It’s important to keep your kitchen well stocked when following the Paleo diet. You want to avoid the temptation of easy fast foods or snacking due to not having good alternate choices available. One item that I consider a necessity to keep on hand is good ol’ El Pato, pictured above. I usually have several cans in my pantry, right next to my supply of coconut milk. El Pato is pretty flavorful, but can be adapted to a wide variety of dishes. My favorite use is as a base for foods cooked in the crockpot. The spicy tomato flavor gives a wonderful taste to the dishes I’ve used it in, such as lengua guisada.

I first heard about El Pato from reading the free Paleo recipes that Scotty Hagnas of the Performance Menu posts at their site. For example, he created a jambalaya using El Pato:

This one is a spicy Southern dish. I used El Pato sauce, but if you are not a fan of spicy foods, you might consider regular tomato sauce instead. Look for sausages that don’t contain nitrates.

• 1 Tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp, divided
• 1/2 lb spicy sausage, sliced (look for anoudale sausage)
• 1/2 lb shrimp
• 1 C chopped onion
• 3/4 C chopped green pepper
• 1/2 C chopped celery
• 2 C chicken broth
• 1 1/2 C water
• 1 tsp cajun seasoning + 1/8 tsp, divided
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cans El Pato tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 C finely chopped cauliflower
• Dash of cayenne pepper

If you’re interested in the rest, click the link for the cooking instructions. I hope that being introduced to El Pato gives you yet another tool in your repertoire for home-cooked Paleo meals!

WOD 12.30.10

Make Up Day