Comedian Sherri Shepherd shared a delicious recipe of cauliflower shrimp fried rice on her Instagram account on Sunday. The recipe—which originated from a good friend of Shepherd’s, is a healthy alternative to fried rice and perfect for diabetics as it doesn’t raise blood sugar.
According to Shepherd, the cauliflower shrimp fried rice is healthy yet tastes similar to regular fried rice. It was so delicious that not only did she devour two bowls of the tasty dish, her stomach didn’t bloat as it would have if she wolfed down fried rice!
To mimic Shepherd’s cauliflower shrimp fried rice:
- Shred some cauliflower.
- Fry up one or two eggs.
- Place carrots and peas in a frying pan. Add a dash of olive oil and throw in the cauliflower and eggs.
- Add shrimp and season with a light soy sauce that’s low in sodium, until the cauliflower is browned.
Shepherd concluded her post with a motivating #teamhealthy hashtag—so far it has received over 1,500 likes.
For the Love of Cauliflower …
Cauliflower is considered a cruciferous vegetable (along with broccoli). Cruciferous vegetables have a myriad of health benefits. Research shows that increasing your consumption of cruciferous vegetables can help lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes and various cancers.
Cauliflower is also rich in potassium and vitamin C—but this healthy vegetable is even more nutritious when combined with other veggies due to an increase in antioxidants.
When purchasing cauliflower, keep the following in mind:
- Make sure it’s fresh, solid, unblemished, and that the leaves are green.
- Place it in a plastic bag and store it in the fridge.
- Use the cauliflower within four days of purchase.
When preparing cauliflower:
- Remember it can be cooked whole, or cut into florets.
- Add lemon juice or milk when cooking to maintain the cauliflower’s natural color.
- If you run out of broccoli, cauliflower can be used as a delicious alternative!
- To steam cauliflower, bring to a boil one inch of water in a pan. Place a steam basket over the pan, put the cauliflower in the steamer and cover. Lower the heat to medium (the water should still be bubbling). For one-and-a-half pounds of cauliflower it should take approximately 20 minutes to steam. Cauliflower florets will take about 10 minutes to steam.
- When microwaving cauliflower, place the cauliflower in a dish with ¼ cup of water. Cover. One whole cauliflower will take about 10 minutes to cook.
- When boiling cauliflower, bring to a boil two gallons of water in a large pan. Place a whole cauliflower (head down) in a wire basket and put in the boiling water. It’ll take between 10 and 15 minutes for a whole cauliflower to boil. Florets will take about 5 minutes.
Source:
“Vegetables and Fruits for Health,” The University of Maine web site; https://extension.umaine.edu/publications/4177e/; last accessed May 30, 2016.
Photo: istock
