Two Winter Recipes to Keep Your Eyes Healthy

As the weather turns colder, sometimes our diets can drift. Instead of fresh produce and salads, we gravitate towards warmer comfort foods. In order to keep those eyes healthy, you’ve got to feed your body right—no matter how cold it is outside! Eating to keep your eyesight strong doesn’t mean you can only eat raw carrots though. Check out these two great winter recipes that are perfect for a cold winter’s night and good for your eyes too!

Salmon Soup

This salmon soup is an excellent choice for healthy eyes. It contains spinach, which is filled with lutein to help lower your risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.  It also features salmon, which is high in Omega 3 fatty acids and DHA—a fatty acid found in your retina! When you are low on DHA, your eyes get dry. No one enjoys dry eyes in the winter –so chow down (and warm up) while feasting on this delicious, healthy salmon soup.

Ingredients

• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 lb fresh salmon, thinly sliced
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 bunch fresh spinach, julienned
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt

Directions

1. Saute onion in olive oil until caramelized.
2. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.
3. Add sliced salmon and let it simmer for 10 minutes. 
4. Add pepper, stir and check if you need to add salt. It will depend in the kind of broth you use.
5. Stir in spinach. Turn of the heat. Serve.

(Paleo-Friendly) Carrot Soufflé

I love carrot soufflé. It’s one of my favorite holiday feast treats! The warmth of the carrots and spices can make it taste more like a yummy fall dessert than a side dish or vegetable. Carrots are a great choice for eye health because of the Vitamin A they contain. The beta carotene in carrots are what give them their gorgeous orange color and what helps your retina and other parts of your eyes function smoothly.

This recipe (which also happens to be Paleo diet friendly!) also contains three eggs. Egg yolks contain lutein, zeaxanthin and zinc, all of which lower your risk for developing advanced macular degeneration.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Carrots, peeled and chopped into large chunks
• 1 quart free range, organic Chicken Stock,
• 1/2 cup Organic Coconut Oil
• 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 3 whole Pastured Eggs1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp Coconut Flour
• 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
• 2 Tbsp Onion

Directions

1. In a large soup pot, boil carrots in chicken stock until fork tender, about 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to bake at 350.
3. Drain carrots from chicken stock, and place in a food processor or high speed blender.
4. Puree carrots until smooth.
5. Add coconut oil, lemon juice, eggs, salt, cinnamon, coconut flour, and vanilla to the food processor and continue to blend until smooth.
6. Add minced onion and blend again just to evenly distribute the onion.
7. Pour into a 2 quart souffle dish, lightly greased with coconut oil or grass fed butter.
8. Bake uncovered for 45-60 minutes.
9. Souffle should be firm to the touch before eating.
10. Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve.