Our garden has been a cucumber factory lately and I’m not complaining! But I’ve had to get creative on how to make use of this summer bounty, hence—cucumber noodles! This is a spin on the classic sesame noodles of my childhood but with a lighter spin, fresh enough for a side or salad (also properly food combined). If you have a serrated vegetable peeler, that makes work much easier, if not simply julienne slicing the cucumbers into long strips the old school way works just fine too. Remember to deseed your cukes too for a less watery, more noodle like consistency. Can’t wait for you guys to try!

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4 large cucumbers or 6-8 small cucumbers

Fresh cilantro or mint, chopped

Dressing:

4 tbsp tamari sauce

4 tbsp rice vinegar

1 clove garlic, grated

1 inch knob ginger, grated

1 tsp coconut sugar

2 heaping tbsp peanut butter

1 tsp chili crisp or more if you like extra spicy

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Sea salt to taste

Peel cucumbers. Slice cucumbers lengthwise and scoop out the seeds, discard seeds. Thinly julienne cucumbers into long noodles. If you have a serrated vegetable peeler, you can use that too. Toss noodles in large bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Season to taste. Toss cucumber noodles in dressing until well coated. Enjoy right away!

As we lean into the last days of summer (🥲), I’m sharing the kind of menu I always come back to when I’m having people over: simple, beautiful, feel-good food that doesn’t require a ton of fuss. It’s fresh, flavorful, family-friendly, and easy enough that you can actually enjoy the people you’re cooking for. This is exactly what I made earlier this week when I wanted to put something delicious on the table without overthinking it.

Everything can be prepped ahead, the chicken is my nod to beloved spicy yet sweet Korean BBQ chicken, the potatoes are classic, crispy and comforting, and the crumble is the kind of dessert you can throw together without overthinking it and incidentally gluten/grain/refined sugar free, though you wouldn’t know it. Basically, the perfect end-of-summer spread: easy enough for a weeknight, impressive enough for company, and celebrating all of our summer faves.

The Menu:

Caesar salad

Gochujang BBQ Chicken Thighs

Crispy Roasted Potatoes

Wild Blueberry and Plum Crumble

Caesar Salad

4 heads of romaine, rinsed and chilled

Dressing:

2 cloves garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp tamari

Juice of 2 lemons

1-inch hunk of parmigiano

2-3 anchovies

2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley

Sea salt

Black pepper

Combine all dressing ingredients in food processor, blend until creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with chopped romaine and serve right away.

Gochujang BBQ Chicken Thighs

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The more time I spend online, the more I feel even more certain that wellness does not have to be complicated. In fact, it’s the simplest meals that have the most impactful effect. Our bodies crave simplicity, our minds want to make it more complicated. That’s why I’ve been weaving in simple steamed vegetable dinners in a couple times a week and have felt so good. They don’t have to be austere. Adding a steamed Japanese sweet potato, jammy egg or luscious umami dressing changes the game entirely. Water-based cooking is amazing because it retains so many nutrients of vegetables while not taking much energy for the body to digest, which keeps our skin glowing and our bellies lean and happy. Hope you enjoy this simple recipe!

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1/4 cup tahini

2 tbsp tamari

1/4 cup ice water (or more if you like a looser dressing)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 garlic clove grated

1 handful of fresh parsley minced

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Add tahini, tamari, lemon juice and garlic to bowl. Whisk together until it forms a paste. Slowly add ice water to bowl while whisking. Add enough water when you get the dressing consistency you like. Add chopped parsley and mix. Season as you like. Serve as a salad dressing or dip to steamed vegetables!

It’s time for a confession. I don’t love canned sardines. Truth be told, they are a chore to eat. And it doesn’t make any sense! I love an oily omega rich fish and I love anything salty, brined and umami. Give me grilled fresh sardines with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and drizzle of olive oil any day. But the canned variety, I find myself psyching myself up to eat them and it’s never as joyful as I wish it was—until now. And all it needed was a boatload of lime juice, fresh herbs and spicy chili. Enter sardine ceviche! I found this recipe video on Tik Tok and haven’t been able to stop thinking about it! Luckily I made it because I will continue to make it all summer long. Long live the sardine!

