Eye Healthy

One of the best things about eating an eye-healthy diet, and it shouldn’t come as any surprise, is how many other benefits there are when you change from lots of meats, potatoes, cheeses and the like, increase the greens and beans, and eat everything in moderation. Because of aging macular degeneration (AMD) and the fact I have to get monthly injections directly into my eye to keep it from getting worse, I have definitely changed my diet and found so many other benefits. Besides the ophthalmologist has seen slight improvement in my eye, when we were not expecting anything other than not having it get worse, over the past three months, I’ve lost weight, significantly lowered my cholesterol, and as a result, have even been taken off one prescription! All that in mind keeps me looking for great recipes in addition to the wonderful choices in Eat Right for Your Sight, the recipe book published by the American Macular Degeneration Foundation. On top of that, this week I saw Foodtown in Atlantic Highlands, on the shelf in its groceries department, now has plastic containers of chopped up mixed vegetables. They’ve always had the chopped onions, or onions and peppers, but now they’re also offering a mélange of chopped up cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, celery, peas, beans and maybe more, not sure. So, for $5.27, I tried one and experimented with easy things. Making salmon salad for a sandwich spread, I used a can of salmon and a cup of the mixed chopped vegetables, tossed in mayonnaise to keep it together, and added a few herbs including pepper, basil and garlic. Sensational! Then I took the other half a container of the chopped veggies and blended them with a can of drained garbanzo beans, a few of those same spices, and a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil! Makes a great side dish at dinner. If you’d prefer a real recipe, though, try these garlic-lime porkchops from the Eat Right recipe book mentioned earlier. Whisk together: 2 gloves minced garlic, ½ t. pepper flakes, 1/3 cup EVOO, ¼ t. salt (I omit this) 1/t. black pepper, 2 Tablespoons each of chopped cilantro and chopped basil, and 1 t. fresh or frozen ginger. Put in 4 ½ inch boneless pork chops (about 1/1/2 lbs.) and let them marinate in the refrigerator a few hours or better yet overnight.. When ready, bring to room temperature, and grill about six minutes on each side. If you want perfection and use a meat thermometer, it should be at 145 degrees. Serves four, or two, and two to freeze to be heated up another night.