Vegan Month of Food 2015 Day #11: Magnesium Madness

Today our prompt is "focus on a nutrient." I'm taking you to our beach to get some Vitamin D, chill with a baby deer, and talk about magnesium. Magnesium is where it's at baby..... my life is much better now that a years long magnesium deficiency was finally diagnosed and fixed. After the video, I give you a recipe from the "Oh She Glows" cookbook for Healing Rooibos Tea. Only I use honeybush tea (yes, it's vegan, that's just the name, ok?) It's a wonderful healing tea, chock full of turmeric and ginger. This is a great tea with anti-inflammatory properties, and perfect for someone like me who's still high raw, and taking anti-inflammatory supplements, enzymes and other lovelies to heal my "finally-almost-better" injured ankle. I make my tea unsweetened.

There's a little bit of noise on the video because it was breezy. Sorry about that.

The deer you see in this video is a Key deer fawn, who has just a few of her spots left on her flank. If you look closely you may be able to see them. Key deer are an endangered species. They are frequent visitors here, and one of the reasons I moved here. I watch them constantly and love their playfulness, their herd mentality (at least within the does and fawns), and so many other things about them. Animals make me a better person, they make me want to do more, do better and make this Earth an ok place to be.

That said, let's get some sun.

Healing Rooibos Tea

Credit: Angela Liddon

Oh She Glows Cookbook

4 cups filtered water

4 tsp loose rooibos tea or 4 rooibos tea bags (I usually use honeybush, they're both "red" teas)

1-2 lemon slices, seeds removed

1-2 inch piece turmeric root, peeled, thinly sliced

2-3 inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled, thinly sliced

sweetener to taste (optional) (I omit)

In a medium saucepan, combine the water, tea, lemon, turmeric and ginger. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and reduce to med/low, simmering about 10 minutes. Longer if you desire a stronger brew.

Pour the tea through a fine mesh sieve place over a bowl, stir in sweetener if using, and serve immediately. Store excess in fridge.

PS: I do not drink this warm/hot, I like it chilled. I also tend to add a little more lemon, but that's just me.

Add a smidgen of black pepper to your tea, it will help the body absorb the turmeric better. Yes, this is true, look it up.

xo