Soooo this sauce.... changed my mind about salmon. I previously would never finish the salmon I made for myself. It was pretty sad. I tried many recipes. I am just not a fan of salmon with just lemon juice and dill etc. Not my thing. THIS- this is my thing. I love this flavor and want more everytime I make this. So good. I won't go on- cause I hate when you're on a page and can never seem to get to the actual recipe- so no further wait. Here ya go! And please tag me on instagram if you make it @TheDailyKale .


*This makes enough for marinating 1 piece of salmon. Increase the amount depending on how many salmon filets you are working with!

Teriyaki Sauce

• 4 tbsp Tamari or Coconut Aminos
• 1 tbsp Lakanto Golden sweetner
• 1 tsp Rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. Sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp. ginger powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• pinch of black pepper
• 1 tsp. chili paste (optional)
• 1/2 tsp tapioca flour

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. Mix everything together in a bowl except for the tapioca. Place thawed salmon filet in a bowl with half of the mixture and marinate for 20-30 minutes in the fridge.
3. Line a pan with parchment paper and bake the salmon for 15-17 minutes. Until it's reached the proper temp. on kitchen thermometer.
4. Take the rest of the mixture and add the tapicoa -stir until completely combined.
5. In a sprayed sauce pan on low heat, add the salmon with the rest of the sauce and coat it.The sauce will gel up/come together quickly so you don't want to over cook this. Only takes a few seconds. Plate it with your favorite veggie and enjoy! :)

For anyone who is interested.... 

I do get a lot of questions about this. And since I've been wanting to get back to writing on this blog... I thought I'd create a post about it. Not that I owe it to anyone to explain. But since I did begin this blog with the goal of being vegan (although I never was), I thought it might be helpful to share my experience in case it might help someone out there?

So first off- let me get this out of the way first... for the past 8 or so years... basically around the time that I started eating mostly vegan, I started having stomach pain really bad. It was severe pain that would happen about every 3 months and be so strong I couldn't move, and was on the floor sweating. It definitely was a pain regarding digestion. And I knew it was from something I was eating. I continued eating pescatarian but like I said was mostly vegan. My protein came from beans, lentils, tofu... and I ate a lot of grains like quinoa and brown rice. I went to a natural doctor who told me she thought it would be best for me to no longer continue eating this high carb vegan diet- and thought it might have a connection with the pain I was getting sometimes. 

I want to first say, that I think eating vegan is awesome. I LOVED it. And I mean that. It took me 5 months to listen to that doctors advice before I actually did something about it. I didn't want to. And my boyfriend and all of my friends and family didn't believe me when I told them I was no longer pescatarian. I had been mostly vegan for 8 years. I loved creating meat free dishes- and still do! But what I know to be true for myself is that once I stopped eating legumes/ grains  in April regularly, I can report 9 months later I haven't experienced that pain again. And I'm so thankful for that. So so so thankful. I do think personally I found what was causing me that pain. I didn't grow up eating legumes at all. Like not at all. My mom used to make chili for me and take out the beans specifically for me. I think my body doesn't digest it well. And thats okay! We all have to do what works for us. And I had a few friends on instagram stop following me because of my change in my diet, which I knew would happen but still was surprised by. I am a human being. I am not perfect. I am trying to figure out ways to eat plant based and not eat legumes and grains. I know it's possible.

So on to what this post was really about! Low carb living. No, I'm not keto. No I'm not paleo. I never claimed before that I was vegan either. I tried eating that way several times yes but would never claim myself as vegan. I eat MOSTLY low carb. Meaning most of the time, yes, I eat low carb. I don't think I'd ever be able to eat low carb all the time. I give myself breaks within the week. Sometimes even indulge meals like pizza! My favorite. I know that eating low carb for me personally has helped so much. It definitely decreases inflammation for me, so I love that.  I do have a goal for myself with where I want my body to be- and again, thats okay! I understand there is a lot of people out there who think wanting to lose weight is wrong. But thats not true for me. If I have a goal for myself and I am working at meeting that goal, thats okay! We all need to support each other instead of pointing fingers and saying people are wrong. I love myself, yes. And I am thankful for the body I have. But let others have goals for themselves, even if its something you don't understand. 

