Tag: vegetables

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Kung Pao “Fried” Rice

An easy-to-make, healthy recipe, with a variety of vegetables, protein, and grain. Try doubling the recipe to prepare a large batch which can be separated into portions and frozen for convenient re-heat-able meals.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked rice
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp unsalted peanuts
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup peas (or chopped snap / snow peas)
  • 1/4 cup carrot (shredded or diced)
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger (peeled and minced)
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds

    • Directions:

    1. Cook rice according to package directions. (This is a great recipe to use up leftover rice!)
    2. In a small bowl, crack 2 eggs and scramble with a fork.
    3. Chop the peanuts to a size appropriate for your bird. For large birds, leave them whole or halved.
    4. Prepare the other ingredients, such as washing a dicing the carrot, washing and chopping the snow or snap peas if using them in the pod, and peeling and mincing the ginger.
    5. Place a large pan on the stove and set to low-medium. Add the carrots, peas, peanuts, ginger, and pepper flakes to warm and slightly cook for a minute.
    6. Add the egg to the pan and use a wooden spoon to push the mixture around as it cooks. When egg pieces start to form, add in the cooked rice and stir well to finish cooking all the egg.
    7. Let cool and use the sesame seeds to sprinkle on top!

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    Pepper Poppers

    This is a fun fresh treat for all kinds of birds. Many African Greys and Cockatoos who hold their food and meticulously eat it bite-by-bite will have a blast.

    Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp corn (cut from a cob or canned)
  • 2 tbsp finely diced tomato
  • 2 tbsp cooked black beans
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
  • a squeeze of lime juice (you can even add a tsp of lime zest!)
  • 4-5 fresh jalapenos

    • Directions:

    1. If using canned corn, strain and rinse. Also, strain and rinse cooked black beans.
    2. Wash all peppers. There are 2 ways to stuff the peppers. The first way is to cut off the top and carefully cut or scrape out as much of the insides as you can. This will make more space for the filling. The second method is the cut down the length of the pepper on one side, and you can squeeze the top and the bottom toward each other to gently open the cut and scrape out the insides.
    3. In a small bowl, add the corn, tomato, beans, and cilantro. Add a squeeze of lime juice and mix together.
    4. Fill the peppers and feed!

    Wash hands well after handling peppers and avoid touching your face. REMEMBER, parrot pepper-kisses can be spicy!

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    Macaw-roni Salad

    Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup garbanzo beans
  • 1 cup dry pasta*
  • 1 sm crown of broccoli
  • 1/2 carrot
  • 1 stalk of celery
  • 5 grape tomatoes

    • Directions:

    1. Open a can of garbanzo beans. Drain and wash under running water.
    2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add 1/4 cup of garbanzo beans and 1 cup dry pasta. Cook as long as indicated on pasta package, then drain and put into a mixing bowl. Place in refrigerator to chill.
    3. Wash broccoli well and cut into small chunks. Include the nutritious stem pieces as well!
    4. Wash the carrot well and grate into shreds.
    5. Wash and peel the celery. Cut into medium pieces.
    6. Wash tomatoes well, and cut into halves, and each half into halves or quarters. Never feed tomato stems or leaves to your birds.
    7. Remove the chilled bowl with the beans and pasta from the refrigerator. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and serve.

    * For small parrots like parakeets to conures, try small pasta shapes like stars, alphabets, or small shells and elbows. For conures to macaws, use spirals or large shells and elbows.

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    Healthy Greens

    Dark, leafy greens are great nutritional elements to add to your birds diet. They are rich in vitamins A, C, and K, plus calcium, fiber, and other essential vitamins and minerals. Many that are readily found in grocery stores or farmer’s markets are: kale, spinach, turnip greens, mustard greens, dandelion greens, carrot tops, collard greens, and swiss chard.

    If possible, buying organic is recommended, and always wash and rinse fruits and vegetables before eating them or serving them to birds.

    There are many ways for birds to enjoy these leafy greens. They can all be offered raw or cooked. Some birds like African greys like them strung about the cage or woven in the bars for a fun foraging opportunity. Many canary and finch owners use cage clips to attach full leaves conveniently near a perch. Others like them chopped into easy-to-munch pieces and offered in a dish. If you have a bird that is a picky eater, try chopped greens mixed into cooked scrambled egg or bird bread, or, try coating
    their favorite moist fruit pieces with them to
    entice your bird to try something new.

    Remember to remove fresh foods within 4-6 hours to prevent spoilage.