Chickpeas for pooches
I'm not that crazy about the flavor or texture of chickpeas, but my pooch sure loves them mixed in with her dog food. I also make her homemade chickpea dog chow and treats that she truly enjoys and begs for. Today, I will be going over why chickpeas are healthy to cook for your pooch and how to cook them simply for your loyal companion.
When dried chickpeas are cooked plain, with no additives, such as salt, chickpeas are highly nutritious for dogs to eat.
Chickpeas are quite often used in several natural brands of commercial pet food, such as Taste of the Wild, Boss Dog, Paw Tree, Nulo Freestyle, Nutro Limited Ingredient, Nutro Max, Halo Holistic, Rachel Ray, Dogswell, Zignature, Grandma Lucy's, Canidae Grain Free Pure, Tiki, and so many more.
One cup of chickpeas has 14.5 grams of protein, 12.5 grams of fiber, and 45 grams of carbohydrates. They also contain calcium, magnesium, folate, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin B, and vitamin C. Feeding your dog chickpeas can also be beneficial to their digestion.
Cooking chickpeas in a crock-pot
Ingredients:
1-16-ounce bag of chickpeas
8 cups of cold water
Instructions:
Rinse the dried chickpeas well with fresh water. Pick out any chickpeas that look bad. Transfer the chickpeas to the crock-pot; add 8 cups of cold water. Make sure that the water covers the chickpeas about three inches to the top.
Cover and cook the chickpeas on high for four hours or slow cook them on low for six to eight hours. The chickpeas will be softened when they're done. Allow them to stay in the juice for at least half an hour before taking them up.
Stovetop instructions:
Follow the same instructions as above, but place the chickpeas in a large pan over high heat. Bring the water to a rapid boil; then lower the heat and simmer, covered. Cook the chickpeas for about one and a half hours, or until they're softened.
You can serve chickpeas either whole or mashed, mixed in with commercial dog chow or in homemade dog chow and homemade dog treats.
Note:
In the event that you're interested in making homemade dog food and dog treats, I'll be covering how I use chickpeas to make healthy homemade dog chow and homemade dog treats soon.
