This fish broth topping with green beans is a cheap and cheerful recipe that goes down very well and can be made from ready to hand, fresh and frozen ingredients.

It doesn’t take much time, and these ingredients aren’t just good for health, they pass the palatability test with flying colours!

The fish broth is full of great nutrients, including calcium, sulphur and magnesium – and of course collagen, which is a fundamental building block in the body. It’s great for joint and bone health, skin health and muscle mass. Carrots are full of antioxidants and fibre; green beans are a great source of potassium and magnesium; quinoa is high in protein and fibre (and is gluten-free) and flaxseeds, if you are using them, contain omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Even thyme has a role to play with its iron content and antimicrobial properties!

 

Recipe:

Fish broth topping with beans

Ingredients:

200 g concentrated fish broth
700 ml warm water
200g carrots, reasonably finely chopped
90 g frozen green beans
50 g cooked quinoa (cooked previously, taken from the freezer)
A heaped teaspoon of thyme
Flaxseeds mucilage or broken organic flaxseed (optional)

Method:

Start with the jellied stock. This one is so gelatinous that it could withstand dilution with 700 ml of water. If in doubt, add water carefully: if you are at all doubtful, go by eye.

 

Spoonfuls of jellied stock

 

Chopped carrots as ingredient for topping       Frozen beans and quinoa as ingredient for fish topping

Add vegetables, bring to the boil, cover and allow to simmer gently. You don’t want the vegetables to be too soft and you don’t want to allow the water to evaporate.

    Carrots, beans, thyme and quinoa in fish stock as ingredients for a dog food topping (fish stock topping with beans)

 

As the topping cools, mix in or top with some broken flax seeds or flaxseed mucilage if you have it handy (I added some flaxseed mucilage, around 18 g)

 

Flax seed mucilage to add to fish broth and vegetable topping      Fish broth and vegetable topping with added flax seeds mucilage

 

And there you have it! A healthy topping.

Fish broth and green bean topping in Kilner Jar etched with the name Doggy Delly

 

*****

THE TASTING

 

A wire-haired Vizsla dog tasting home-made fish broth and vegetable topping

APPROVED!

 

Important Considerations:

  • Always consult your veterinarian before making any significant dietary changes, particularly where there are pre-existing health conditions or dietary restrictions.
  • If you are feeding commercial food, check the label for ingredients before giving more. Excessive intake of any foods can have adverse effects.
  • Ensure (where possible) that you use high-quality, organic products specifically formulated for pets (or better still, human grade ingredients) to avoid any potential adverse effects.
  • Introduce new foods gradually to avoid adverse effects such as gastrointestinal upset or diarrhoea.
  • I provide nutritional information purely as a helpful guide. Nutritional information on ingredients is obtained from the US Department of Agriculture’s FoodData Central site (https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/index.html) and any nutritional information provided in recipes is based on an online calculator: calories and other information will vary based on brands, ingredients and other factors.
  • Check nutrient levels and recommendations for your dog’s weight, age and activity. For example this nutritional guideline produced by FEDIAF.
  • I am not a professional nutritionist. I am sharing recipes that I have created and tested in my kitchen and that have been tasted and approved by our doggy friends.