Tag: beans

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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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    Red-hot Roasted Garbanzos

    Ingredients:

  • 1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas) -low sodium
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil (or coconut oil)
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. chili flakes

    • Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 400′ F.
    2. Drain garbanzo beans into a colander and rinse well. Spread them out onto a clean cloth or paper towel and gently pat them dry.
    3. Place the garbanzo beans into a bowl and add oil and spices. Mix until all beans are coated.
    4. Spread beans onto a foil-lined baking pan and bake for about 40 minutes, or until crunchy.
    5. Store in a ziplock bag or air tight container

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    Healthy Parrot Pasta

    This is a fast, easy recipe that has a lot of color, flavor, and different textures to encourage birds to eat healthy.

    It is also very flexible; the ratios of beans to vegetables to pasta can be changed to accommodate individual tastes. Pictured below is equal parts beans to vegetables and a third part pasta. Keep in mind, 2-3 cans of beans will make a very large batch, but is only recommended to add more variety to the mix. One can of a single type of bean is great too.

      Ingredients

    •1-3 cans of various beans (red kidney, garbanzo, white cannellini, black beans, pinto beans, black eyed peas)
    •1 bag frozen vegetable mix (may include corn, carrot, peas, green beans, lima beans, bell peppers, and more)
    •Pasta of choice (wheat pasta or vegetable pastas are great for this recipe)
    •Tomato marinara optional

      Directions

    1. Begin by bringing a pot of water to a boil. (One large enough to accommodate all ingredients.)

    2. Add in dry pasta, it will require the longest cooking time. Usually 9-13 minutes depending on the type.

    3. Measure the frozen vegetable mix into a strainer and briefly run hot water over it before adding it into the boiling pasta to keep the cooking time minimal. The frozen vegetables usually require 6-8 minutes to be fully soft.

    4. Open the beans and pour them into a strainer and thoroughly rinse them. Add them to the cooking pasta and vegetables. They will only need about 3-5 minutes of boiling, enough to heat them up as canned beans are already fully cooked.

    5. Added in this order, everything should be done by the time the pasta has completely cooked. Strain the cooked mixture, let cool, and serve! Freeze leftovers for an easy, quick treat later that takes only a minute or two to re-warm.

    Optional: Place the cooled serving into a sealable container. Add a 1-2 teaspoons of tomato marinara and close the lid tightly. Shake for a light, even coating of marinara over the whole mixture. Sometime this can encourage picky eaters to eat their vegetables.