Practical Paleo – Diet Tip of the Day – Sauces

Explore Sauces and Condiments

I’ve talked before about the power of sauces and condiments to make the boring interesting. There are plenty of websites out there like InsaneChicken.com that specialize in sauces and condiments. There are also plenty of other places you can go to find sauces and condiments. There are A LOT of people out there who take this stuff REALLY seriously!

Depending how seriously you want to take the Paleo thing, you might have to read the labels on the stuff you consider using. Some sauces have sugar, wheat, soy, corn starch, etc. in them. A lot DON’T though and it’s really up to you whether you want to take it this far. But, be warned, if you’re really sensitive to some things, keep an eye out for them in the ingredients of the stuff you consider.

Here are 5 places to look for great sauces, condiments and other ways to make the bland interesting:

• Google “Hot Sauce” – I already mentioned Insane Chicken above. And they’re one of the better known out of hundreds and hundreds of online stores that sell hot sauce, mustard, sauces and rubs. And, remember, even if you don’t like spicy food these sites have plenty of “mild” mustards, sauces and marinades too. Just grab a cup of coffee and do some browsing!
• Go International – Even the “regular” stores have pretty good international sections now. If you look at all those little cans and jars there are literally HUNDREDS of choices for stuff to throw on top of meats and salads. Spanish or Mexican sections are going to have tons of different peppers, salsas, and sauces. Italian and Mediterranean sections are going to have all sorts of olives, peppers, pestos (some will have cheese and nuts in them) and flavored olive oils.
• Try some “Rubs” – Rubs are another big area that the “grilling crowd” gets into. A rub is really just a fancy term for a bunch of dry seasonings mixed together that you “rub” onto meats before grilling, roasting or sauteeing them. They give whatever you’re cooking flavor and they help the meat “crisp up” on the outside. If you go to foodnetwork.com and search “rub” you get back 2,489 results. That will probably keep you busy for a while… Virtually any food store you go into is going to carry a wide variety of rubs and seasonings. Buy one or two and try them out.
• Get into BBQ and other sauces – BBQ and BBQ sauce is another “cult” food thing. There are BBQ competitions all over the country and everyone has their own sauce recipes and methods. One of my favorite sauces is Bone Suckin’ Brand. Not only is Bone Suckin’ the best TASTING I’ve had, it’s also gluten and sugar free. Not a bad deal! Their site has tons of recipes and they also make mustards, teriyaki, salsas and other stuff. There is an entire WORLD of mustards, hot wing sauces, salsas, teriyaki and other sauces just waiting for you to try and experiment with!
• REAL Pickled Veggies – This is another area with a lot of variety. Things like pickles and sauerkraut can be gotten at health food stores in their raw, organic and “real form” – that is, cultured with healthy bacteria the way they’ve been made for 1000s of years before they got mass produced and canned – and different brands will have very different flavors. You can try, for example, a grilled grassfed burger with a heap of REAL sauerkraut over it and some REAL pickles on the side. Other pickled veggies are things like Kim Chee – traditional Korean pickled cabbage – that can really change the taste of salads and meats. The trick is to find raw and fermented pickled vegetables because you get the benefits of raw foods plus the healthy probiotics. Canned and supermarket versions of this stuff are virtually ALWAYS heated, pasteurized and NOT properly fermented with good bacteria. Stay away from this stuff if you can.

There’s some more stuff to keep you busy!

ttys

Adam

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