Feast Your Eyes On This: Holiday Recipes For Healthy Eyes

It is no secret that what goes in your mouth affects your health in many ways, including your vision. Nutrients found in many foods — particularly fruits and veggies — can help keep your eyes healthy and your sight strong for years to come.

According to allaboutvision.com, eating the right foods can prevent vision loss associated with some eye conditions such as night vision problems, macular degeneration, cataracts, dry eyes, and glaucoma. Some of these essential nutrients include: vitamins A, C and E; zinc; lutein, and zeaxanthin.

You can find these nutrients in many foods, including: dark leafy greens like kale and spinach, cranberries, oranges (and orange juice), grapefruit juice, eggs, peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, carrots, fish, and nuts and seeds.

Do your eyes a favor this holiday season and include some of these foods for healthy eyes in your holiday menu. Need some ideas? Here are a few delicious holiday recipes, you might enjoy, including one from Dr. Whitman himself!

Dr. Whitman’s Family Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

3 cups or one bag of fresh cranberries—rinsed in colander

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 cinnamon stick (not powder)

1 peeled (not peeled is ok) and diced tart apple

1 peeled and diced pear

Juice of one fresh orange or 2 tbsp orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier

Preparation:

Boil sugar and water on medium high heat until sugar is dissolved. Add
cranberries, diced pear and apple, cinnamon stick and orange juice to
the boiling liquid and let return to a boil. Once back to a rolling boil,
reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes, bring back to boil for 3-4 minutes
while stirring. Take off the heat and when sufficiently cooled, pour into
bowl and let set in fridge. Enjoy!

Baby Carrot Soup

Ingredients:

1 (7-oz.) can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

1 small sweet onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 (32-oz.) container low-sodium fat-free chicken broth

1 (16-oz.) package baby carrots

1/3 cup half-and half

1 teaspoon salt

Toppings: chopped fresh chives, chopped dried chile peppers, reduced-fat
sour cream

Preparation:

Remove 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from can; reserve peppers and remaining sauce for another use. Sauté onion in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in broth, carrots, and 2 teaspoons adobo sauce; cover, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer, partially covered, 15 to 20 minutes or until carrots are tender. Remove from heat, and let cool 10 minutes. Process carrot mixture in a blender or food processor 1 minute or until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed. Return carrot mixture to Dutch oven. Stir in half-and-half and salt. Cook over low heat 2 to 4 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with desired toppings.

Rosemary Roasted Almonds

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Dash of ground red pepper

1 (10-ounce) bag whole almonds (about 2 cups)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325°. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; toss to coat. Arrange nut mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake at 325° for 20 minutes or until lightly toasted. Cool to room temperature.

Easy Salmon Cakes

Ingredients:

3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely diced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

15 ounces canned salmon, drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked salmon

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 3/4 cups fresh whole-wheat breadcrumbs, (see Tip)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Creamy Dill Sauce, (recipe below)

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in parsley; remove from the heat. Place salmon in a medium bowl. Flake apart with a fork; remove any bones and skin. Add egg and mustard; mix well. Add the onion mixture, breadcrumbs and pepper; mix well. Shape the mixture into 8 patties, about 2 1/2 inches wide. Heat remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in the pan over medium heat. Add 4 patties and cook until the undersides are golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a wide spatula, turn them over onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining patties. Bake the salmon cakes until golden on top and heated through, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare Creamy Dill Sauce. Serve salmon cakes with sauce and lemon wedges.

Creamy Dill Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill, or parsley

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and serve.