Lucky dogs get the same food as their owners - New York Daily News ~ Giga Dog

Man’s best friend is now also his dinner date.

Pampered pooches across the city are ditching Alpo in favor of gourmet meals prepared by — and shared with — their owners.

Turns out it’s healthy too, according to the author of the new cookbook “Dog-Gone Good Cuisine: More Healthy, Fast, and Easy Recipes for You and Your Pooch.”

Nutritionist and chef Gayle Pruitt wrote her second book on the topic after last year’s version was a hit. It’s packed with recipes like Salmon Florentine and Tomato-Carrot Soup.

Pruitt began making meals that humans and dogs could eat together after rescuing two extremely malnourished pups a few years ago.

Debbie Egan-Chin/New York Daily News

Aimee Webster and her dog Sprout enjoy Salmon Florentine at their home in Brooklyn.

“They did so well with it,” Pruitt says of her dogs on the new diet. “They became really healthy and beautiful.”

She researched canine nutrition, and found that with a few exceptions, dogs can have almost the same types of food as humans.

“I was really surprised at how little people knew about feeding canines,” Pruitt says. “They actually believed what commercial dog food companies have said — that it is not good to serve your dog real food. To think that dogs should eat out of a can or bag for their rest of their lives, that’s so wrong.”

The Daily News had four New York foodies — who are also dog owners — put Pruitt’s recipes to the test. Find out whether these dishes had dogs begging for more, or playing dead.

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Dog-sitter Maegan Kovatch (left) and Stephanie Keith with her dog Molly, who seems to like tomato-carrot soup.

Sprout, Chihuahua and miniature schnauzer mix

Aimee Webster and husband Doug adopted Sprout from a shelter three years ago. The couple often bring home restaurant leftovers for the 3-year-old pup, as well as experiment in the kitchen of their Gowanus, Brooklyn, home.

“Her favorites are peanut butter, carrots and any meat or ribs,” Aimee says, noting the majority of Sprout’s diet is dried food. “She seems to enjoy it all.”

Webster made the Salmon Florentine recipe from the book, served with plain rice. Sprout’s favorite part seemed to be the spinach and ricotta topping, which she licked off first before gobbling up the fish.

Julia Xanthos/New York Daily News

Berton Rodov prepared curried beef sliders for his dog Fancy. He liked the meat but left the buns.

Sprout also enjoyed the plain rice. But since the recipe didn’t call for salt or pepper, Aimee thought it could be more tasty.

Humans need to season their portion after they separate a portion out for their dog, Pruitt explains. “One of the drawbacks of cooking for yourself and your dog is that it can be a little bland,” the author adds.

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Molly, Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier

Stephanie and David Keith purchased Molly from a pet store about a year and a half ago, and were crushed to learn she had protein-losing nephropathy, a disease most commonly found in dogs that have been inbred in puppy mills. PLN makes it difficult for Molly, almost 2, to digest protein, and that means her life expectancy is shorter than that of a healthy Wheaten Terrier. Feeding her is difficult and expensive. The Keiths spend $62 a week on a formula for Molly, and also give her human food, mostly vegetables and fruit.

Mark Bonifacio/New York Daily News

Brielle Caruso digs into her meal while Rambo seems to already have made quick work of his.

The Long Island City couple invited over their friend and dog-sitter Maegan Kovatch — the general manager at the nearby Square Wine & Spirits, which welcomes dogs in with treats and hosts annual puppy parties — to cook the Tomato-Carrot Soup recipe from the book.

Molly was a bit hesitant to try it at first, but then lapped it up out of a mug. Kovatch and the Keiths both liked the soup, and also appreciated that it was a healthy lunch choice.

“It really would be a lot simpler if we could make something we all could eat,” David reasons.

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Fancy, a Maltese mix

Mark Bonifacio/New York Daily News

Brielle Caruso with her dog Rambo, who for some reason enjoys filet mignon and sweet potatoes as much as she does.

Berton Rodov, the general manager at Sons of Essex, a restaurant and bar on the Lower East Side, got his dog Fancy as a puppy three years ago. Fancy’s favorite food is pepperoni and she loves all things meat, so Rodov made her the Curried Beef Sliders from “Dog-Gone Good Cuisine,” mini grass-fed burgers on gluten-free buns, topped with a curried mayo.