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1 can sardines (I used Fishwife preserved lemon)

1 jalapeño, diced (keep seeds if you want spicy)

Juice of 4 limes

1 red onion, diced

1 orange bell pepper, cored and diced

1 avocado, diced

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

1 tomato, diced

1 handful fresh cilantro, minced

Sea salt

Black pepper

Combine all diced veggies in large bowl. Add sardines, mashing well with a fork. Add lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

One of my favorite food cities I’ve ever visited is Mexico City. I still dream of every bite I had from the fresh fruit carts to tableside authentic Caesar—but the real highlight was our lunch at Contramar. And yes, it did live up to the hype. Particularly the tuna tostadas that were so light and airy, tart and spicy all at once that I could have a dozen plates of them in one sitting. It’s taking me this long to try to recreate them at home but I’m glad I waited for the day I procured freshly caught tuna that was in the sea just hours before.

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There’s no better bite (or sip, rather) than the liquid gold juice at the bottom of a big platter of ripe summer tomatoes. And this salad highlights just that! Inspired by one of my favorite restaurants in Ibiza, Balafia—the recipe is oh so simple but essential in preparation. Don’t be afraid to get down and dirty with those tomatoes (with clean hands of course), squeezing every bit of juice out so that you and your dinner mates can sip or sop up all that delicious juice at the end. The perfect ode to summer!

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2-3 large ripe heirloom tomatoes

1 cup cherry, sun gold or grape tomatoes

1 white onion, thinly sliced

1 peeled cucumber, sliced lengthwise and seeded

3 tbsp olive oil

Sea salt

Slice large tomatoes in large bite-sized pieces, add to large salad mixing bowl. Slice smaller tomatoes in half, add to bowl. Peel and slice 1 large cucumber lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Discard the seeds. Chop into large bite-sized pieces. Add to bowl. Toss with olive oil and sea salt. Using your hands, gently squeeze the tomatoes, releasing their juices as much as possible. Transfer to serving platter and enjoy!

I’ve been making this sauce on repeat since cherry tomatoes hit their peak and not sorry about it. There’s something almost too easy about this one: you basically just let those tiny tomatoes get all blistered and jammy in a pan with garlic, basil and good olive oil, and boom — sauce that tastes like pure summer. No hours of simmering, no canned-tomato situation, not even a jar of Rao’s (if you know me this is huge). This is summer cooking at its lowest-effort, highest-reward.

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I’ve been sleeping on the Ninja Creami until now. We are spending the summer off East and it’s been heaven with bountiful vegetables at each turn, freshly caught seafood—but when it comes to ice cold sweet treats, it’s been lacking—at least when it comes to what I enjoy and my body digests well. I messaged my friend Health with Hunter who concurred that unfortunately yes, I must get a Ninja Creami. So I conceded, ordering yet another bulky appliance on Amazon knowing it would probably either take months to master or just collect dust in our basement like the other air fryer, waffle irons and the like.

But when it arrived, I was too intrigued or maybe desperate. I had to know—does it work? In the accompanying guide, there are endless recipes for ice cream, custards and thick icy delicacies but there is one thing I wanted to make. Greek tart froyo. Thanks to many of your DMs you guys told me I don’t need to follow these ornate instructions, I just need three things—yogurt, milk and honey. I could do that.

My version? Sheep milk yogurt, probiotic kefir and honey. Done. I chose Bellweather Farms Sheep’s Milk Yogurt, Alexandre Farms Kefir and good ol’ Costco honey. There is one caveat, patience. You do have to freeze the mixture overnight for 24 hours. This takes a bit of preparation and a lot of patience. But if you can get over that part, the rest is appallingly simple. I whisked together the ingredients into a creamy base, poured the contents into the Ninja vessel it comes with (I recommend buying multiple so you don’t have to wait 24 hours every time you want a sweet treat.) I placed in our deep freezer in the basement and begrudgingly went to bed.

The next morning, I was a kid on Christmas. Now here comes a few tips and tricks that I gathered from you fine folks. They are as follows:

1. Let the mixture defrost for about ten minutes on the counter (does this mean you can freeze for less time? Maybe, I haven’t tried.)

2. Once you lock it into the Creami, choose “lite ice cream” mode, this is best when doing a yogurt Froyo because there is less fat content and this mode spins faster.

3. Remove from the creami—if the texture is dry and crumbly, add 1 tbsp water (no more) and click “respin”

4. Voila! You have your perfect creamy light froyo consistency and the taste is damn near perfect!

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The Perfect Greek Tart Froyo

1 cup sheep’s milk yogurt or any plain unsweetened yogurt

1 cup kefir or grass-fed milk

1/3 cup honey

Whisk together ingredients until well blended in bowl. Pour to fill line in Ninja Creami vessel. Freeze for 24 hours making sure it is upright on a flat surface. The next day, remove from freezer, let defrost on counter for 10 min.

