Added Collards to Bird Mash today.

[lovethatgrey]

Today was Mash preparation day. Yesterday I did the grocery shopping and soaked the necessary legumes and lentils. This time I decided to add collards which I have never eaten in my whole life. I steamed them before chopping and pureed them with the legumes. I also added steamed baby bokchoy and boiled the brown rice using homemde chicken broth which I always have in the freezer. The orange color is Butternut squash, sweet potato and carrots for much needed vitamin A. I cook the chopped carrot together with the rice. The squash and sweet potatoe's are steamed instead of boiled in order to retain nutritional value. I mash everything so my parrots cannot pick and choose what they wish to eat.{Feel-good-00020114}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post edited by: lovethatgrey, at: 2009/07/04 18:13

 

Post edited by: Talon, at: 2009/07/04 22:49<br><br>Post edited by: Talon, at: 2009/07/04 23:00

[Tycos_mom]

Yum yum yum Bet your baby's just love it what a good mommy

[lovethatgrey]

Yep! They dug in and tend to eat ALOT less pellets when they have sprouts, fresh vegetables{Feel-good-00020114} and mash available to them too.

 

I really make of point of not over cooking anything either because it destroys vitamins.

 

{Feel-good-00020114}

[Luvparrots]

Wow that looks very yummy!!!!

[judygram]

Maybe you could share your preparation or recipe for this mash, it looks yummy and others would probably appreciate it also, karma for you if you do.

[lovethatgrey]

I don’t have a specific recipe or measurements, however I am glad to share how I cooked today’s Mash. Each time I prepare Birdie Mash it is never exactly the same because I really try to vary the ingredients for nutritional reasons as well as to provide something different.

 

I also keep in mind that I wish to provide a product that provides complex carbohydrates and a complete protein. I do not use any canned food, nor salt, or onions. I also try to cook in a way to conserve as much vitamin content as possible and to keep the number of pots used to a minimum because I hate washing dishes.

 

Please note that I only have 2 parrots so I make enough to freeze in 8 small containers with 3 portions in each container.

 

The day before preparation I soak my legumes in water for 12-24 hours. This helps decrease cooking time and helps to get rid of certain toxins. For this particular mash - I used the following ingredients.

 

· 1 and ½ tablespoons of dried red kidney beans

· 1 and ½ tablespoons of dried garbanzo beans or (chickpeas)

· 2 heaping tablespoons of red lentils

· ¾ cups of brown rice

· 1 large garlic clove (chopped finely)

· ½ stalk of celery (chopped finely)

· Homemade chicken broth or water – (Chicken broth should NOT contain any SALT

· ½ of a Large carrot (chopped finely)

· 1 tablespoon of HOT jalepeno peper ( chopped finely)

· 2 or 3 leaves and stalks of collards

· 4 or 5 leaves and stems of baby bok choy (chopped finely)

· 1 and ½ cups of raw sweet potato

· 1 cup of raw butternut squash

· 3 or 4 dashes of dried chilli peppers

 

I soaked the kidney beans and garbanzo beans together in water in the same pot. The red lentils I soak in a different pot. Soak for 24 hours.

 

Preparation:

 

Drain the kidney and garbanzo beans and rinse well. Place in pot of water. Only put enough water so that there is about 1 inch of water above the beans. Turn heat up to maximum until you get a rolling boil and then lower the heat to simmer and cover partially until beans are done. Usually takes about 15-20 minutes at this point. While beans are cooking this is when you can do all the chopping and washing of vegetables. When beans are done, drain and put aside. Now you can use the same pot for your rice mixture.

 

 

Use your pot to rinse brown rice and soaked red lentils very well using your hands under cool running water. Add all chopped ingredients, chopped bok choy and red lentils to pot. Add your dried chilli peppers and chopped garlic too. Once all the rice and chopped ingredients are in your pot you add your chicken broth or water to the same pot but the liquids should not be higher than ¾ of an inch above the ingredients that are in the pot. Bring the pot to a boil and then turn heat down to low until all most of the water is absorbed in to the rice. When there is almost no liquid left turn off the heat, leave pot on burner and cover with lid. Do not touch pot or cover for 10-15 minutes. The rice will continue to absorb the left over liquid.

 

While this is happening you wash collards, chop and peel your sweet potato and squash.

 

I steam my collards by using a pot of boiling water on the bottom and a steamer on top. So place your washed collards in the steamer and cover. Turn the heat up. When the water starts to boil in the pot, turn off the heat and let sit for about 2 to 3 minutes covered. Then remove collards from steamer.

Now is when you can place your slices of raw squash and sweet potato in steamer and steam until ready. During this time you can chop your collards in very small pieces. When finished chopping I take out my cuisinart electric hand blender and chopper

 

http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CSB-77-Blender-Chopper-Attachments/dp/B0006G3JRO

 

 

and place the cooked beans and collards in and chop it all very finely. I do this in order to puree the beans and collards together into a relatively smooth paste. My goal is to offer my parrots balanced nutrition. I don’t want them being able to decide what is healthy for them and what is not.

 

You might have to add some liquid to the mixture to help the process. I like to add about 1 tablespoon of warm chicken broth or water. Once everything has been chopped nice and fine and I’ve attained my “bean paste” I check on my sweet potatoes and squash.

 

When they are cooked and tender I remove them from the steamer and place them in a very large mixing bowl. I take a potato masher /spud masher and I mash the potato and squash until it looks like puree, then I add my bean paste and my rice mixture which has been sitting all of the while and I mix everything all together until well blended. The result is what you see in the picture.

 

Once cooled down I place in small containers and freeze.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Post edited by: lovethatgrey, at: 2009/07/04 23:11<br><br>Post edited by: Talon, at: 2009/07/05 00:22