This broccoli fried rice is a paleo take on the classic Chinese favorite. Made with shrimp it’s a protein packed, healthier option for when you’re craving takeout.
The minute I started telling people I joined CrossFit last week, the same question came out of almost all of their mouths: Are you going to do the paleo thing too? Or some variation thereof.
The short answer? No.
The longer answer? I don’t really “do” anything when it comes to diets. I don’t like strict rules about what I can and can’t do. Mostly because I’m stubborn as hell and will purposely rebel against rules when given the chance. And although I I kind of knocked it in this post (it was a joke, people…a lot of commenters didn’t seem to grasp the sarcasm in there), I tend to eat paleo friendly 85% of the time anyway. Not because someone is telling me to and I’m adopting what lots refer to as the “cult” mentality of CrossFit, but because when I put whole foods in my body, it performs better. It’s as simple as that. Put shit gas in your car and don’t be surprised when it drives like shit. Same goes for food and our bodies. CrossFit has certainly given me a kick in the ass to clean up my diet that extra 5-10% that was going towards unnecessary treats over the past few weeks (hello, summer ice cream) but it’s not because someone is telling me to do it, it’s because if I’m putting all this effort into a workout, I want to make sure that something as simple as diet doesn’t sabotage it. Please note however, exceptions will be made for Italian gelato next month.
This fried “rice” was the result of an over zealous broccoli purchase and a craving for Chinese. Not an attempt to specifically fit into the paleo mold. Bonus points that it does.
Raw broccoli is an acquired taste. It’s the one vegetable I avoid in raw veggie platters because not even the ranch dressing dip in the middle can doctor it up enough for me. Chop it up real fine in the food processor and toss it with a ginger soy sauce though and it transforms in literally 2 minutes.
Quicker than rice and better for you.
Maybe it’ll even help me survive my first run in with Fran (<—insane) tonight.
(yeah right)
Broccoli Fried Rice with Shrimp
This broccoli fried rice is a paleo take on the classic Chinese favorite. Made with shrimp it's a protein packed, healthier option for when you're craving takeout.
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 1/2 tablespoon ginger, minced
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1/2 a lime
- pinch of salt & pepper
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 clove garlic, minced
For the rice
- 10 large shrimp, peeled and tails removed
- 2 small crowns of broccoli, broken into florets
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 small carrots, chopped
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
- juice of half a lime
Instructions
- Whisk together marinade ingredients in a small bowl.
- Add shrimp, toss to coat and set aside.
- Add broccoli to a food processor and pulse about 5-10 times until "rice like" and finely chopped.
- Heat a large skillet to medium-high.
- Add olive oil, onions and carrots and saute for about 5 minutes until softened.
- Add red pepper flakes.
- Add shrimp with all the marinade and cook until starting to turn pink, about 3-5 minutes.
- Crack egg into skillet and toss around with a spatula to break apart.
- Finally, add broccoli and soy sauce and toss to coat and heat through, 1-2 minutes.
- Serve with a generous squeeze of lime juice. Garnish with cashews if desired.
my approach exactly. I don’t commit to any particular diet because then I go insane, but I can make efforts to eat a little cleaner and maybe a little on the “paleo” side. But vow to give up dessert or beer? never.
Very inventive idea! I made fried rice with brown rice and shrimp last night and it wasn’t that great. I’m going to give this a try.
I love this Gina! I am the same way – the minute I restrict something, the minute I want it even more. I can’t wait to try this!
Good for you joining cross fit! I’m like you when it comes to eating. I try to eat whole foods most of the time. If I restrict myself, I rebel and go overboard, hellow muffin top, so I never put anything off limits, just limit my in take.
I love the idea of using brocolli instead of rice. I’m going to try that next time i make stir-fry.
I’m the same way. If you tell me I can’t eat something, my inner 2 year old throws a tantrum and I’ll eat twice as much just to “show you!” This looks so awesome! I can’t wait to give it a try. I’m trying to cut back rice a little and this look like it’ll make a great substitute!
oooooooh i LOVE this! i’m a big fan of normal rice but nothin’ wrong with a little extra broccoli consumption :)
This looks SOOOO good. I hate rice so I’m always looking for substitutions, and this looks like a nutritious one. You and Katie are geniuses.
