Cooking for Dogs Sesame Beef with Garlic Beans

I suppose that some people would call my dogs spoiled.
They have lots of toys, frequent walks, a high-quality diet and a human that loves to make them snacks. If that makes them spoiled, then so be it. We prefer to think of them as well-loved – and maybe a little lucky. Over the past few weeks, I’ve loved hearing how often people comment that our Cooking with Dogs treats look good enough for the humans to eat.



That’s because they are!
Everything we have shared so far is just as good for people as it is for pups. Here at Casa de Kolchak, we believe that there’s no “dog food” and “people food”. There’s just food and it’s our goal to show you how fun and easy it can be to share a little bit of fresh, delicious fare with your dogs. They’ll love you for it and learning to cook “dog-friendly” has really improved my diet too. I’m way less likely to cook a meal with lots of added fat or sugar if I know that leaving it out means I can share.
Sometimes an awesome dog treat can be as simple as setting aside some things as you cook your own dinner.
For example, one of my absolute favourite meals is Sesame Beef with Garlic Beans. It’s so tasty and really easy to make – and the dogs love the version of it that I make for them. No added work, no special recipe, just a bit of planning ahead. If you’re not a fan of beef, this recipe would turn out great with chicken or even tofu, though I don’t recommend sharing soy with your pets.

Here’s what you need:
½ lb. of beef sirloin
Sesame oil (sometimes I cheat & use evoo)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
¼ c. sesame sauce (bought or homemade)
Pepper
2 cups beans, washed, drained and trimmed
1 small clove of garlic

Cut the beef into 1” thick strips. In a wok or pot, heat the sesame oil and add the beef strips. Stir-fry them until desired tenderness is reached, approximately 5 minutes.

Set aside a small, size appropriate portion of meat for your dog. Season the remaining meat with pepper and pour the sesame sauce over it, coating each piece.

In a separate pan, heat a tsp. of oil over medium heat. Toss beans & garlic in oil and stir fry until tender, about 4-6 minutes. Set aside a portion for your dog. Since beans are really low calorie feel free to indulge your dog with a generous serving (I believe the small amount of garlic used for seasoning is not harmful and may even have some cool health benefits, but if the garlic makes you nervous, you can absolutely remove your dog’s portion of beans and then add the garlic.)
Arrange the plain beef over beans for your dog and the sesame beef over beans for yourself. Sprinkle both liberally with sesame seeds and serve.
Voila! A tasty dinner for you and your pups!
Since this recipe is not nutritionally complete, I wouldn’t serve it every day, but as a special treat from time to time, you can absolutely share a tasty meal with your dogs. They’re going to love it!

Jodi is a canine nutrition and small animal naturopathy student hailing from beautiful Vancouver, BC. (That’s in Canada, eh?) She loves to experiment in the kitchen, creating tasty (and healthy) treats for her two dogs, Felix & Kolchak and the rest of her family. Jodi’s blog, Kol’s Notes follows the antics of the irrepressible Kolchak as he celebrates good food, good friends and the good life.