I LOVE a great Fried Rice. With the right Primed ingredients it can be a meal in itself and something that powers your body and mind all day.

However, with the wrong ingredients and cooked using vegetable oil it will spike your blood sugar levels (and therefore insulin) and can have severe adverse health consequences.

Dr. Cate Shanahan (chief nutritional doctor of the L.A.Lakers and respected author of Deep Nutrition) surveyed hundreds of patients in New Zealand that were admitted to the hospital for a heart attack, and discovered that every single patient that just had a heart attack had consumed foods made with vegetable oils with their last meal before the heart attack…Scary huh! Information from this site.

How about a healthy and nutritious Primed Filipino Fried Rice? One that you can add your own twist to by including local vegetables that suit your budget. Vegetables like Malunggay, Okra and Kangkong can all be used in this dish besides the ones mentioned. Imagine the nutritional value of this version with your Pork or Chicken instead of just plain white rice? Here, you are giving your mind and body high performance fuel.

Ingredients

Lots of Onion and Garlic (I always cut a lot extra and freeze some for other dishes)
Packet of Quality Bacon (we get ours from S&R – I just used half a packet and we enjoyed the rest for breakfast with our Eggs)
Bacon fat (I use the bacon fat after oven cooking the bacon to cook my onions, garlic and other vegetables)
Squash (large whole squash where I grate extra for Tuna Patties and also roast some to go with our chicken dishes)
Zucchini (2 large pieces)
Spinach (large bowl)
Pechay (4 or 5 bunches)
Carrots (3 large ones)
Cauliflower (1 piece – would prefer more depending on quality and price)
Brown/Red Rice (for my son as the rest of our family does not consume any at all
Eggs (4 fried in coconut oil)
Coconut oil
Salt and Pepper

Optional Extras for Increased Nutrition:

Malunggay (I love this Miracle Tree – Do not forget to dry some and have as Malunggay Tea)
Okra
Kangkong
Broccoli
Whatever you think would go well

Rice:

My son enjoys his Red Rice so I boil 2 cups for him and then add half of the above ingredients. Of course you can use your White Rice instead. Simply be aware that the higher percentage of Vegetables to Rice that you use you will make the dish even better for your body and mind.

Method:

1. Simply grate the Squash, Carrots, Zucchini and Cauliflower into small pieces.

2. Cook your onions and garlic in your pot using your bacon fat drippings or coconut oil

3. Steam your Pechay

It is important to multi-task while you are cooking. Here, I am about to steam the Pechay, am boiling my son’s Red Rice and have dinner for our family dinner ready in the pot on the bottom left (Thai Green Chicken Curry with Squash and Saba Bananas in Coconut Milk). I made this Curry in large proportions the day before so I would then have time to prepare my Filipino Fried Rice dish.

4. Use your tray that you cooked your bacon on and add the Cauliflower. Add salt and stir. Place in the oven (heated to 300 degrees) for 15 minutes.

5. Use your other tray that you cooked your bacon on and add the Zucchini. Add salt and stir. Place in the oven (heated to 300 degrees) for 10 minutes.

6. Cut up your cooked bacon, steamed pechay and spinach (Malunggay is a wonderful substitute) into small peices and set aside in bowls

7. Put your pot onto your stove top and set at 7 out of 10 temperature. Your onions and garlic are already the base so now you can add your vegetables. I added the squash and carrots next and let it cook for 10 minutes while stirring and adding pinches of salt and pepper.

8. I used 2 pots so I could add the Red Rice of Christian into 1 and the Cauliflower Rice of Lauren into the other. All the other ingredients were the same.

9. Add in your green vegetables last together with your bacon. Stir and serve with a side of Cheese or Chicken if you wish. You can also stir in a boiled egg or 2 or add your sliced fried egg on top. Delicious and highly nutritious.

Additional:

1. With your extra squash bake it in the oven so you can have it on another day. Simply put coconut oil on your tray, spread the squash over the tray (nice to include garlic and onion too) and then place in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Occasionally stir the squash so all sides get coated with the coconut oil and add salt. For the onion and garlic just add a few drops of olive oil or coconut oil on top so it doesn’t dry out.

2. Grated squash is a so easy to do and you can easily make extra to go with your Tuna Patties with Grated Squash for dinner for tomorrow night.

3. This dish does take time to prepare but you will then save time during the week as you can easily have it as a side dish to your chicken or pork and it is a great Lunch Box item for you and your children.

4. Your Filipino Fried Rice is great for breakfast with a slice of cheese (I also had my coffee with coconut milk). It is great for lunch or dinner simply by itself or with a piece of grilled chicken. It is a wonderful snack with a slice of cheese. You can also enjoy it hot or cold.

5. When you make a large batch you can freeze some for later in the week and then you will not be tempted to buy inferior “food” options .