HAPPY MEALS

Looking for a next-level dining experience with a “feel-good” menu to match? Here are eight surefire favorites for greattasting food that’s good for you.

BY JUDY ALEXANDRA DIEDWARDO

ating healthy shouldn’t feel like punishment, especially when dining out at places where menu options can be limited at best. But the call for heart-healthy food that tastes good— from organic and gluten-free to vegan and paleo—has grown louder than ever, and restaurateurs are responding with truly inventive creations that will have even die-hard junk food eaters singing their praises.

COSTA DELRAY BY OK&M

502 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach 561/501-6115 costabyokm.com

“The key to really good healthy food is using fresh, local, organic, responsibly grown ingredients that are available right here in South Florida,” says Private Chef Coton Stine-Guzman, the brainchild behind Delray Beach’s Costa Delray by OK&M, which opened on Atlantic Avenue last April and offers a sophisticated coastal dining experience for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Think poached heritage eggs atop an English muffin with Key lime citrus Hollandaise, lemon-glazed lollipop scallops with ginger coconut carrot purée, or jumbo lump crab meat with seared asparagus and lemon zest. This is no ordinary restaurant.

A master of flavors and fresh, nutrient-rich ingredients, Stine-Guzman stepped into the restaurant arena after expanding the organic meal service kitchen where she prepares curated meals to dozens of established clients. In 2019 she opened OK&M Café (Organic Kitchen & Mercantile) on East Ocean Avenue—a quaint, streetside cafe with outdoor seating that serves breakfast and lunch seven days a week along with a robust pickup and takeout service.

“My belief is, it’s gotta be fresh, because if I’m getting my products local, then I’m getting the purest foods, the best flavors and the best out of the product—produce, especially, that is literally harvested and brought to us the next day so it often comes still in dirt,” said Stine-Guzman of the five local farms that she buys from. “And, you can taste it: Everything’s crunchy and watery and packed with vitamins and nutrients, as opposed to something that’s been packaged and sent across country that you eat three weeks later.”

SIGNATURE DISH: Baby Beet Tar Tar

Baby beets, radish, cucumber, avocado mousse, kimchi aioli, ginger chips over basmati

SURE THING: Sea Scallop PoBoy

Seared scallops between freshly baked brioche, microgreens, citrus remoulade with raw Cajun slaw

LIVING ON THE EDGE: Gochujang Cauliflower

Baked cauliflower florets, sticky Korean pepper sauce over chef’s choice floral coconut basmati

OK&M CAFE

640 E. Ocean Ave., Suite 6, Boynton Beach 561/292-3222 costabyokm.com

SIGNATURE DISH: Sexy Majick Mermaid Mylk Latte

House-made, organic cashew mylk, blue spirulina, maca, ashwagandha and local honey (served hot or chilled)

SURE THING: Fresh Catch Tacos

Locally caught blackened mahi-mahi served in two cassava tortillas with avocado, raw slaw, cilantro and citrus aioli

LIVING ON THE EDGE: Lion’s Mane Burger

Lion’s mane mushroom and shiitakes, arugula and microgreens with white truffle veganese aioli served on brioche bun (or gluten-free cassava wrap)