Turn Ninja Creami on. Add vessel to machine, click in and choose Lite Ice Cream mode, once done, if crumbly, add 1 tbsp water, choose respin again. Enjoy!

The is an amazing one pan meal for a weekday. I was craving an enchilada type dish and was already making ground meat for the kids taco night so these stuffed peppers were born! It’s also properly food combined and you can pair it with a crunchy salad or cauliflower rice. These are also great made ahead of time to pop in the oven whenever it’s time for dinner!

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I declare this the dill pickle summer solely because this dressing has been powering my meals for the last several days and I’m not stopping. Yes we love dill pickles, yes we love ranch but also a probiotic-rich dip that is packed with goodness for a happy gut? Fantastic, give me 17 of them right now. The key is ideally sourcing barrel pickles (aka fermented in a salt brine vs vinegar), but do you best! The recipe also has us making a real aquafaba mayo base, which is easier than it sounds. All you need is a chilled can of chickpeas or cannellini beans, which will magically help whir into a fluffy creamy base for our dressing. Enjoy this with Crudites or over a crunchy salad, even chips!

1/2 cup aquafaba (aka strained water of canned chickpeas or cannellini beans—chilled will make it thicker)

1/2 cup avocado oil

1 clove garlic

1/3 cup of fresh dill

2 sour pickles

1/4 cup pickle juice

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 heaping tbsp of sheep yogurt, Greek uohurt or sour cream

Sea salt

Black pepper

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Combine aquafaba and avocado oil in food processor and blend until whipped and emulsified into a creamy opaque mayo-like base. Add garlic, pickles, dill and pulse until chopped fine so the dressing has a chunky consistency. Add yogurt or sour cream and pulse until creamy. Season with sea salt and pepper until achieved flavor desired. Store in fridge up to 5 days or dress on salads or use as a dip for Crudites!

This is a riff off the Medical Medium’s smoothie who might be the closest of the wellness prophets I agree with, his principles are not far off from mine—start the day with a green juice (his celery), followed by mostly plant-based meals including this smoothie, which is packed with free radical neutralizing antioxidants, minerals, and amino acids both of which algae-based spirulina and dulse are packed with. It’s also packed with fiber creating movement and flow in the gut and chlorophyll from the cilantro and spirulina! Truly a superfood me! When having a fruit based smoothies, the same food-combining digestion “rule” applies, have this on an empty stomach or at least 30 min away from coffee and juice. Enjoy!

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1 cup frozen organic blueberries (I love Josh Maine, they’re far superior than any others I’ve had)

1.5 frozen organic banana (must be ripe!)

1 handful fresh cilantro

1 tsp spirulina

2-3 leaves of dulse seaweed

1 cup filtered water (more or less as needed)

Blend until creamy. Enjoy!

This is not your average supermarket side but it has enough creaminess to feel nostalgic and incredibly indulgent. I love to pack it with lots of cruciferous veg to truly make it a “salad” with plenty of herbs, making this one of the nourishing sides of main events you can have this summer. Potatoes get a bad rap. They are one of my favorite super foods because they are packed with minerals, healthy starch and are grounding to never leave you wanting more. I try to have a potato based meal a couple times a week to leave me feeling lean, clean and rooted. Remember, when it comes to starches, always prep with a raw green salad and try to steer away from animal protein in the same meal to aid digestion and keep you energized.

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A childhood fave that we love to keep in the fridge as a nourishing snack or breakfast! If you’re following food-combining, it’s ideal to have on an empty stomach for ideal digestion but for kids I like to give any time of day. It’s fun, colorful and a joy to eat! It’s also perfect for that fruit going in your fridge, the acidity of the OJ will keep them for longer!

1/2 cup finely chopped apple

1 kiwi, peeled and finely choppped

1 banana, finely chopped

1 nectarine, cored and finely chopped

1/2 cup grapes, chopped

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup chopped strawberries

3-4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

Mix altogether in a large bowl, pour orange juice over and enjoy!

This has become one of Sea’s most requested dressings and it’s so easy to make a big batch in the fridge for the week. Don’t be shocked at the secret ingredient, trust the process ;)

2 large carrots peeled, cut into 1 inch pieces

1/4 white onion

1/4 inch knob ginger

2 tbsp tamari

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

2 tbsp ketchup

1/4 cup avocado oil

2 tbsp water

1-2 ice cubes

Sea salt to taste

Blend everything together. Season as you like, you can add more ketchup or carrots for color as needed. Enjoy with Crudites or salad!

