Recipes for Eye Health: Zucchini
Zucchini is a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, beta carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc and manganese. Vitamin C aids in the prevention of cataracts and lutein and zeaxanthin help reduce the risk of macular degeneration.
Zucchini is a versatile vegetable that can grated, chopped and baked and trending at the moment is zuchinni pasta. Another great way however to enjoy this eye friendly food is by stuffing it!
I have included below an easy recipe from one of our favourite preventative health websites Foodmatters for Mexican stuffed Zucchinis a great dish to try over the weekend.
Mexican Stuffed Zucchinis
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large zucchinis, halved
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Superfood Salsa
- ¼ cup black beans
- ¼ cup pepita seeds
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- Handful coriander, roughly chopped
- 1 medium tomato, diced
- ½ small red onion, finely diced
- Juice from 1 lime
Coriander Lime Verde
- 3 whole jalapeño chilis, deseeded (If you want a spicier sauce leave the seeds in!)
- 1 cup fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup organic, natural yogurt
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
METHOD
- Halve your zucchinis and scoop out the seeds down the middle.
- Place zucchini halves on a lined baking tray, skin-side down, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Drizzle with olive oil and place in the oven for 10-12 minutes.
- While zucchini is roasting, mix together all superfood salsa ingredients in one bowl.
- For the coriander lime verde, process all ingredients in the food processor until smooth and creamy.
- Remove zucchini from oven and top with Superfood Salsa and Coriander Lime Verde.
For an eye health boost add leftover sweet potato and avocado – Yum!
Every Thursday, our Envision Optical blog brings you ‘Nutrition Thursday’ – news about nutrition for your eye health. Keep an eye on our Facebook page and like us to receive the reminders once they are posted. Each week we also include a delicious recipe for you to make: www.facebook.com/envisionoptical
When was the last time you had your eyes checked?
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