Sink your canines into these tasty dishes

EVERYBODY’S a foodie these days — even Fido. So Australian author Kim McCosker, who penned the 4 Ingredients bestsellers, has plated up Pet Cookbook.

Author Kim McCosker and her dog, Johnny.

EVERYBODY’S a foodie these days — even Fido.

With that in mind, Australian author Kim McCosker, who penned the 4 Ingredients bestsellers, has plated up Pet Cookbook, showcasing 60 make-at-home recipes for dogs, cats, guinea pigs and goldfish.

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For dogs, gourmet goodies include K9 cupcakes (rolled oats, apple sauce and peanut butter) and salmon log (canned salmon, cream cheese, chopped walnuts). For cats, it’s meow mousse (chicken liver, unsalted butter, cream cheese, parsley).

Guinea pigs, which are apparently partial to quinoa, can sip on a super smoothie (kale, carrots, cucumber, apple) while goldfish may nibble on peas, lettuce and spinach.

McCosker told the Sunday Herald Sun: “People love their pets because they’re just like us. They not only become part of your home, but your heart. You’re elated when they learn a new trick or have babies, and you’re saddened when they pass.

Dog treats by Divas Treasures get a lick of approval from Hunter. Picture: Jay Town

Dog treats by Divas Treasures. Picture: Jay Town

“I think cooking for your pet is like feeding your family. It’s a process of adding a few more things on to your shopping list to incorporate some variety in your pet’s diet.”

McCosker, who has a finance background, said numbers motivated her decision to write a cookbook for pets.

There are 4.4 million dogs and 3.2 million cats in Australia. Other pets, including guinea pigs, birds and fish, which don’t need to be registered, boost those numbers significantly.

She also researched shopping habits, and found pet food was the second busiest supermarket aisle after fresh food and produce. Testing recipes took a year, a considerably shorter trialling period than for a normal cookbook.

“Essentially, with most of the pet recipes there’s no flavour element to it. It’s protein and fibre. You don’t need to balance the acid with the sweet.”

Significantly, the pet-focused dishes are fit for human consumption.

“They’re human grade and allergy aware, but would you eat them?” McCosker said.

“You could, absolutely, but the human palate is a lot more advanced in terms of sensory tastebuds. Although your dog would devour a muttloaf in a nanosecond, it might be a little bland for us. I’m not saying we now need to be cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner for our little pooches.

“I don’t even do that myself. But I’m saying, just as humans like variety in their daily diet, so do your pets.”

Cats will go crazy for a tuna nicoise treat.

TUNA NICOISE FOR CATS

195g can tuna in spring water

1 small boiled potato, quartered

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 boiled egg

1/3 cup chopped spinach

■ Place all ingredients in a food processor

■ Blend to combine

■ Serve half immediately and keep the other half in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days

PUPCAKES FOR DOGS

½ cup natural peanut butter

½ cup mashed banana

2 eggs

¾ cup self-raising wholemeal flour

¼ cup rolled oats

½ cup water

■ Preheat oven to 180C

■ Line a 12-cup mini-muffin tray with papers

■ In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter, banana and eggs. ■ Beat together by hand

■ Add the flour, oats and water

■ Stir until just combined

■ Spoon the mixture across the tray

■ Bake for six to eight minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean

■ Let cool for a few minutes

■ To make a yummy icing, whip 200g of cream cheese until soft and light

■ Pipe on to the cupcakes and serve topped with a gorgeous little heart made from baked shortcrust pastry