We’re back at the BBQ!
We’re having so much fun giving our favourite traditional BBQ foods a dog friendly make-over. This time of year, I am constantly out on the deck, firing up the grill. There is something so summery about food cooking over fire.
When you’re entertaining, you don’t want to make anything that is going to keep you tied up in the kitchen.
Barbeques are for hanging out with your friends and enjoying the day, not for being trapped in the kitchen. I love to make simple, flavourful foods that can make up ahead of time, toss on the grill and cook quickly, so I can get back to the party.
Shish kebabs are the perfect make ahead meal.
You can marinade the meat the night before, stab them onto sticks during the day and have them ready for a quick grill at dinner time. With some bright fresh flavours, like lime and cilantro, these tasty kebabs will be a hit with pups and people.
Kebabs:
2 lbs. beef, chicken or lamb
Sweet Bell Peppers
Zucchini
White Mushrooms
Grape Tomatoes
Marinade:
3 tbsp. fresh lime juice (We ran out of limes, so we used lemon and it still tasted great!)
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro
¼ tsp. ground cumin
1 small clove garlic – optional
Let’s do it!
Chop chicken, steak or lamb into cubes. Thoroughly clean mushrooms. In a sealable bag, combine lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, cumin and garlic (optional). Add meat cubes to the bag, tossing to coat. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible and place in the fridge overnight (or for several hours).
Once the meat has been marinated, it’s time to build your kebabs. If you are using wooden or bamboo shish kebab skewers, they should be soaked in water for an hour prior to using. Chop zucchini and peppers into chunks. Build your skewers alternating meat and veggies. (My dogs and many other dogs are not really fans of tomatoes or mushrooms, so I made a few kebabs just for them with just meat, zucchini & peppers.) Use the leftover marinade to baste the kebabs
Grill kebabs over medium heat, basting and turning to cook all sides, until the beef is medium-rare, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve. (We like them with the pasta salad from last week!)
Author’s Note: Garlic, mushrooms & tomatoes often show up on lists of foods that are “toxic” to dogs. While there is some truth the idea, it is not the whole story. In the small, cooked amounts used for seasoning or therapeutic use, we believe garlic to be safe and potentially beneficial. Many varieties of mushrooms are dangerous, however the common white mushroom is not included in that warning. Leaves and stems of tomatoes are dangerous, but the sweet fruit is not. We encourage you to research the reasons behind toxicity warning and decide for yourself if you are comfortable feeding them to your dogs.
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.
I constantly campagne not to feed my dog “people food”. After two Golden Retrievers who ate everything in sight, having a Havanese is a breeze, or the total opposite. My little fellow hardly eats anything. Sometimes, he’ll skip meals! I’ll bet feeding your dog the same food you eat saves $$$$ but I’m leary.
Rosemary
I can understand why you would be leery Rosemary! There are so many foods out there that are either unsafe for your dogs or cooked in a way that makes them a really bad choice. That’s why we started Cooking with Dogs – to show people what foods *are* safe to share. There really is no such thing as “people food”. Dog food is just food that has been processed into a kibble shape. Our recipes are not meant to replace your regular dog food, rather as a special treat once in a while, so it’s not really the cost that is our motivation, just to give healthy real food treats that are better for your dog than the average dog treat.
I know that at our BBQs for friends and family a whole lot of people slip food to my dogs. They’re trying to be nice, but like you, that was a real concern for me! I want to make sure those secret treats are not only safe, but actually GOOD for them!
I literally always want to eat your “dog” food! Looks great! haha
Another great dog/master recipe. Keep them coming!
Felisa,
Absolutely adore the photos for this post! Yum!
Oooh, those look yummy! What a great BBQ meal for the *entire* family (whether they have two paws or four!)
This is genius! It always makes me nuts when people feed their dogs unhealthy “peple” food…
I’d like to apply to be your new puppy – love what you are serving mama!
This looks so good! I am going to share with my sister!!Thanks!
Is my comment not showing up? I commented before but I think this is such a great idea. I am going to send to my sister!
Forget the dogs – I want some!
I don’t have dogs, but these do look delicious.
I have to pass this on to my sister. This looks delicious!!!
as a gluten free household, I hear some pets do better gf. I bet this is helpful to offer them wholesome foods that we eat as well!
Oh sooo not going to the dogs- that is for me!! DELICIOUS!!
Love your blog. I pinned your logo.
I definitely will have to try this out for my dog, Gwen. She would love them, I’m sure. Thanks for sharing!
Looks delicious!! Some hearty eats for the pups!! I share my fish with my cat 🙂
Those are some lucky pooches!!!