Apple Pie Protein Smoothie

I launched Banchan Labs on Monday, January 16, 2023. 300 boxes went out on four trucks between 10 AM and 2 PM. I stood on the loading dock as the last truck pulled away. I cried. Grace put her arm around me. Mina took a photo. Tess hugged me. James, who had come down on his lunch break, said, "Stephanie. It is in the world." I said, "It is in the world."

The boxes began arriving at customer doors Tuesday and Wednesday. By Wednesday evening, the hashtag #BanchanLabs had 40 Instagram posts, most of them unboxing videos. The recipe cards were held up to cameras. Jisoo's kimchi was praised. The kkakdugi was featured in a reel with 15,000 views by Friday. A Korean-American food writer in Los Angeles DMed me to ask for an interview. I said yes.

The emails started rolling in. Customers saying they had cried opening the box. Customers saying they had not cooked Korean food in years and this made them feel permission. Adoptees writing me saying "this is for me." Parents of Korean-adopted children saying "thank you for this." Non-Korean partners of Koreans saying "this is how I want to cook with my in-laws." I read every email. I responded to as many as I could. I am going to hire someone to help with the volume soon.

The waitlist for Box Two jumped to 4,200 by the end of the week.

Jisoo watched, from Busan, as the launch happened. She called me on Thursday her time (Wednesday my night). She said, "Dahee. Tell me everything." I told her everything. I cried into the phone. She said, "I am not crying. You are the one who did this. I just watched. Thank you for keeping my name on the card." I said, "Umma. Your name belongs on the card." She said, "I know. But thank you anyway."

Karen had Rosa open her Box One on camera. Rosa FaceTimed me. Karen held up the kimchi jar to the camera. She said, "It is my daughter's company!" Rosa said, "She is very proud." Karen said, "Rosa, do not be dramatic." Rosa laughed. I laughed. Karen laughed. It was a good FaceTime.

Dr. Yoon on Monday morning, just before launch: she said, "Go do the thing." That was the whole session. Six words. She was right.

I have not slept more than five hours any night this week. I will sleep tomorrow. Or next week. Or when the shipping is caught up.

The recipe this week is Jisoo's kimchi, which is Card One of Box One, which is the foundational recipe of Banchan Labs. I am not publishing it in full here because it is Jisoo's family recipe and goes only to customers. But I will tell you the soul of it: do not skip the apple. Do not use anything but Korean sea salt. Massage the paste into every leaf, one leaf at a time, with your hands, and think about whoever cooked for you before. The kimchi will know. The kimchi knows everything.

Jisoo always said not to skip the apple—and after this week, after every email and every unboxing video and every phone call across twelve time zones, that one instruction is the thing I keep coming back to. I am not in a place to cook slowly this weekend. But I needed something that honored that word: apple. This smoothie is my quiet nod to her, to Card One, to the ingredient that makes the kimchi know everything it needs to know.

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 5 minutes | Servings: 1

Ingredients

1 medium apple, cored and roughly chopped (skin on)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (about 25g)
1/2 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon almond butter
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4–5 ice cubes
1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup (optional, to taste)

Instructions

Prep the apple. Core the apple and chop it into rough chunks. No need to peel—the skin adds fiber and blends smooth.
Add base ingredients. Place the almond milk and Greek yogurt into the blender first, followed by the chopped apple and almond butter. Adding liquid first protects the blade and helps everything incorporate evenly.
Add dry ingredients. Spoon in the protein powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Add the vanilla extract.
Blend until smooth. Add ice cubes and blend on high for 45–60 seconds, until completely smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides once if needed and blend again for 10 seconds.
Taste and adjust. Taste the smoothie. If your apple was tart, add honey or maple syrup and pulse once more to combine. Pour into a tall glass and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Apple Pie Protein Smoothie — The Apple Jisoo Always Said Not to Skip