This recipe is to be used as a treat, not a daily diet!
Combine popcorn, dried cranberries and slivered almonds in the proportions you like. Mix in enough peanut butter, sweetened with a bit of corn syrup, to hold it together. Shape the mixture into small balls. Roll the balls in unsweetened dried coconut. Allow to dry, then store in a tin.
--Karen J. W. (Poiceph and Jardine's lists)
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Spray small skillet with olive oil cooking spray, or coat very lightly with cooking oil. Place on stove over medium heat. Crack egg into bowl and whip lightly. Pour egg into heated skillet. Reduce heat down to low. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients in order given, keeping the cheese away from the edges. Cook without stirring until edges start looking just a bit dry. Fold in half and place lid on skillet. Cook for one minute longer, then turn with a spatula. Cook until well done and puffed up. Cool and cut into slices or squares and pass them around. Avoid bird kisses for the remainder of the day!!!
--Crystal P. (Poiceph and Jardine's lists)
Li'l Miss Kiwi (parrotlet) and Tuxedo (Senegal) are an excellent eaters but I have never seen them devour anything like they do this.
Batter:
Fruit Mix (all fruits should be very finely chopped):
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 12x9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray; set aside. In mixing bowl, blend together the flour, corn meal, yeast and salt. In another bowl, beat the eggs well, then blend in the crushed eggshells, milk and corn syrup. Fold the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Fold in the millet seed. Stir in the chopped fruit mix (be sure to include any juices that have accumulated from chopping). Add water if necessary to make a smooth thick mixture. Pour mixtur einto prepared baking dish. Bake until the top is evenly golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool, cut into serving size pieces, wrap individually and freeze.
To get the fruits I went to my grocer store manager, told him about my wonderful parrotlet and he allowed me to get the fruit I needed rather than having to buy a whole box of everything.
--Judie W. (Senegal list)
Note: This recipe is for a 2-pound bread machine only. These appliances do not all cook the same, so some adjustment may be necessary. I have items listed in order that the maker of my machine recommends they be placed into the machine but it may be different for other models; follow the order given in the instructions that came with your particular bread machine.
Place all ingredients except the bell peppers into bread maker in the order recommended by the manufacturer; if your machine has a yeast dispenser, place the yeast into the dispenser. Set bread maker for Fruit & Nut cycle, or similar cycle. Start the machine. After the beep, add the bell peppers and allow the machine to complete the bread-baking cycle.
*Cook lentils (if not sprouted) or beans according to package directions. Drain very well and allow to cool to room temperature. Pack tightly into measuring cup to measure. If you prefer, you may use a 9-13 bean soup mix or other beans such as kidney, black or navy in the place of the lentils. Or, you could substitute rinsed and well-drained cooked canned beans.
When you're cracking whole nuts for snacking or baking during the holidays, save the nutshells, then stuff them with this sweet potato filling. If there is still a bit of nutmeat in the shell, so much the better -- your bird will enjoy digging out the extra treat!
Sweet Potato Filling:
Nutshells:
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine shredded sweet potato, peanut butter, egg, cereal, flour and polenta in food processor; pulse on-and-off until well mixed. (If you don't have a food processor, chop the shredded sweet potato a bit with a large knife to break it into smaller shreds, then mix everything by hand in a large bowl.) Add the squash seeds, sesame seeds and hot pepper flakes; process or mix just until blended in. Pinch off a teaspoon or so of the mixture, and pack it into the cavity of a nutshell. Press the mixture firmly into the crevices of the nutshell, then smooth the top. Place the filled nutshells on a baking sheet, filled side up. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees F and bake for about 30 minutes longer. Turn off oven and leave baking sheets in oven until cooled completely.
If you have more filling than you do nutshells, roll out the remaining as directed beow to make Sweet Potato Cookies.
Note: I store these in the freezer, taking out just a few each week for a treat. I figure they are OK for a week or two at room temperature, but for long-term storage, I think they are best refrigerated or frozen.
If you don't have nutshells, you can still make a tasty and healthy treat for your birds. Follow the mixing instructions for the Sweet Potato Filling, above. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough just a bit thicker than 1/4 inch; it is a bit crumbly. Sprinkle the top very liberally with sesame seeds, and press the seeds in by rolling lightly with the rolling pin. Cut the dough into strips that are about 1/2 inch wide and 1-1/2 inches long. Transfer to a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 200 degrees F and bake for about 20 minutes longer. Turn off oven and leave baking sheets in oven until cooled completely.
--Teresa M. (Senegal list)
I cannot keep my senegals out of this mixture--they have even gotten on the floor and chased my dogs away from their food so the birds can eat. The senegals love the chicken bones too--they eat the marrow out of leg bones.
Place chicken pieces in a large pot and cover with water. Heat to boiling and cook for about 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot; when cool enough to handle, pull meat from bones. Return boned meat to pot. Add brown rice. Cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the add-in ingredients of your choice. Return to boiling, then cover and remove from heat. Let the mixture stand to complete steaming, adding additional water if necessary. Cool and add vitamins, probac and/or wheat germ as desired before serving to your birds or dogs. Freeze any of the mixture that you won't use within 4 days.
--Janice M. (Senegal list)
In mixing bowl, beat egg(s) well. Stir in other ingredients. Scramble as you would for yourself. Be sure to wait until just warm to serve. You may freeze any unused portion for another time.
Note: This recipe is for a 2-pound bread machine only. These appliances do not all cook the same, so some adjustment may be necessary. I have items listed in order that the maker of my machine recommends they be placed into the machine but it may be different for other models; follow the order given in the instructions that came with your particular bread machine. This is a dense bread and does not raise very much at my altitude (5600') but may be different at lower altitudes.
Place all ingredients except the fruit and nuts into bread maker in the order recommended by the manufacturer; if your machine has a yeast dispenser, place the yeast into the dispenser. Set bread maker for Fruit & Nut cycle, or similar cycle. Start the machine. After the beep, add the fruit and nuts and allow the machine to complete the bread-baking cycle. When done, put on rack to cool. Cut into 1" to 1 1/4" thick slices and cut slices into cubes. Can be put in freezer bags and stored in freezer.
This is something that I make for my Senegal Gracie. There is no real science to it, mostly just a little of this and a little of that, whatever is in the kitchen. Here is the recipe with the ideal ingredients.
Combine the water, lentils, split peas, garbanzo beans, carrots, celery, and sweet potato in a pot and heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes. The trick is to cook it long enought that the beans are tender but to still have a little bit of water left for the couscous, so you may need to add a little bit of water. When the beans are tender, stir in the beet juice and couscous. Cook for one minute longer, then remove from the heat and let stand covered for 15 minutes.
--Kara A. (Senegal list)
The recipe is simple, but my Senegal Piccolo LOVES to rip them apart.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut a sheet of phyllo into quarters. Scrunch up the quarters as you would a wad of paper. Pop them on a cookie sheet and bake until the dough turns brown. (It doesn't take very long at all.) Cool. Watch your bird go nuts. Speaking of nuts, some variations include...
Wrap various treats (half a walnut, an almond, a bit of apple, sweet potato, pear, carrot, etc.) in phyllo, and follow the same directions. I like to vary the type of wrap -- tootsie roll style, envelope, croissant, etc. You can also drizzle them with honey, cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar if you want.
--Barbe M. (Senegal list)