I know the season of Japanese sweet potato (and any tubers for that matter) may be coming to a close but I have not been able to stop making this recipe. It’s so hearty yet leaning and is perfect for a didn’t-have-time-to-order-groceries-but-also-don’t-want-to-order-in kind of night. The Bonberi spin comes from lots of chopped veggies, which increase the volume of the dish without adding extra protein that is hard to digest and bonus points to top it with nutrient dense sprouts or microgreens. I like to use raw goat cheddar for this but any raw milk cheese will do. You probably already have these ingredients in the pantry. Can’t wait for you to try it!

1 Japanese sweet potato, sliced lengthwise

1 can of tuna (skipjack or Safe Catch tuna have the lowest mercury), strained

2 stalks celery, minced

1/2 small onion, minced

1 carrot, peeled and shredded

1/2 cup green cabbage, shredded

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Building my dream kitchen was always going to be a challenge—but one that I was up for, because it’s the most important space in my home! What would be the vibe? The aesthetic? The appliances? Luckily, I had Ronen Lev to help me create a moodboard as a starting point. The inspo? English countryside, the mountains of Ibiza and the beaches of Amagansett—modern, chic and cool but nothing that looked austere or Tik Tok griege. It had to feel personal and utilitarian—maybe even a little quirky.

We had a small space to work with—no more than 140 square feet roughly where I could dream up a natural lit space where I could create, test and tools that work as hard as I do.

When it came to the appliances, I knew I would go straight to P.C. Richard & Son, which has always been our source for the best appliances even growing up in New Jersey. We worked with closely with P.C. Richard & Son and the SKS Appliances team, visiting their NYC showroom and scouring their website to find something that fit our space and needs exactly. Here’s what we chose!

Choosing Appliances That Elevate Everything

The appliances were at the heart of the transformation. I sourced them from PC Richard & Son because I wanted reliability, strong customer support, and premium options that would last.

The Refrigerator: Function Meets Elegance

Even with a small space, I wanted the kitchen to feel like a statement. When looking for our fridge, French doors were one of my non-negotiable so we settled on the Signature Kitchen Suite 36 in. 25.5 cu. ft. Smart Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator with Ice & Water Dispenser in stainless steel. We opted for sage green paneled doors, which felt a bit more sophisticated than exposed steel. This way it feels less like an appliance and more like part of the architecture.

Counter depth was essential and we designed the fridge to sit flush with the sage green cabinetry, maintaining the clean modern lines of the space. But beyond aesthetics, this refrigerator changed how I organize ingredients.

The generous 25.5 cubic feet of space allows me to store my farmers market produce, homemade broths, fresh herbs, and prepped components for multiple Bonberi recipes at once. The French door design makes everything visible and accessible—which is major! No forgotten greens hiding in the back. The ice and water dispenser adds convenience without disrupting the sleek exterior—plus my kids love pouring themselves their own glass of ice cold filtered water (we also pre-filter our house water supply with a Radiant Life home unit.)

The Range: Where the Magic Happens

For our oven and range, we went with Signature Kitchen Suite 36 in. 6.3 cu. ft. Smart Standard Convection Gas Range with 6 Sealed Burners in stainless steel that we also found at P.C. Richard & Son.

The four burners and touch panels give me complete control while making it easy and quick to use. I love that I can simmer a curry on one burner with a pre-setting while searing vegetables on high heat on another. I really love the middle grill for searing veggies and meat.

Whether I’m roasting winter veg, baking my kids fave gluten-free muffins, or finishing a one-pan dinner, the convection feature ensures even heat distribution. I also loved the professional kitchen stainless steel finish that feels rustic and utilitarian.

Other Design Details

Some design details that completed the space:

• Soft-close drawers to maintain the peaceful, cozy atmosphere, we used these brass pulls that felt country but chic and strong, utilitarian fridge handles

• White Cervino Stone that is durable and aesthetic, which we sourced from BAS Stone

• Recessed lighting below the cabinetry

• One of my favorite features of the kitchen are the tiles. We worked with Petra Palumbo on custom Delft tiles, similar to the ones we have at Bonberi Mart. We even custom designed a few like a RUSS Troll Doll and Bonberi Mart salad, motifs that were meaning to us like the kids’ zodiac signs and my favorite ingredients.

I’m very particular when it comes to my sweets. As a savory person they need to be a little salty, umami and in classic Asian fashion “not too sweet.” These brownies hit all points and then some. The tahini acts as the binder and base, adding a nutty buttery flavor and since they’re grain free I like to have them after a protein based meal. I used maple syrup here but you can use coconut sugar. If you’re not a baker like me, these are so simple and the perfect gateway!