Now anyway... Low carb living. How do I do it? How do I make it easy. I wanted to share some meals I always make and different products I always keep on hand and stocked in the cabinet so it an easy option! Thats aways important. Otherwise when things aren't prepped- thats when I make poor decisions. Gotta set yourself up for success.

Mocha Latte: sometimes this is my breakfast if I make the long version. I have a short version, yes.
the long version is similar to a bulletproof coffee- I've been making it lately with almond butter. A game changer ingredient I added thanks to the suggestion of my friend Vanessa from @TheGiftofGoods.
I use cacao powder by Navitas (my favorite), lakanto golden (also favorite), collagen by Ancient Nutrition (discount code for 20 percent off : 'TheDailyKale'). I use FourSigmatic chaga/lions mane coffee or if I'm making a 'latte' I will use a shot of espresso and then warm almond/coconut milk up and add it all to my blender untils its creamy. You could also skip the espresso and it would make a nice hot chocolate.


Pasta: I always keep a pasta sauce in my cabinet. Usually some form of tomato basil or garlic red sauce (For bolognese). If you eat dairy or don't there are alfredo sauces and cashew alfredo sauces available. I recently made my own alfredo sauce and pretty sure I won't be buying it again. SO much better when you make it yourself! The noodles I use are either Miracle Noodles (my discount code for Miracle Noodles is: 'thedailykale') or the All Newdles brand is great. I love them both. Also I have made chow mein with this pasta and it's super good! 

Breakfast for anytime: Eggs = Vital Farms brand to be specifc (You can't find a more orange yolk!)... Eggs are a close friend of mine. Over easy. Scrambled. In  a veggie scramble. The choice is yours. I always make sure to add a green as the base. Usually spinach, but kale works too.. Obviously :)

*Keto Pancakes or waffles thanks to Birch Benders. It's pretty good! I do tweak it a bit to give it a bit more flavor. I add in cinnamon, nutmeg, lakanto golden sweetner and lily's chocolate chips. Great option when I don't want eggs.

* Keto bagels. These are cute little bagels that are fun to make and taste great with a sausage patty. I don't reccomend it with more egg cause it is a bit too much eggs all at once for me. But if thats your cup of tea, go right ahead! if you eat cheese, it'd be great just with cheese alone! 

Simple: Protein + Veggies: This is self explanatory but I'll explain. I make baked salmon, baked chicken or grilled shrimp. Whatever you choose, Pair it with your favorite veggies. Like asparagus, broccolini, cauliflower mashed potatoes. You decide. Get fancy! It always feels like a restaurant meal to me. I pretty much always add a sauce as well. Like teriyaki salmon (recipe) and a ranch I make using Primal Kitchen avocado mayo. My other favorite sauce right now is The New Primal Golden BBQ Sauce. It's soooooo so good. Couldn't reccomend more.

Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry: This doesnt have to be just chicken If you prefer steak, tofu or shrimp would work too! I have the recipe for this on my instagram! Check it out :) Throw in all the veggies and you are set!

Wrap: So I like to make wraps for lunch sometimes. And again- pretty self explanatory, but let me go into detail. I add in chicken or turkey... lots of veggies. Mustard, mayo or some sort of sauce I've made. I use Coco By Nuco wraps. They do have a bit of a coconut taste- the Moringa one is the least of the coconut-y tastes I think personally. But it's still there. My boyfriend does not like the taste of coconut but he likes these wraps. Something to consider :) You could also just put it in romaine and make a sandwich with the lettuce. Similar to a lettuce wrapped burger.

Lettuce Tacos: These are real good! We make ground beef with Eel River brand- with all of the mexican spices and make it super flavorful. And always have cilantro, avocado and onion to top it with.

Snacks: Persian cucumberssssss. The best in the business. So good. I take one and cut it into 4 long pieces. It's so perfect for dipping into guacamole, buffalo chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad, almond sauce, even feta cheese. Basically if you can think of it- it's probably good with that. Of course there is celery and all of the other veggies. But persian cucumbers is by far my favorite. 
*Hard boiled eggs

*If you eat dairy, parmeasean crisps are all the rage. I feel like there are so many brands out there- you do have to check the ingredients though. I love ParmCrisps and Trader Joe's truffle ones. And also charcuterie boards are fun and awesome. Just take off the crackers and you're good to go!

