Lemon Beet Tart (paleo, AIP)

The story was sad. It had enjoyed such an exalted position on humanity’s stage for so many millennia now. And yet, in this modern time, it had been lost. People didn’t actually recognize story anymore, much less why it mattered. They knew they liked to be entertained – they would sit down for two hours in front of a collection of disparate scenes, a few hackneyed thrusts of dialogue in between something shocking, some kind of ka-boom, and there it was, mission accomplished. Episodic, self-contained formulas. Recognizable faces only, like smelly old socks, comfortable in their familiar lines. A novel idea? A fantastic setting? Perhaps, but not expanded to its gestated being.

But people were tempted by the promise of story. Here’s an interesting character, there’s a potential conflict, let’s see how it develops. Good guys become bad guys, bad guys get away with it in a circular ending that makes no sense and leaves everyone scratching their heads wondering why they feel robbed. Ten years of their lives and numerous hours flushed away, because they’d spent time thinking about a story that in the end decided it wasn’t a story after all, just a meaningless collection of disparate events designed to do little else for humanity besides obscure values and misdirect attention and energy that could have been spent improving things.

That is not a story, the story wanted to shout. A story…should be beautiful. It should teach. It should be learned, without having to be taught. It should engage with a promise of revelation and deeper understanding. It should entertain too, on a fundamental level that connects and speaks to all humanity. What is a story? The story found itself surprised and hurt that it had to explain to so many why it deserved to exist, and what, exactly, it was – not least to the so-called storytellers themselves. I am a story, it said. I exist for you. I tell you why. I tell you how and when and what. I take tears and random misfortunes and connect them to the deep ravine of human sorrow and profundity, through which we all traipse at one time or another. I bring humor to a world that is full of it in ways that might otherwise go unnoticed or be mistaken for tragedy.

You are not a story, the story said to all the imposters. Begone, false idols, money-grubbers, servants of the commercial and man’s ode to cash. You have nothing to teach – nothing good at least. Stop confusing people with your void messages, your taunt of meaning and bait and switch of emptiness – your utter contempt for the needs of the soul. Go back to the polluted pool from whence you came. We are better than you. We remember true story. True story can’t be forgotten. True story runs through the strands of human DNA, back tens of thousands of years, to cave walls, to fire rings. True story teaches our children, ourselves, our future selves. We can regain story from a troubled world sinking further into a pit of malaise and marketing. Stick with me, I will never betray you. I will never leave you with an ending that was not worth your time. Endings are half the essence of my being. Stick with me, you won’t be sorry.

Thanks for listening –

Story.

And now, a lemon beet tart.

Lemon Beet Tart

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Here's another one friends...I shall now only ever eat carrots and beets in dessert form. No added sugar necessary, and a whole bunch of superfood powerhouses to boot makes for one tasty, guilt-free tart. Not gonna lie, the lemon flavors kinda dominate/you need them... honestly reminded me of a lemon cheesecake/something in the key lime family, just pinker. Please try, if only to give another humble root some fully-deserved glory.

Author: Julie Hunter

Recipe type: Paleo, Autoimmune Protocol, Vegan-Friendly

Cuisine: Vegetables Parading as Dessert

Serves: 1 tart

Ingredients

• 1 pound beets (steamed & peeled)
• 1 cup coconut milk (solid part from a chilled can)
• 1 tb grassfed butter (P), ghee (AIP re-intro) or optional for V
• 2 tb (or 2 lemons worth of ) lemon zest
• 1 tb lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsps ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp nutmeg (non-AIP) or mace (AIP option) (cardamom (non-AIP) could be interesting too)
• ¾ tsp sea salt
• 1 tb grassfed gelatin (sub agar agar for V)
• couple drops stevia (non-AIP) or vanilla extract (optional)
• 
  
• Crust

Instructions

1. If your beets aren’t already pre-steamed, steam/boil them until tender. While beets are cooking, make crust and pre-bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until browned (~20 minutes or so, keep an eye so it doesn’t brown too quickly).
2. Blend cooked beets with other ingredients in order listed til very smooth (I used a stick blender), and season to taste.
3. Pour into baked shell and refrigerate for several hours or overnight, until firm.
4. Eat and enjoy your delectable vegetable serving for dessert!

3.5.3251

The tart pre-chilling

The tart after being chilled overnight

This post has been shared on Phoenix Helix’s Paleo-AIP Roundtable.