lightly greased cookie sheets and bake for 30 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown.
- Melt carob chips in microwave or double boiler.
- Dip half of the heart into the melted carob.
- Place cookies on waxed paper and let stand until carob is set.
- Red Velvet Pupcakes
Red velvet is all the rage in the world of cupcakes these days. So why not try these crimson-hued beauties on your best friend? Beet juice gives them their color, an whole-wheat flour gives them fiber. The cottage cheese icing helps make these trendy treats a balanced meal.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 cup applesauce
- 1/3 cup beet puree or fresh beet juice
- 1 and 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
Cooking Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a six-cup muffin tin with muffin cups.
- In a large bowl whisk together oil, applesauce and beet puree.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Slowly stir flour mixture into the wet ingredients.
- Spoon batter into muffin cups to three-quarters full and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the pan and cool on a rack.
- In the bowl of a food processor, puree cottage cheese until smooth, about 30 seconds. Keep frosting refrigerated until cupcakes are completely cool. Frost and serve.
Nothing says "Be my Valentine" better than a blender full of raw beef liver. You have to love your dog a lot to pop that special ingredient into your blender and then make yourself a smoothie in it the next day. These treats are very nutritious and judging from our dogs' reactions, very delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh raw organic beef liver or chicken liver
- 3 free range eggs
- 1/4 cup canola or other vegetable oil
- 2 cups instant oats
- 1 Tbsp applesauce (optional)
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
- 3 Tbsp powdered kelp
- Filtered water sufficient to make a batter
Preparation
Process the liver in a blender or food processor until completely pureed. Beat the eggs in a bowl and pour in the oil. Add the liver. Mix in the dry ingredients slowly, stirring continuously so they are thoroughly combined. Add water gradually, until you have a "batter" consistency. Pour this batter into a loaf tin. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Cool in the tin until able to be handled, then gently turn the loaf out onto a rack and refrigerate to cool completely. Cut with heart-shaped cookie cutter. Store in a sealed container.