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1 cup tahini

1/2 cup almond flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

2 eggs

1/2 cup melted grass-fed butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup maple syrup (or coconut sugar

For topping:

1/4 cup tahini

1/4 cup ice water

2 ice cubes

Sea salt

Flaky sea salt

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together wet ingredients in one bowl. If tahini is thick, the melted butter will help emulsify it. Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour batter into brownie tin. In a separate bowl, whisk together tahini, water and ice and salt until the texture is smooth. Add circular dollops onto brownie mixture. Using a chopstick, run through circles in a wavy motion to create your swirl design. Top with flaky sea salt. Bake for 25-30 min or toothpick comes out clean (the less you bake the fudgier the brownies). Let cool. Enjoy!

This is the kind of secret weapon dressing you serve on a salad that is bursting with umami and tartness and will have your guests interrogating you for the recipe. The trick is adding ice cubes to make it light, whipped and buoyant to gently cling to spring greens. I like to keep a batch in the fridge to also double as a crudites dip à la Club 55.

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Ok guys, let’s talk tofu! And other health foods that may or may not be supporting our vitality. Here’s my take and one I’ve been following for two decades. It also must be known that I grew up on tofu. Being half Korean— I love it. It’s comforting, grounding and part of my cultural identity. That said, in abundance, it does not support my physical vitality. The tofu my ancestors made, is not the one we find in the supermarket today. Yes it’s processed and yes soybeans are one of the most sprayed plants on the planet. So what do I do? I enjoy it but sparingly, like any processed food. Here are my top 3 principles that I apply to any imperfect food that’s not a whole veggie or fruit:

Start with a salad first

Raw leafy greens are packed with chlorophyll, fiber and raw enzymes that will help arm the body with the ability to breakdown heavier food so you won’t bloat or feel “stuck”. Simple leafy green salad in advance like a bowl of arugula will do the trick!

Make most of your plate veggies

I don’t think I’ve had a full block of tofu in years. When I do have tofu, it’s sautéed or simmered with lots of water containing vegetables that make the most of my meal. It’s the same with animal protein—veggies are the main star.

Keep it simple

When working with foods that are already processed I try to keep it simple like steaming, stewing or quickly sauteeing rather than breading, frying or over complicating dishes that will have digestion stagnant and overwhelmed. Less is more!

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Tofu and Veggie Tacos

This is a simple recipe that embodies all principles above and helps me enjoy tofu while being easy on my digestive system!

1 pack of firm tofu, trained (ideally organic and/or sprouted)

1 bell pepper, cored and sliced into strips

1 cup of broccoli florets

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced

1 cup of mushrooms thinly sliced

3 tbsp olive oil

Juice of 1 lime

1 handful of fresh cilantro leaves and chopped stems

Sea salt

Pepper

Taco seasoning:

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Fixings:

Fresh cilantro

Arugula or chopped romaine

Lime wedges

Vegan cheese lime Violife cheddar

Corn tortillas

In a pan, heat oil, add veggies and sauté with half the taco seasoning. Sauté until veggies are soft about 5 min. Crumble tofu in a bowl and add seasoning until fully coated. Add to pan and the brown the tofu, about 8-10 min. Add cilantro and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Add tortillas onto pan and sprinkle vegan cheese if using. Cover and melt cheese. Transfer tortillas to plate, spoon on tofu and veggie mixture. Top with more cilantro and arugula and serve with lime wedges.

After hearing years of adulation for Goop Kitchen, when it finally arrived in NYC, I have to admit I was curious. Yes, I have my own healthy prepared food shop, but it’s always been my opinion that multiple healthy concepts can coexist and nobody actually does what we do, so why not try what else is out there? (That said, a GK staffer did recently pop into the Mart to buy several sides of our chickpea tuna, so let’s hope one doesn’t miraculously appear on their menu soon heh.) What did interest me on the Goop Kitchen menu was yes their pizza, which is very good. But I was most intrigued by a side dubbed “GP’s soccata,” a quiche-like gluten free chickpea-based pancake (usually thin in Southern Italian cuisine) but here it comes thick, crisp, laced with kale and salty feta, and is indeed very yummy. I ordered it enough times to say to myself—Ok let’s try to figure this out at home so I don’t have to deal with canceled orders or 48 hour wait times. And guess what? It’s easier than I thought! Naturally packed with fiber, protein and is mostly plant-based. I of course had to add more veg and fresh herbs but it’s truly a delightful little one pan meal that I will for sure be making this spring into summer.

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