dinner with the parrots

[crossfit]

So, I am totally obsessed and as you know, my lil Hawkins is still living at the breeders. So my life has become parrot focused.

 

So today, I planned dinner based on a recipe from the Congo. I found this online cookbook when I was trying to research what they eat in the wild, which led me to what foods actually originated there vs being brought in centuries and centuries ago (like chicken was there about the time that Egypt was ruling the world in the 2000 bc period and cinnamon around 1000 bc).

 

So, here is a dinner I could share with my fids and comes from the congo:

 

 

 

http://www.congocookbook.com/soup_and_stew_recipes/groundnut_stew.html

 

Tonight I am making it with tofu instead of chicken so you vegetarians can eat this too. I am just frying the tofu slices (use either very firm tofu or drain the tofu on paper towels and press slightly with a plate to remove extra moisture)

 

To adjust for eating with the birds I would leave out the salt, onion, garlic, and I might try and use red palm oil for the oil since that is most likely what is used in the Congo and also excellent for them. I might also make it spicier for my birds than for me. I like it mild.<br><br>Post edited by: crossfit, at: 2010/03/17 01:21

[Luvparrots]

What a great idea! Oh what fun you must be having! You must let us all know how it tasted!

[JillyBeanz]

What a great recipe! Thanks for sharing this ~ I may even have a try myself!!!

[crossfit]

It was really good. Both hubby and son liked it too.

[SunnyBird]

Definitely sounds like an interesting recipe and I bet the tofu suited it well. I suppose you also left out the shrimp? You don't have to leave out the onions and the garlic. I use them in my cooking almost every day (I live in Greece, after all, home of the Mediterranean Diet!) and these ingredients, since they are cooked, have no ill effect on my fid who usually shares dinner with us, whatever it is. (He won't have it any other way....)

[danmcq]

Sounds very good.

 

Thanks for sharing this. :-)

 

Karma.....

[Greywings]

Sounds like fun and look forward to hearing how the resulting effort was received.

[crossfit]

Thanks Sunny. I wondered about that. I don't know if I could live without my garlic.

[danmcq]

Sunnybird is right. "Cooked" Onions and Garlic are fine in SMALL quantities, as you would find in a prepared meal.

 

However, Onions and Garlic whether cooked, raw or dehydrated, contain sulfur compounds that, when chewed, are hydrolyzed to thisulfinates. Thiosulfinates decompose to a number of disulfides, including dipropenyl disulfide (or n-propyl disulfide), which appears to be the most toxic disulfide. These disulfides are oxidizing agents that can cause hemolysis or a rupture of red blood cells.

 

The toxicity of onions is based on their disulfide concentration, which is increased when they are grown in soil high in sulfur. Sulfur is a widely distributed element found in abundance in the soil in both free and combined states.

 

In addition to the compounds found in these plants that cause red blood cells to rupture, resulting in anemia, they can also cause irritation to the mouth, esophagus and crop, and can cause ulcers, although this damage is probably more severe in mammals.

 

The sulfur compounds found in these plants cause red blood cells to rupture in animals, and dogs, cats and cattle seem particularly sensitive to this problem. Because birds have nucleated red blood cells, and mammals do not, it is thought that this somewhat protects them from the affects of Heinz body hemolysis.

 

Heinz bodies are pieces of oxidized hemoglobin that are found on still-intact red blood cells (RBCs). If enough RBCs are ruptured from the ingestion of these compounds found in onions and garlic, this will result in anemia. Red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen to the tissues and for removing carbon dioxide, as well. As the number of RBCs decreases, the animal becomes weaker, and the gums and tissues also become pale.

 

The good news is that the red cells can be replaced by the body as long as the hemolysis stops. In dogs, it takes several days for the red cell count to reach the lowest point after a single large exposure. In chronic exposure at low doses, the anemic effect is lessened because RBCs, also called erythrocytes, are being regenerated as they are being destroyed.

 

Allicin, which gives garlic its odor, is also a strong oxidant. In rare cases, this chemical can be dangerous and can cause Heinz body hemolytic anemia, as well.

 

A study done specially on our Avian friends has not been conducted, that I know of.

 

So as always, it is always better to error on the side of caution and moderation.