Dog Food For Thought

Our fur babies are sometimes the last we think about when it comes to nutrition. Yet, their health and diet is just as important or even more so than ours. Luckily there's a new cookbook - yes cookbook for dog parents that can guide them to feeding their pups better. Use it and there's a guaranteed difference.

Dr. Judy Morgan, a vet, and her husband, Hue Grant, wrote this informative and interesting book. Yin And Yang: Nutrition For Dogs, (36 Paws Press) It's based on the Chinese belief of yin and yang. There are diets for humans based on these principles, in which certain conditions such as diabetes and  arthritis are lessened  thanks to eating fresh foods and herbs. What is great about this book is that it's chock full of tables and guides. There is a page on how much to feed your dog based on his or her body weight. Another plus is the complete list of toxins . from chocolate to raw salmon and trout. This page should be Xeroxed and taped on every dog parent's fridge. Dr. Morgan and Mr. Grant also have a page debunking popular myths regarding certain meat and veggies. Parents will also be surprised that their pooch's coloring figures in greatly in what foods to give . The second surprise is that the dog's tongue also factors into what to cook for him or her.Also where the breeds originated are also part of the dietary factor.. For example, Huskies, , Malamutes and Samoyeds need what's known as cooling food. while Chihuahuas and Chinese Crested must be fed warm foods  such as goats and chicken as their ancestors were fed.

Do you need to be a good cook to use this book? No. You should be a conscientious one. Some of the ingredients you can find in your local grocery store. Some may take a trip to the butcher's.There are dishes that require rabbit or venison meat. (No worry, Google where to buy them in your area and pages will pop up).The instructions are super easy .It's just mixing such ingredients as butternut squash and turkey with salmon and parsley , and then cooking it all together in a loaf pan.. There are also fancy ingredients like portabella mushrooms and sardines along with everyday ones such as celery and chicken gizzards. Are there dog treats? Of course! Dr Morgan does recommend giving fresh fruit and veggies. Most fruit like melon and bananas are OK along with carrots and celery which can be cut into bite sized nibbles. There is a recipe for dehydrated treats along with ginger cookies spiked with cinnamon. Pup parents  can even make a fruit cake for their fur kids,It's loaded with antioxidant rich cranberries and blueberries. There's even a recipe for the trendy kale chips that owners can steal for themselves.

Yin And Yang ,Nutrition For Dogs is the must have cookbook for all dog parents. Using it will  make your pooch  happy and healthy, with a constantly wagging tail. That alone is the reason to buy this book.

The book can be found at Amazon.com.

Embracing Ayurvedic Cooking

Many today want a cleaner  lifestyle . That can be achieved by embracing the Ayurvedic lifestyle. It's an ancient Indian way of healing through certain foods and practices. Luckily there is a guide  in the formof a cookbook to help us achieve a purer way of living.The recipes are not aid in creating a more balanced diet but they're also tasty.


Lois A. Leonhardi wrote The Essential Ayurvedic  Cookbook.(Robert Rose Press) with the intention of not only having home chefs cooking healthier but also embracing the medicinal benefits of the practice. There are chapter devoted on figuring out if one is a vatta, pitta or kapha the three categories or doshas , These will help in divining what meats, veggies and herbs belong in an individual's diet. Ms. Leonhardi even includes a questionnaire about finding out in what category you belong, Most , according to her,  are a mix of all three. There is some strictness to it , such as sticking to the recipes suited to your dosha as well as no leftovers. All meals must  be made fresh and eaten fresh.. The dishes can be varied though for all doshas as each has a suggestion box at the end of every recipe.There is also a pictorial guide as well along with a how to on turn pantries into ayurvedic ones. There's a segment on the six tastes that make up the diet. They are sweet, sour salty, pungent , bitter and astringent  and all figure prominently in creating the  dishes.

Many of the recipes reflect the Indian diet. Dal, or mashed lentils , figures prominently in a large amount of the lunch and dinner recipes. There is also ghee , the clarified melted butter as well as tamarind paste along with coconut milk Mung bean recipes dot the book ..All meals are highlighted. For breakfast try the fresh made vegan vanilla nut yogurt along with millet breakfast patties that Ms. Leonhardi recommends serving with a poached egg or scrambled egg whites. Since she is Italian, some recipes have an Italian spin  to them. She includes her uncle's mushroom frittata recipe along with an ayurvedic spin on her grandmother's tomato sauce. Cannelini and pizzettes are also adapted for all doshas, with the basic recipe given along with suggestions..It;s not all vegetarian either like the Hindu  Indian diet. There are rabbit , and salmon recipes  plus lamb, pork and chicken ones too Desserts are allowed, in both candy and tea bread. Ms. Leonhardi also includes tea and the creamy yogurt drink , lassi recipes too.

Healthier eating means healthier living.Use The Essential Ayurvedic Cookbook to achieve this. Those aches and pains along with the bad attitude will disappear , thanks to a thoughtful blend of meats veggies and spices blended in ancient ayurvedic recipes.

