Hello to all.

My local health food store has been out of quinoa for a week or so, and it will be another week ot so before they get any more in. I have been using this grain as the basis for my 2 Corgis food. Bulk millet seems to be very economical, at 99 cents/lb. I really don't know how to cook it. Sources on the web are not in aggreement on this subject. Does anyone have experience with this grain? I purchased a pound or two in hopes that I could use it for the dwogs food until the quinoa is back in stock. I also have a bit of amaranth. I have heard this grain cooks up like grits. If that's true, the dwogs won't eat it(they don't do mushy foods), so I have yet to try it.(My husband won't eat it if it's like grits, either).

Any insight to this issue would be helpful!

Susie most grains cook alike and center around steam or boiling. Like the other ancient grains you have experienced as of late you must rinse well before cooking.

Millet only needs a small quantity of water relatively speaking as compared to rice. when cooked in a small quantity of water, although I would prefer chicken broth through out you will end up with a light and dry texture.

If excess water is used, you will come away with a thick, mushy texture much like mashed potatoes, which makes it a very good  side dish.

If millet is cooked improperly with too little moisture, it can become very dense, hard, and not very appetizing.

Cooked to a dry, grainy texture it can be used as a side dish similar to rice or couscous, or an accompaniment to stir-fries or stews. If you want a fluffy consistency, dry and light start with

one cup of millet, Rinse, and allow it to drain completely.

Use a heavy-bottomed skillet, if it is not a heavy bottom you will fight the cooking process. Heat one tablespoon olive oil over moderate heat. This is where the heavy bottom will help you in heat dist.

Add the cup of drained millet and toast it.

The cooking oil is not a necessity, but almost one since it does help to prevent the grain sticking to the pan.

 keep the grains moving while they are being toasted To prevent the millet from burning

 toast the millet only until it begins to change color, otherwise it may burn.

Pour in two cups of hot liquid water, broth, or stock again I would prefer broth 1^st or stock, and add ½ to one teaspoon of salt. Stir and bring the liquid to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and cover.

Leave the covered undisturbed for twenty minutes; then check to see that the liquid has been absorbed into the millet.

When all liquid is absorbed, remove from heat and let  stand covered for five minutes.

Fluff the millet grains with a fork prior to serving. This recipe will give you about four one-cup servings.

Thanks Jay. I knew you would know the answer. Should I cook it in this fashion even if I intend to feed it to the dogs? I will probably save a bit for myself as well..

I have another question for you....I have been using Proden's Plaque Off as part of the dogs' dental program. It contains some type of kelp. The whole foods market I frequent sells different types of seaweed..mostly for sushi dishes I suppose. One of the varieties is Kumbu. Do you think these forms of seaweed would help at all in the dental regimen? The Plaque Off has really made a difference in the kid's teeth...they are sparkly white...so I don't know if I should just leave well enough alone, or try something that I can get locally, which is also important to me.

What do you think?

 Susie, Ya got me on the dental product, I have no clue but if it works do not mess with success.

I will tell you that a good RAW not cooked beef knuckle bone is another good choice that Ms.D and E would love.

I will also tell you that kelp is almost too good to be ignored. Kelp is good to feed on a regular basis for better digestion and its ability to cleanse the digestive tract, increasing appetite, healing from injuries, helps with healthy skin and coat, resistance to parasites and is an excellent source of naturally chelated macro and micro minerals.

Kelp has very high fiber content and is important for the proper function of the thyroid gland. It is an accepted fact to have anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and anti-rheumatic properties and also for its ability to prevent the absorption of toxic metals.

It's a #1 good source of A, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-12, C, E, G, S, calcium, chlorine, copper, iron,  iodine, lithium, magnesium, potassium,  phosphorus, selenium, silicon, sodium, sulfur, zinc, chromium, cobalt, manganese, niacin, riboflavin, thiamine. And in truth I know I left something out but it is one of those "miracle foods"

Oh and yes, cooking that way will be fine for all....Enjoy!

Jay. You are the one with the best info. Remember, though, Eli gets diarrhea when he eats beef products. Not so for Ms. Dix. Would a pork bone be OK? Say a ham or soup bone?

As for the kelp, I really had NO IDEA it was so wonderful. I must say that I have had a lot of trial and error since home cooking for the kids. But, for that past I don't know how long, the kids are great! They have NO SKIN or DIGESTIVE  ISSUES. They don't even need flea drops(which I know you don't approve of). I don't want it to end. I think it is because I started using quinoa. I feel I must continue with the quinoa, with all the fruits and veggies that I use, and all the other suppliments that I use. I recently added the ONP Whole foods Antioxidant Blend, and feel it helps and is easy to use.

Oh, I made a batch of food with millet today. I hope it will help with the continuation of good health for the kids. I had wanted to ask you about it's origins, and make sure it is not a wheat product(I don't think it is). The kids seemed to enjoy it. I added a bit of swiss chard to the mix, which is a first. They seemed to like it. I am trying to use local produce that is in season, and all is well at the moment. My papaya trees will have ripe fruit again soon, so can't wait for that.

