Pete Evans and Dr. Mercola recently joined forces and created a new cookbook, “Fat for Fuel Ketogenic Cookbook.” In this book you’ll discover easy and delicious recipes, along with practical tips on how to follow a ketogenic eating plan. CLICK HERE to order your copy now.
A very popular dish in Chinese cuisine, fried rice was said to have been invented in China sometime during the Sui dynasty (589-618 AD), in the city of Yangzhou in the eastern Jiangsu province. This is why typical Chinese fried rice is often called Yangzhou fried rice, sometimes referred to as Yeung or Yang Chow fried rice. However, take note that fried rice recipes are found all throughout China, with different ingredients and flavors.1
This Cauliflower Fried Rice With Prawns Recipe is a healthy twist to traditional fried rice. It’s also one of the many ketogenic recipes that you can find in the “Fat for Fuel Ketogenic Cookbook” to be released November 14. In this cookbook, you’ll find recipes that Pete and I have worked on, as well as basic knowledge about the benefits and components of a ketogenic diet that can be beneficial for your health.
Flavorful Cauliflower Fried Rice With Prawns Recipe
Prep time: 2 minutes Cook time: 5 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower, separated into florets
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 4 rashers of bacon or slices of ham, diced
- 1/2 pound peeled and deveined wild caught raw prawns or shrimp
- 4 free-range eggs
- 2 splashes of fish sauce
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/2 red capsicum, diced (optional)
- 1 inch piece of ginger, finely grated
- 3 tablespoons tamari
- Himalayan salt
- Freshly ground white pepper
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 handful of bean sprouts, trimmed
- Lime wedges, to serve
Procedure
- Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until it resembles rice.
- Melt a little coconut oil in a large wok or frying pan over high heat. Add the bacon or ham and fry until crispy. Remove and set aside.
- Wipe the pan clean, add a little more coconut oil and sauté the prawns or shrimp over high heat for two minutes, or until lightly golden and almost cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Wipe the pan clean again, add a little more coconut oil and heat over medium-high heat. Whisk the eggs with a splash of fish sauce and pour into the pan. Tilt the pan to evenly distribute the eggs and cook for a couple of minutes to make a silky omelette. Remove, slice into thin strips and set aside.
- Heat the remaining oil in the pan over high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for three minutes or until softened. Stir in the capsicum if using and ginger and cook three to five minutes. Add the cauliflower and cook for a few minutes until tender.
- Add the tamari, salt and pepper, spring onion, herbs, bean sprouts, bacon or ham, prawns or shrimp and omelette strips and stir fry for one minute until well combined and heated through.
- Serve with a splash of fish sauce and lime wedges.
Tip
As much as possible, avoid or sparingly eat lectin-rich foods like corn, peanuts, cashews, unfermented soybean products, legumes, grains and nightshade and gourd
fruits and vegetables. Lectins are known to be proinflammatory, immunotoxic, neurotoxic and cytotoxic if consumed excessively. To learn more information on how to reduce lectins in your diet, click
here.
Here’s What You Can Get From This Flavorful, No-Grain Fried Rice Recipe
Cauliflower rice has risen in popularity as an alternative to conventional rice. It’s not quite hard to see why: It isn’t just delicious and healthy, but versatile too. In fact, you can use other meats, fish, herbs and vegetables in lieu of other ingredients. When making healthy cauliflower fried rice, your ingredients, cooking supplies and imagination are all you need.
Facts About Cauliflower’s Health Benefits
A cruciferous vegetable, cauliflower can be either green, white, purple or pale orange. It’s a natural source of nutrients such as protein, magnesium, phosphorus, fiber, potassium and manganese, and vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and K. This vegetable is said to help with:
Boosting heart health2
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Improving blood pressure levels |
Improving kidney function
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Enhancing brain health3
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Promoting better cognitive function
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Supporting digestion |
Preventing age-related memory decline
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Selenium
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Cauliflower is also valued for its anti-inflammatory properties4 and antioxidant abilities that support detoxification and resist free radical-caused damage. Vitamin C, beta-carotene, kaempferol, quercetin, rutin and cinnamic acid are notable antioxidants in cauliflower.
Ideally, use organic cauliflower when cooking. When buying, pick cauliflower heads that don’t have brown or soft yellow spots on the surface. Afterward, place the purchased cauliflower head upside down in a large bowl of cold water for around 15 minutes. This ensures that any insects or harmful pesticides in the cauliflower are removed.
