Vegan, gluten-free lemon-lime tart

When life gives you lemons…you know what to do. Whatever it takes—OK, within reason—to glean the sweet from the sour, you do it. You don’t have to make lemonade, though. With so many luscious, lemony temptations out there, that metaphor needs to expand. And it doesn’t need to be lemons we feel soured on, either. Sometimes, in fact, it’s not having lemons that causes a conundrum. Sometimes, we find we were counting on lemons, but we (feeling busy and also guiltily entitled, perhaps) set up a curbside pickup and got a whole bunch of limes instead. That’s what we call ironic, sort of. But what good are big, beautiful brains if we can’t adapt creatively to such an easy exchange of players?

This lovely, light, sweet-tangy tart was meant to be lemon bars, but I can’t say I regret them morphing. The recipe is based on the amazing, gorgeous decadence of Tess Challis’s Lemon Bars recipe in The Vegan Air Fryer Cookbook. I played with the simple press-in crust for a softer, gluten-free version, and gave the filling a twist with fresh lemon and lime juices and zero glycemic monkfruit sugar in place of regular cane sugar. As stated, this recipe makes for modest yet perfect portions, filling a 6-inch round pan. You could easily add by half to boost up to something more traditional.

Topped with a dollop of coconut whip and some fresh berries, this zesty tart is perfect for Mother’s Day, just around the corner. You know what else it’s perfect for? Mothers, any day. Or, anyone in any relationship, including with oneself. So, everyone. I’ve thought this through carefully. I mean, how can we not appreciate the symbolism of something so pretty and satisfying made with a blend of sweet and sour, marrying two beautiful citrus fruits that clearly go together yet can also seem to oppose one another?

But, Mothers/Mother Figures, capitals intended. That’s a doozy of a role. When Chef F was born, everyone said, “cherish every moment, the years go by so fast”. No one explained that while cherishing each moment I’d be grieving for that same moment, and the (with luck) many ones piling up in succession for…forever?

Last night, while enjoying a sweet, touching, and funny family movie “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”. Have you seen it? I bawled my eyes out, twice, for a very extended time in movie terms. To be fair to me, I was emotional for many reasons already, with hormones all over the place, and heavy lingering fatigue from my second dose of vaccine last Thursday, which DID ME IN! In any case, spoiler alert, but not really: in the film there are two separate scenes wherein we are treated to one of two main characters in conflict (Dad, followed later by daughter poised to head off to college) watching old videos of when the daughter was a baby, toddler, Kindergartner…you get the gist. In both scenes, I LOST it! Really, really lost it, heaving, sobbing, lolling in spreading puddles on the couch.

Dave, calm and wonderful as he is, managed to create a moment of comedy and keep the flow of movie night, infusing some humor and sympathy noting poor Mommy’s weekend, and F laughed and snuggled up to me reassuringly. But I kept holding onto the ache. You know how it is. Guess what eventually lifted me up again? Mr. Rogers.

Actually, it was this wonderful book called ‘Burnout’ by Emily and Amelia Nagaski, loaned by a dear friend, that helped me pull myself back together. But in it, near the end, there’s a focus on gratitude that notes how Fred Rogers, in his signature way, drew the focus of gratitude gently to ‘who’, not ‘what’, inviting his then audience to take ten seconds to think about all those who have cared about you and have wanted what was best for you in your life. The way he flipped that—way more significant than swapping lemons for limes. I got swept up in one of those moments, and could finally start floating to sleep on the whispers of my heart, saying, I see and love you, and I’ll see and love you for always, wherever you are. That’s to you, Chef F, and to his wonderful dad, to that inner child still seeking attention and to everyone I love. All the sweet and tart, curveballs and creations, I’ll still love you. Happy Mother’s Day, all nurturers. xo

Lemon-lime tart

For the crust:

1 Cup almond flour
1 Tablespoon coconut flour
1 Tablespoon psyllium husk powder (optional)
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons unsweetened vanilla almond milk

For the filling:
1/2 cup granulated monkfruit sugar (or cane sugar)
1-2 Teaspoons each of lemon and lime zest
1/4 Cup fresh lemon-lime juice combination
1/4 Cup unsweetened applesauce (heaped—almost 1/3 Cup)
1 Teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 400 F. In a small bowl, mix all the crust ingredients. Add almond milk if needed to form a dough (may be crumbly).

Prepare a 6-inch round baking pan with cooking spray or parchment. Press the flour mixture to form a bottom crust. Bake for 5-7 minutes.

While crust is baking, mix all filling ingredients. Spread over prepared crust, then return to oven and bake for 15-18 minutes, until the top is beginning to brown and firm. Remove and allow to cool in the fridge for one hour. Serve with coconut whip and fresh berries, if desired. Enjoy!