Sweet potato, mung beans, mushrooms and cauliflower waste in goose broth

Here’s another inexpensive, yet highly nutritious mixture that combines leftover goose broth with mung beans, sweet potato and cauliflower waste.

Together, these ingredients provide a mixture of fibres that do different jobs in the gut. Some help give stools bulk, while others are fermented by gut bacteria, producing short-chain fatty acids that help nourish the cells lining the colon. It’s a useful way of introducing variety into the diet without needing a long list of expensive ingredients.

The nutritional appeal lies in the variety. Reliable mung beans bring plenty to the bowl: plant protein, complex carbohydrate, fibre and resistant starch, along with folate, iron, magnesium and potassium. The sweet potato adds energy, its own contribution of fibre and beta-carotene. Cauliflower leaves, which might otherwise end up in the bin, bring further fibre and the glucosinolates that make brassicas particularly interesting nutritionally. Chestnut mushrooms add B vitamins, beta-glucans and some ergothioneine, an antioxidant found in mushrooms, although they contain considerably less than varieties such as shiitake.

The goose stock brings everything together, adding flavour, moisture and any residual meat or fat from the bird. Together with the mushrooms, it gives the topping a rich, savoury umami flavour that the dogs clearly enjoy. The meat complements the plant protein in the mung beans, while the fat helps with the absorption of the sweet potato’s beta-carotene.

A substantial, satisfying topping that makes good use of leftovers. It’s a huge favourite, both before and after freezing.

Ingredients

1.75 litres stock (here, goose stock)
Cauliflower waste/leaves from one large cauliflower
One medium-sized sweet potato
420 g chestnut mushrooms
340 g mung beans, rinsed and soaked for 1-2 hours

 

     

Roughly chopped cauliflower waist and put in the slow cooker. Add stock.

     

Scrub and roughly chop the sweet potato (don’t bother to peel). Cook for around 1.5 hours in the slow cooker or until the vegetables have started to soften.

      add 340 g of mung beans

At this point, add the soaked mung beans and chop and add the chestnut mushrooms.

420 g of mushrooms     

Cook for a further two hours or until completely softened.

     

This mixture made over two litres of this mixture, which can be served with other ingredients or – equally well – as a nutritious topping.

     

*****

IN THE BOWL

Basmati rice, shredded duck, sweet potato and mung bean stew, pollock, cottage cheese, ground pumpkin seed and salmon oil

 

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 canine nutritionist, but supporting research is cited.
  • The recipes shared were created by me and tested in my kitchen – and tasted and approved by our doggy friends!