Why Wild-Caught Shrimp Is Ideal
Shrimp is a savory addition to fried rice. But while the flavor this seafood brings to dishes is impeccable, there are drawbacks you have to consider with most shrimp today. Unfortunately, most shrimp sold in the U.S. are raised in shrimp farms in Southeast Asia. Just like its land-based counterparts — concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) — fish and shrimp farms raise numerous red flags because:
- Mangroves, considered to be nature’s filtration system and defense against tsunamis, are typically cut down to build farms.
- Most farmed fish and shrimp are fed genetically engineered (GE) corn and soy — a completely unnatural diet for marine animals. Other farms also feed animals with fishmeal, and this can cause accumulation of toxic industrial chemicals like PCBs and dioxins.
- Toxic waste and chemicals from these farms flow into waterways and destroy ecosystems.
- Farmed fish and seafood are known to have inferior nutritional quality.
- There’s well-document use of slave labor in the shrimp farming industry.
The shrimp you should be buying must be caught in the Gulf of Mexico and should be free of contamination. If you don’t have access to this, wild-caught shrimp that has been responsibly harvested and certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is a good choice. An MSC certification is said to assure that every part of the manufacturing process was scrutinized by the organization and has been independently audited to determine that the product meets sustainable standards.5
If ever you have no choice but to settle for farmed shrimp, I advise looking for shrimp certified by Naturland, the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) or the Responsibly Farmed label of Whole Foods Market. These organizations certify that the shrimp has been raised according to aquaculture guidelines that help protect the environment, and that the producers do not use antibiotics.
Additional Herbs and Veggies for a More Flavorful Cauliflower Rice
You can use different herbs and vegetables not just to increase the flavors of this cauliflower rice, but to add nutritional content and deliver health benefits too. Four examples of health-boosting ingredients in this recipe include:
- Ginger: Used in traditional Chinese medicine and East Indian Ayurvedic medicine, ginger is well respected for its ability to work as a/an:
Helping address migraines and headaches
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Helping prevent nausea and vomiting, and blood clots |
Boosting the immune system
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Helping with fat-burning (because of its gingerol content)
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Reducing oxidative stress |
Decreasing effects of atherosclerosis and osteoarthritis pain
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Assisting with preventing the common cold
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Optimizing cholesterol levels |
Improving blood sugar levels
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- Bean sprouts: These are one of the many types of sprouts you can grow in your garden. Bean sprouts are an excellent source of:
Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6
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Fiber |
Manganese
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Copper
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Protein |
Iron
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Magnesium
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Phosphorus |
Potassium
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Bean sprouts also contain 10 to 100 times more enzymes compared to full-grown vegetables, allowing the body to extract higher amounts of vitamins, minerals and nutrients from other foods, and aid in protecting the body against chemical carcinogens.7
- Coriander leaves: Also called cilantro (which is actually the Spanish term for coriander leaves8), coriander leaves have a unique pungent flavor and aroma, and are highly used in Mexican and Thai cuisines. Coriander leaves are a storehouse of:
- Antioxidant polyphenolic flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol, rhamnetin and apigenin)
- Minerals like potassium, iron, calcium, manganese and magnesium
- Vitamins A, C and K, and B vitamins
Antioxidants in coriander leaves can be helpful in fighting illnesses and reducing risk for chronic diseases. Plus, clinical studies also proved that coriander leaves possess antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic and disinfectant abilities.
- Flat-leaf parsley: This bright green herb with a “grassy taste” is home to vitamins C and K, folic acid, beta-carotene and dietary fiber. Flavonoids such as apiin, apigenin, crisoeriol and luteolin are present in parsley. Meanwhile, volatile oil compounds such as myristicin, limonene, eugenol and alpha-thujene may aid in:9
- Preventing tumor formation
- Activating glutathione (the body’s most powerful antioxidant)
- Helping calm inflammation in the brain
Parsley also contains high levels of chlorophyll. This is great news because the chlorophyll content allows parsley to work as a detoxifier for the body to help eliminate toxins.
About Pete Evans
Pete Evans is an internationally renowned chef who has joined forces with Dr. Mercola to create a healthy cookbook that’s loaded with delicious, unique Keto recipes, ideal for people who want to switch to a ketogenic diet. The “Fat for Fuel Ketogenic Cookbook” is the perfect tool to help get you started on your ketogenic journey. CLICK HERE to order your copy now.
Pete has had numerous noteworthy contributions to the culinary world. He has not only cooked for the general public, but he’s also cooked a royal banquet for the Prince and Princess of Denmark, a private dinner for Martha Stewart, and even represented his hometown at the gala GʼDay USA dinner for 600 in New York City.
Pete’s career has moved from the kitchen into the lounge room with many TV appearances including Lifestyle channel’s “Home” show, “Postcards from Home,” “FISH,” “My Kitchen Rules” and “A Moveable Feast.”
+ Sources and References