An Eye Healthy Dinner is Winner!

Last night my roommate made the perfect eye healthy dinner so of course I have to report about it today in the Dr. Tavel Eye Healthy Food Challenge!  Being the foodies that we are, Joanna and I get food magazines with many interesting recipes that we like to try.  This recipe came from the ever impressive Martha Stewart in the “Everyday Food” magazine.  It is FULL of eye health and is approved by Indiana eye doctors. I’d also like to make it the winner of the Dr. Tavel Eye Healthy Food Challenge!

Butternut Squash Baked Risotto is a perfect cold-weather dinner as it is served nice and hot and can warm you up quickly.  Prepared in a Dutch oven it also leaves fewer dishes to clean than most dinners.  It is approved in the Dr. Tavel Eye Healthy Food Challenge as its two most colorful ingredients greatly benefit our eyes and vision.  Butternut squash and kale are the two eye healthy ingredients.

Butternut squash, a yellow/orange squash, is full of Vitamin C which helps our vision stay strong and protects our eyes against macular degeneration.  Kale is full of beta-carotene which is also found in carrots and helps us ward of the development of cataracts.  These two ingredients and the ease of clean up make this meal a winner in the Dr. Tavel Eye Healthy Food Challenge!

 Butternut Squash Baked Risotto

-2 TB extra-virgin olive oil
-2 shallots, diced small
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
-1 ½ cups Arborio rice
-coarse salt, ground pepper
-1/2 cup dry white wine
-1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced medium
-4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
-1 bunch black or curly kale, tough stems removed, cut crosswise into ½ in thick strips
-grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, in a medium Dutch oven or heavy ovenproof pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat oil, heat oil over medium-high; Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add rice and cook, stirring frequently until opaque, about 3 minutes; season with salt and pepper.  Add wine and cook, stirring, until completely absorbed, about 2 minutes.  Add squash and broth, bring mixture to boil.  Stir in kale.  Cover, transfer to oven and bake until rice is tender and most of liquid is absorbed about 20 minutes.  Top off with parmesan and enjoy!

*Recipe in November issue of Everyday Food