Did Fran for the first time on monday, you should see my hands. I was petrified before!
I’ve never thought of doing the rice thing with broccoli, but duh… I hate raw broccoli too, this is genius!
What a great idea to process broccoli into “rice”! I do this with cauliflower and I love it. It’s great on nights when I don’t have 40 minutes to cook brown rice.
I totally agree about your food philosophy – what we eat has a direct impact on our workouts. I’ve been working my way through the Thrive book by Brendan Brazier (the guy who created Vega) and I’m really curious to give his pre- and post-workout recipes a try. I’ve already replaced my usual toast w/pb pre-gym snack with a medjool date or two in the mornings before I go to bodypump and my stomach is thanking me.
That book has been on my to-read list forever! While I personally think Vega is gross (I know I’m in the minority on that one!) I do agree with a lot of his philosophy.
Have you tried the new Vega One? It’s a million times better than the old Vega health optimizer (or whatever it was called). I agree – that stuff was kind of gritty.
Great rice idea – I’ve seen it done with parsnips, rutabaga, and more “white” hearty veggies, never with a green one!
I’ve been eating WAY too much Chinese delivery! This is on my to-make list! Good luck eith your run :)
Wonder if I can do this with the over zealous purchase of zucchini? Looks yummy!
I think so! Just make sure to squeeze out the excess water from shredded zucchini.
I love the healthy approach you have to food, it’s so refreshing.
LOVE. I feel like I need to jump on this CrossFit bandwagon at some point…
Do it! It’s seriously so much fun. I doubt you’d regret it ;)
Wow this looks amazing, what an amazing idea! Also – I love your thoughts on Paleo and “diet” in general. In my mind the key to a happy life for me, is everything in moderation. I know I shouldn’t drink alcohol and have that small handful of chocolate chips every now and again, but as long as I am not doing either daily – I will be fine. Make the best choices for you, all of the time, that’s all you can do.
LOL I love that caption…Broccoli rice, it’s a thing
this looks so delicious, thank you for this recipe!
I love your outlook on the “paleo-ness” of your eating habits. I have adopted a mostly paleo lifestyle lately, but I live in Texas and eat corn chips. I’m okay with this. The majority of the food I eat is fuel. Some is just fun.
what a super cool way of doing the paleo rendition of fried rice — i know several friends who would LOVE this recipe since they can’t have rice!
Too funny that you made broccoli rice because I just made cauliflower rice for the first time. I’m going to turn into a cauliflower pizza crust. I don’t think it would work with broccoli because it’s probably too wet..? That’s awesome about Crossfit!
I really want to try the cauliflower crust thing. I’ve seen so many recipes for it recently!
I’ve used cauliflower to sub in for grains before but haven’t tried broccoli. This looks great!
I also have a quick recipe for you – do you use a recipe plugin? If so, which one is it?
I do, it’s called Easy Recipe and it’s just like it’s name suggests. I love it!
The broccoli rise looks awesome!! Can’t wait to try this!
The broccoli rise looks awesome!! Can’t wait to try this! Thanks for passing it along!
I just made this and it was delish. I was a bit hesitant but there is no reason to be! You don’t even miss the rice. Thanks so much!
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I just made this and it is truly a guilt free meal. I added about half a cup of red bell pepper to the onions and carrots. I love to cook and this will definitely be made about twice a month. Will try with skinless chicken thighs one day. Thanks!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for this recipe. I have been looking EVERYWHERE for a broccoli fried rice but every recipe I found was either regular rice with broccoli in the stir fry or cauliflower in place of the real rice. I had already thought broccoli is similar in nature to cauliflower (which I can’t stomach) and wondered if anyone had tested this out. So very pleased to find this recipe, glad to hear it works and cannot wait to try it out!
Tried this today and it is def a keeper. Great recipe Gina!