Method Of Procedure Great Recipes , Easy Style

Everyone thinks that cooking is an art and you have to have that artist's touch to be successful at it. That is partially true however there are some great cookbooks out there to help any home chef become kitchen savvy .A new one. Method Of Procedure by celebrity chef , Thomas Gosney can assist in that. Delicious meals and desserts can be created with his simple instructions to sometimes complicated recipes.

What is great and what I love about this book, published by XLibris is that recipes are deconstructed. It's like having Chef Gosney right there in the kitchen with you. He is an expert chef, having trained at the famed Johnson and Wales University in Providence , Rhode Island  and appeared on the Food Network With Bobby Flay as well as on MTV and Hard Copy. He offers hints and tips that you would only get in a cooking class. His stock recipes are broken down into basic ingredients, suck as meat and bones and then the aromatics or herbs. A third category acid  is added, This is anything fro tomatoes to alcohol to zing up the broth. It does make for a better taste and understanding of how flavors meld together to form a definite taste. His salad dressing recipes are also somewhat similar. He explains what emulsion is, an important process in creating the perfect one. For some of the other recipes he puts directions such as DON"T OVERCOOK in bold letters, just as a reminder to not let the dish head south.

Chef Gosney's book is a mix of old and new, family and trendy.There are many seafood recipes since he is a fish lover.He lovingly writes about a seared halibut with a fragrant saffron broth and a grilled lavender trout that uses the now trending lavender as a flavor ( don't be afraid  -it can also  be used in cooking). I like his takes on homey classics like ambrosia, that pot luck dinner side that he elevates to gourmet level and forgotten cookies which are meringues that are baked in a low oven overnight There are also dishes that are on point right now such as Korean kim chi and espresso herb crusted  bison rib eye steak.Meats.that aren't mentioned much in conventional cookbooks are also included in recipes such as Cast Iron Pressed Pheasant and Dijon and Thyme Crusted Rabbit. He does have vegetarian dishes such as porcini mushroom risotto which he walks the reader through  and collard greens  made with smoked ham or smoked turkey legs. Chef Gosney also has excellent sides such as cauliflower "grits, spiced with jalapeno and garlic noodles.

Method Of Procedure is a great cookbook that helps home chefs expand their knowledge and elevate their skills. Chef Thomas Gosney  gives so many good recipes from appetizers to .desserts.They are fun and funky, trendy and homey.in short the perfect cookbook for today's cook.

Cooking Ischia Style

Ischia is one of the must see resort islands Yes, it is surrounded by the azure Mediterranean , yes it has soft sands, and it's only a quick boat ride from Naples, but there's something else that just as amazing the cooking style, Thanks to its  volcanic vapors right underneath the ground's surface, islanders and tourists can enjoy food cooked both in the island's hot springs and hot sands.

Julia Moskin had the very good fortune to visit this Italian jewel and write about it in tomorrow's New York Times Food section.Ischia Is the less glamorous but still beautiful cousin of Capri and it's best  known for family holidays.It was formed, much like the surrounding area by volcanic activity which also provided the natives with both natural cooling and heating. Wine is  aged in caves carved naturally from  tuff,  the soft rock created from cooled lava and ash. Ischia's high forests were thrust up by eruptions, and these provide shade for the wild mushrooms and pigs that populate the area.The island's nickname is "Isola Verde" green island because the ashy soil is perfect for growing grapes,herbs,beans squash , cactus fruit and a tomato known only to the island, a tear shaped one, known as piennolo. This makes for delicious cooking with dishes such as wild herb fritters, eggplant gnocchi and ravioli filled with foraged greens, Caponata is also made here and is a popular lunch. Stale bread is another staple with Ischiani, with locals making a version of pan bagnat, using a heel of bread stuffed with tomatoes olives cheese and herbs, then wrapped tightly for a few hours. They also make a kind of bagel like bread called freselle that's dipped in salt water first and then served with olive oil  and ripe tomatoes.

Most dishes require either the hot sand or hot springs as cooking methods. Sand cooking or fumarole is not unlike cooking for a New England clambake or Hawaiian pig roast. A pit is dug in the sand, where more hot sand awaits and parcels of food is then placed in it. These are wrapped tightly in layers of  plastic, foil and even cloth to keep out sand and other aromas  and cooked in 350 degrees F sand.. The packets usually have chicken, tomatoes , onions and potatoes, this last added,  to absorbs the juices of the others along with white wine and herbs.After cooking , the parcels are hauled up and quickly unwrapped , drawing an audience of kids along with hungry dogs and cats.Rabbits, another Ischia staple are also cooked this way, however usually in an earthen ware pot. The salt water springs are popular with tourists who cook eggs and potatoes in the 180 degree F salt water pools.There is even a beach Il Fumarole where visitors can cook food or themselves on the beach. Hot springs and sand are excellent for curing sciatica, rheumatism and any after effects from fractures.

Go to Ischia for the beautiful beaches and delicious food but also go for the unusual and ancient cooking method of fumarole. It's a interesting cooking technique using the land and sea.