I can get away with saying coonass. My mother’s family hails from Winnfield Louisiana and I suspect I have Cajun somewhere in my bloodline but even if I don’t their cooking, culture and music has influenced my family for generations.
Also, Buddy was a Katrina rescue and while not much is known about his past, I bet he was a fierce raccoon hunter back in the day.
Before I jump right in to the recipe, there are a couple of things you need to know about it: (1) Unlike a traditional Cajun stew it doesn’t have rabbit, raccoon, possum or swamprat though that has given me some new ideas. Also I didn’t start with a roux; (2) It was made for cancer dogs so it’s mostly protein and some veg and carbs & (3) it’s iron rich since Buddy has been seriously anemic.
The protein I chose was fish which isn’t the best for anemia but it’s up there. And it is believed that cancer and subsequent treatment interfere with fat metabolism and/or production and all of the studies about diets I’ve read recommend fish oil as a supplement. After Murphy’s first round of radiation I dosed him with 2 grams of Omega 3 in softgel cap form daily but as you may know that failed so I’m trying to incorporate it into his diet instead. Now onto the recipe…..
With stews for dogs there really isn’t much artistry just lots of fresh ingredients combined with lots of love:
In a Dutch oven start with 2 quarts of water – it’ll reduce down by a fourth but you definitely want plenty of broth in case your cancer dog isn’t getting enough fluids. The first thing to throw in once the water boils is a bag of lentils cause they have to cook for 30 minutes. Reduce heat then combine:
Protein: 32 ounces of salmon from a can (You can use pink or wild pacific.. just make sure it’s totally deboned); a couple of tins of sardines; and a tsp or two of oyster sauce to make it ‘incroyable’.
Then the mirepoix – or holy trinity – celery (2 stalks), carrots (times two), and 2 bell peppers (any color). Onions not allowed for obvious reasons.
Next comes cruciferous vegetables which are essential to the cancer diet. I added a quarter head of cabbage and 2 cups of broccoli.
After that I threw in canned kidney beans (excellent for anemia) and two diced new potatoes as a source of carbohydrates since you absolutely have to stay away from simple carbs in cancer patients… that’s what tumors feed on.
What’s Cajun without the kick so I added three spices: Tumeric, black pepper & Cayenne – is there anything peppers can’t do? Read this great article http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/6244715.stm
That’s it – tres simple… Disclaimer: No Cajun got their feelings hurt during the making of this stew.
Now puppy up and chow down!
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