*I keep jerkey (my favorite brand is :Vermont Smoke & Cure ) in my purse and also keep the small Primal Kitchen bars in there as well. I love the lime and peanut butter flavors.

Sweets: I have a ton of recipes on my instagram for different sweets. Key lime pie cups, pumpkin cookies, chocolate peanut butter cups... you name it. But if I haven't made a dessert- I keep Lily's chocolate bars on hand. I prefer the salted almond 70 percent bar. It's my favorite!

These are just some of my current favorites and tips for what I make and do. Be creative and do whatever works for you! We are all doing the best we can :)

Look you could tell me peanut butter is bad for you all day long. My ears are unavailable for this kinda talk. I have been eating peanut butter since I was a wee young girl by the spoonful. It. is. my. favorite.
My favorite.
I'll never quit you, peanut butter.
Not never, not know how.
Sincerely, 
Me.

Ok- sorry about that. Just wanted to clarify my love for peanut butter. If you for some reason do not feel this special way about peanut butter- by all means substitute almond butter in this recipe. Or if your nut free, sunflower seed butter could possibly work too.
​ Try it, ya never know!


I almost gave up on this recipe- half way through cause it just was not turning out right. But I pushed through & voila. I'm so glad I didn't. Cause this genuinely might be the best dessert I've ever made. Seriously. I had to force myself to create something new after this cause I would've made it again- and again, and again. And probably again.
​Well lets be real- I will be making this a lot in the future.

​Keep scrolling down for the recipe.

RAW CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CHEESECAKE SQUARES
Recipe by: Krysten Jorgensen, The Daily Kale

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• Pinch of salt
• 10 pitted dates or about 1/2 cup 

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup cashews
• 5 tbsp peanut butter
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup or 5 tbsp  + 1 tsp coconut oil (melted)
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

For the chocolate drizzle:

• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (70% cacao or higher)
• 1 tbsp cacao powder
• 3 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup 

Directions:
​

1. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Make sure it's lined both ways so this won't be touching any of the actual pan.
2. For the crust: In a food processor, blend just the almonds for about 10-15 seconds until they are in fine/little bits. Add in the rest of the crust ingredients and blend for about 15 seconds until evenly combined. If needed: add in 1-2 tbsp. of water so that the crust starts to form when you blend it for another 5-10 seconds. Now you've got your crust. 
3. Place the crust in the pan. And push with your fingers or fist to flatten it out evenly so it's covering the entire bottom of the lined pan. 
4. Place all filling ingredients inside of the food processor and blend until completely creamy & smooth. Add in the extra tbsp of water if it is not creamy/silky. Keep blending until it's evenly blended. I let my processor run for about 1 minute. Making sure it's as creamy & combined as possible.
5. Pour the filling into your loaf pan on top of the crust. Use a spatula to make the filling even out. Or tap the pan a couple of times on the counter until it evens out.
6. Heat up about 1/4 cup water in a small pot until just boiling then turn off.
7. In a small stainless steel bowl, combine all of the chocolate drizzle ingredients. Put it on top of the small pot and let the mixture melt, while stirring. *Reminder, the flame is turned off for this. You don't want to burn the chocolate. It should melt down to a nice chocolate sauce.
8. Drizzle the chocolate sauce anyway you want over the top of the cheesecake. Have fun and get creative with your designs. I also drizzled more plain peanut butter on top too.
9. Set in your freezer for 2 hours.
10. Store in the freezer in an air tight container for up to 5 days. Take out about 15-20 minutes before enjoying, so that it's nice & thawed out.

ENJOY!

if you make it please #THEDAILYKALE or @TheDailyKale on instagram so I can see your recreations!
Or tag/follow me on Facebook.
​

(Obviously I'm more of a savory gal)


TOAST DETAILS:

Top: Left to right (1 & 2)
Bottom: Left to right (3 & 4)

1. Sliced Bananas, blueberries, peanut butter, granola
2. Sweet Potato Toast with sliced avocado & hemp seeds
3. Slice avocado, sauerkraut, hemp seeds & cashew cheeze drizzle.
4. Roots garlic hummus, pumpkin seed pesto, cherry tomatoes, avocado, Kite Hill almond cheese & black pepper.