Fancy was initially skeptical, sniffing the food and backing away, but with Rodov’s encouragement, she dove into the meat, leaving the gluten-free buns. Rodov says the recipe was easy to make, but even with curried mayo on top, the sliders were a bit dry for humans.

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Rambo, pug

Courtesy St. Martin’s Griffin

"Dog-Gone Good Cuisine" by Gayle Pruitt.

Brielle Caruso, a brand representative for Caliche Rum, has been sharing meals with her black pug Rambo for years. She’s the indulgent pet parent, while her husband, Keith Witek, prefers they give 8-year-old Rambo pet food. But as a manager for an emergency pet care hospital, Witek gives Caruso guidance on what could make Rambo sick.

“I cook simple food you can make quickly,” says Caruso, who lives in Jersey City. “It’s a nice change for dogs. If I had to eat hard food every day of my life, I’d hate it.”

Instead of making a recipe out of the book, Caruso cooked up two of Rambo’s favorites — filet mignon with mashed sweet potatoes, and grilled chicken with brown rice. The pug washed it down with water from a martini glass.

“He’s a great dog,” Caruso says. “He’s part of the family. And he loves good food just like his parents.”

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New York Daily News

Maegan Kovatch, with Molly, a soft-coated Wheaton Terrier, that she often dog-sits for.

Doggie do’s and don’ts

Some human food can be harmful to your dog. Gayle Pruit, author of “Dog-Gone Good Cuisine,” advises keeping your pup away from these treats:

1. Alcohol can cause comas and even death.

2. Artificial sweeteners can lower blood pressure.

3. Grapes and raisins and can damage kidneys.

Debbie Egan-Chin/New York Daily News

Aimee Webster and her dog Sprout munch on salmon florentine.

4. Nutmeg can cause seizures and death.

5. Onions and garlic can cause anemia.

6. Tomato leaves and stems contain atropine, which can cause tremors and heart arrhythmias.

7. Caffeinated beverages, chocolate and coffee contain theobromine, which can cause severe stimulation and may cause death.

If you are on a mobile device, watch video of Brielle Caruso cooking dinner for her dog Rambo here.

gpace@nydailynews.com

Recipe: Salmon Florentine

Serves: 2

Ingredients

¼ of a 16-ounce bag frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed of excess moisture

¼ of a 15-ounce carton ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

1 Large egg

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups cooked rice

2 tablespoons chicken broth (no onions)

2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets

Lemon slices, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Add the spinach, ricotta, grated cheese, and egg to a food processor and purée.

Brush the oil on the bottom and sides of a glass, ovenproof dish. Add the rice to the bottom of the dish and spread out evenly. Spoon the chicken broth evenly over the rice.

Place the salmon fillets over the rice and spoon the spinach mixture over the top.

Bake for about 20 minutes; when done, the spinach should be puffed.

Garnish with lemon slices.

Recipe: Tomato-Carrot Soup

Ingredients

1 (15-ounce) can diced organic tomatoes

3 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 4 to 5 slices

½ cup red lentils, rinsed and drained

1 quart water or vegetable broth (no onions)

3 medium carrots cut into ¼ x 2-inch sticks

12 grape-size tomatoes, halved

10 fresh basil leaves, chopped, plus 5 whole basil leaves, cut into chiffonade, for garnish

Dash of Celtic sea salt

1 table extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Add the tomatoes, carrots, potato, lentils, and water to a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the lentils and sweet potatoes are soft.

Using a handheld immersion blender or food processor, purée the soup until silky smooth.

Blanch carrot sticks in boiling water until barely soft. Shock in ice water and reserve for garnish. Add the tomatoes, chopped basil, and salt, stir, and cook for 3 minutes more. Stir in the olive oil.

Cut the whole basil leaves into a chiffonade. Stack the basil leaves and roll them into a tube, then cut across the ends of the rolled leaves to make little ribbons. Garnish the top of the soup with the blanched carrot sticks, sprinkle a few “ribbons” of basil over the carrot sticks, and serve.

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