I'm not sure why your wanting to cut down on the meat. If you do that, then your going to have to add more protien and iron to the diet. This is what I do for my dogs, and some info for you too:
First off I use Dr. Pitcairn's complete guide to NATURAL HEALTH FOR DOGS & CATS I don't use the recipes (at least not so far) but I do mix up his recipe for Healthy Powder and put one teaspoon over the dogs food once a day.
Here is a list of the food groups in his book that you can feed dogs:
RECOMMENDED LEGUMES:
Kidney beans
Lentils
Pinto beans
Soybeans
Split Peas
White or black beans
BEST-LIKED VEGGIES THAT CAN BE FED RAW:
Chopped parsley
Alfalfa sprouts
Grated carrots (cook for cats)
Grated zucchini
THESE VEGETABLES FAVORITES SHOULD BE COOKED BEFORE FEEDING:
Corn
Peas
Green beans
Broccoli
Sweet potatoes
DAIRY:
Powdered milk
Eggs
Plain non-fat yogurt
Cheddar cheese
Cottage cheese (non-fat)
GRAINS:
Oats
Millet brown rice
Bulgur barley
Whole wheat couscous
Cornmeal buckwheat
Wheat berries
MEATS:
LEAN: Turkey, chicken, hamburger, chuck, duck, rabbit, tuna, mackerel & salmon.
FATTY: Roaster chicken (with skin) fatty beef heart, brains, regular hamburger, fatty chuck, sirloin steak, lamb or pork, (If using fatty meat, reduce the amount of oil in the recipe) organ meats such as hearts, gizzard, kidney & liver. (easy on the liver)
HEALTHY POWDER:
2 cups nutritional (torula) yeast
1 cup lecithin granules
1/4 cup kelp powder
1/4 cup bonemeal (or 9,000 milligrams calcium or 5 teaspoons eggshell powder) 1,000 milligrams vitamin C (ground) or 1/4 teaspoon sodium ascorbate (optional)
Mix all ingredients together in a 1 quart container and refrigerate.
1 to 2 teaspoons per day for cats or small dogs; 2 to 3 teaspoons per day for medium-size dogs; 1 to 2 tablespoons per day for large dogs.
I only make up half this recipe at a time for my dogs because it lasts so long.
Here is how I feed my dogs.
I fry (in dry skillet) 2 pounds of ground lamb and 2 pounds of ground free range ground beef.
I cook 1 cup brown rice with 1/2 cup split peas and 1/2 cup lentils all together till crisp tender, rinse in cold water and drain.
I steam a large head of broccoli, stem and all till crisp tender.
In my food processor I chop fine, 6 fresh carrots with about 4 cloves of garlic, about half a bunch of fresh parsley and the broccoli.
I mix all these together and freeze in 1 quart zip-loc freezer bags.
I then cook up some steel cut oatmeal and add some chopped steamed broccoli and keep in ref.
http://www.bobsredmill.com/index.php
For breakfast they get either 1/4 cup of the veggie/meat mix or 1/8 cup with 1/8 cup oatmeal. For dinner they get 1/4 cup of the veggie/meat mix. Sometimes for lunch I give them some plain non-fat yogurt and mix some kind of berries in it.
They love peanut butter so I buy the all natural kind you have to keep in the ref. after opening. I either make up some really good peanut butter balls and freeze or just give them a spoonful. I do not give store bought treats of any kind. I make my own.
I also once in awhile scramble them an egg for breakfast and add 1/8 of the veggie/meat mixture and some cheddar cheese.
I hope this helps you, but I highly recommend buying Dr. Pitcairn's book and also a must have book is titled Food Pets Die For by Ann N. Martin.
Feeding your dogs real food is the only and best way to go to keep them healthy and happy, and of course for our own peace of mind.
I've never fed dog food to any dog. I've been home cooking for 48 years. My grandparents who raised me home cooked as well, so I just continued after I was married and got a dog of my own.
If you have any questions, I'll be more than happy to try and answer. My major concern is for our companion animals and to try and help their caregivers in anyway I can.
For a great holistic cook book written by an expert on dog neutrition, then get The Smart, Easy, and Healthy Way to Feed Your Pet Now. by Joan Weiskoph
Also buy Protect Your Pet. More Shocking Facts by Ann. N. Martin.
I think you will find these sites very informative and the reason why feeding real is the very best and healthiest.
http://www.homevet.com/petcare/foodbook.html http://www.api4animals.org/doc.asp?ID=79 http://home.att.net/~wdcusick/03.html