AIP roasted golden beets with apple, sage, and a coconut-butter lemon dressing

Sides are where the elimination phase starts to feel narrow, because so much of the effort goes into protecting the entree and the vegetables get whatever energy is left over. Golden beets fix that here almost by accident: they roast on one tray, do not bleed pink onto everything else in the pan, and taste sweeter than their red cousins.

Golden beets are a source of folate, a B vitamin your body relies on for cell repair and ordinary tissue turnover. There is fiber on this tray too, in the beet skins and the apple, doing its own quiet work while an overactive immune system settles.

Toss everything while it is still warm from the oven so the dressing melts slightly into the vegetables. Gold, green, and the soft orange of roasted apple make an ordinary tray look worth looking at, on a day when very little else does.

Ingredients

• 3 medium golden beets (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and diced into 1/3-inch cubes
• 2 medium Gala apples, diced into 1/3-inch cubes
• 1 medium white onion, diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp minced fresh sage

Dressing:

• 2 tbsp softened coconut butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

Method

Heat the oven to about 400F and line a rimmed baking sheet. Put the diced golden beets, apples, and onion on the sheet. Drizzle with the tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle on the sea salt and minced sage, and toss with your hands until everything is coated. Spread the vegetables into a single layer so they roast rather than steam.

Roast for around 30 to 40 minutes, stirring once partway through, until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork and the edges of the apple and onion have caramelized. Roast time depends on how small you cut the cubes, so check toward the earlier end.

While the tray roasts, make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the softened coconut butter, the tablespoon of olive oil, the white wine vinegar, lemon juice, sea salt, and grated lemon zest until smooth and pourable. If the coconut butter is stiff, warm it gently first so it loosens.

When the vegetables come out of the oven, let them cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a serving bowl and pour the dressing over while everything is still warm. Toss gently to coat. Taste, adjust the salt, and serve warm or at room temperature.

Air fryer variation

Roasted root vegetables do well in the air fryer. Toss the beets, apple, and onion with the oil, salt, and sage, then air-fry at about 380F for 15 to 20 minutes, shaking the basket once or twice, until the beets are fork-tender. Work in batches if your basket is small so the pieces are not crowded. Air fryer times vary by model and are untested here, so check for doneness before tossing with the dressing.

Notes

The source recipe is AIP elimination-compliant as written, so no swaps were needed. This dish contains coconut butter. White wine vinegar is a permitted AIP vinegar; confirm yours and the coconut butter are clean-label. Servings are estimated at 4 and roast time estimated, because the source does not state a yield or time.

*Adapted from autoimmunewellness.com*