Thanks for everything.

 I do not think E will have a problem with a beef knuckle bone as long as the butcher does not cut them in half.
It is the fatty marrow that causes the diarrhea and there is not much present in the beef knuckle. The knuckle is a lot of soft tissue and cartledge that does the excellent teeth cleaning as well as makes a happy dog.

I would not vote for the ham bones, especially for sensetive digestion candidates.
 

Millets are  groups of annual grasses mostly found in the arid and semiarid regions.
 they are small seeded grains often cultivated as cereals. There are literally thousands of varieties
of millet throughout the world with grains varying in color from pale yellow, to gray, white,
and red and has been a food source for thousands of years and its origins come from
the wild pearl millet different from wheat, corn or rice.

On occasion, there has been red quinoa at the whole foods store. Not lately, as they have been out of quinoa for a couple of weeks. It is not available in bulk, so I have not been concerned with it. I always wondered if there was any significant diffrence. I assume not, other than perhaps taste.

It is pretty unlikely that I will be at the whole foods market before the weekend. I did not purchase as much millet as I thought. The next batch of food, made about mid week will need to be rice, amaranth, or a combination of the two. Do you have thoughts on the matter?

Thanks!

Yeah there are not too many dogs with such an exceptional dietician and chef. Just be sure to feed hubby as well.

The hubby ALWAYS gets fed. However, he's a meat and potato kinda guy, so ancient grains are definately NOT on his menu!  I stated he won't eat amaranth(or millet, or quinoa), and I meant it! Sometimes he's a bit jealous over what the dogs have. I just remind him that there's NO WAY he'd eat anything in the mix, and he's in total agreement. Give him a steak with a bake(potato), and he's fine.

In Reading this thread, I became very intrigued. I've been cooking my dogs' food now for the past few months to see if Mason's allergies are food related. I've tried a few recipes, but the one suggesting oatmeal as a base was disasterous for both my mini's. they broke out in hives. Both my Vet and a "Dog Whisperer" I contacted said to use white rice as a base...but they were each disagreeing with the amount. One suggested 2/3 rice, veggies and fruit to 1/3 meat and the other was just the opposite. I cook with a lot of the ancient grains and have a storehouse in my pantry of them. Are they more beneficial than the rice? And if so, what is your opinion on the amount of meat to include. I've also been adding Fish oil, bonemeal and digestive enzymes--anything else I should be adding? My Vet said NOT to add a probiotic for Mason who is currently on antibiotics--what's your take on this advice?

Probiotic benefits are dependent on the organism’s ability to colonize in the bowel. Probiotics should be taken with food or just after eating, food dilutes stomach acids just enough for the probiotics to survive on their way to the intestines where they are required. Antibiotics, do kill the deleterious strains causing infection, but also kills friendly bacteria that are actually helping you eliminate the bad ones.
 A very good visual description is taking antibiotics is like pouring bleach into a fish tank to kill excess algae. The bleach will destroy the algae but will kill everything else in the environment. It is necessary when taking antibiotics to alternate with probiotics during the antibiotic therapy to keep the intestinal flora in proper balance. They can be taken together, but not at the same time of day. In order for the probiotics to be the most effective, they should be taken every eight hours, but the probiotic supplements should be taken four hours after the antibiotics. That said if the vet has other reasons other than what I described, I would be interested to know the reasoning and maybe we all can learn something different, however everything I have read will substantiate what I have outlined.

I use Dr. Pitcairn's recipe One on One to help make my dogs food. One cup grain, 1 cup meat(1/2 lb),  one cup beans or lentils. If you want to make a bigger batch, just double or triple the cups. I always add 2-3 cups veggies to each batch. Carrots, celery, broccoli, squash, apples, pears, melons, tomatoes, all sorts of greens, you name it.

Probiotics are essential to replenishing intestinal flora during or after antibiotics, but you must time the dose the way Jay outlined earlier.

I have found that my kids do great on quinoa and millet. I almost never use rice anymore, so, what do you have to lose? Perhaps the acient grains are just what they need. Protien, mineral, and iron content are also a bit higher, resulting in more nutritionl benefits.

Best of luck! Keep us posted!

I just wanted to add an update regarding the suppliments that are part of the diet. I use Brewer's yeast and garlic tabs(for skin and coat), ONP Super Daily Vits + Skin and Coat, ONP Whole Foods Antoxidant Blend, ONP Icelandic Salmon Oil, ONP GI Support, and , on occasion, CoQ10. E also gets In Clover K9 Connectin for his arthritis.

The kids do great on this regimen, and the One on One diet. Dix seems a little itchy right now, but, I think it is because of a particular orchid in bloom in the yard, as she started to itch after it bloomed. It last bloomed 3 years ago, so, what can I do?