I eat toast close to everyday. I love it. I recently had to switch over to a gluten free diet- prescribed by my Dr. I otherwise have no problem with gluten. (Believe me, noooo problem) ;)

So eat your toast, gluten or no gluten.
Heck, even a sweet potato can be toast these days! I just wanted to share with you some of the combinations I put on my toast. I love switching it up and making it creative. 

​
I will say tho- my go to is usually an avocado and sauerkraut combo.
Thats definitely my favorite. I know it might sound weird, but seriously, try it.
Hope ya'll enjoy!

P.s. If you're looking for a gluten free bread- I really love the brand Canyon Bakehouse, it's not vegan. But then again- I am not vegan. I'm pescatarian. So I do eat seafood, eggs, and cheese when I want, while focusing most days on a plant based/vegan diet. There are a ton of gluten free options out there, vegan or not. If you don't care if it's gluten free or not I highly recommend switching to sprouted bread by Food For Life. They were my previous favorite healthy not 'gluten free' bread. 

No. I'm not crazy, just FYI. Thats a reference to Elf ya'll. Who out there did NOT know that? Have you not seen that movie? Cause it's gooooood. And random quotes from it will probably get stuck in your head. Like that one. No, not gum drops at all. But dreamy swirls yes.
I love making these swirls in raw desserts- ever since I figured out how to do it.
SO FUN. 
But I am an artist. So anytime I get to use painting type skills in my food- I love.
You can do it too! It's quite easy.
If you have a tooth pick or anything similar you can do it too.
But if you want to skip that step in this- you totally don't have to do that. You can leave the top all purple from the blueberry mix and still will be looking super pretty! I mean, the color.
Oh my. Colors reallllllly get the best of me.

Ok enough enough- on to the recipe.
Completely raw.
Completely vegan.
Completely good. 
...My non vegan- dessert loving boyfriend approves. 

​
Try it out and let me know what you think! 
Please leave any questions below. And if you do make this recipe, be sure to tag me on instagram & #thedailykale or Facebook so I can see your recreations!

RAW BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE SQUARES
Recipe by : Krysten Jorgensen, The Daily Kale

Ingredients:​

For the crust:

• 1 cup almonds
• 2 tbsp. coconut flour or unsweetened shreds
• 10 pitted dates or roughly 1/2 cup
• Pinch of salt

For the filling:

• 1 cup cashews 
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
• 1/4 cup water + 1-2 extra tbsp water
• 2 tbsp unsweetened coconut shreds

For the top filling: 

• 1/2 cup thawed frozen or fresh blueberries

Directions:

1. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper. Make sure it's lined both ways so this won't be touching any of the actual pan.
2. For the crust: In a food processor, blend just the almonds for about 10-15 seconds until they are in fine/little bits. Add in the rest of the crust ingredients and blend for about 15 seconds until evenly combined. Add in 1-2 tbsp. of water so that the crust starts to form when you blend it for another 5-10 seconds. Now you've got your crust. 
3. Place the crust in the pan. And push with your fingers or fist to flatten it out evenly so it's covering the entire bottom of the pan. 
4. Place all filling ingredients inside of the food processor and blend until completely creamy & smooth. Add in the extra tbsp of water if it is not creamy/silky. Keep blending until it's evenly blended. I let my processor run for about 1 minute. Making sure it's as creamy & combined as possible.
5. Set a side about 2 tbsp. of that mixture. *optional for swirls on top* skip this step if you don't care about the swirls.
6. Pour half of the filling into your loaf pan on top of the crust. Use a spatula to make the filling even out. Or tap the pan a couple of times on the counter until it evens out.
7. In the food processor, blend the other half of the filling with the blueberries until it's completely creamy & smooth. Optional- add an extra 1-2 tbsp melted coconut oil, if for any reason it's not smoothing out.
8. Now pour the blueberry mixture into the loaf pan.
9. Take the optional 2 tbsp. of middle filling that you've set aside earlier. Drop about 1 tsp or less of it in different spots all over the top. Play around with the toothpick and draw different swirls, dragging it into the purple. It will start to create beautiful swirls. You don't actually have to do swirls, you could do abstract lines, or any decoration really. Have fun with it :)
10. Set in the freezer for about 2 hours.
11. Take out and cut into squares or whatever shape you'd like. You can even cut it like an actual cheesecake slice. 
12. Store in the freezer in an air tight container for about a week. Take it out about 20 minutes before enjoying, so that it has time to thaw.