CONTEST! CONTEST! CONTEST!

Okay, I've figured out what sort of contest we should have for the great Zevia giveaway. Here's what I'm thinking:

The Tuesday after Labor Day is officially my 15 year anniversary of low carbing, so that seems an auspicious occasion for which to give out prizes. So if you wish to compete for the free mixed case of Zevia (or one of the runner up prizes of a six-pack of Zevia), you'll need to send a recipe. Or two. Or three! Heck, you may enter as many times as you like. The rules will be (this is rough, and is subject to possible change):

* All recipes should be low carb, of course. No sugar, honey, flour, pasta, rice, noodles, potatoes, cereal, etc. Small quantities of ingredients that include a bit of sugar are okay: For instance, a tablespoon or two of low sugar preserves in a sauce, or a shot of Worcestershire. But total usable carbs must be low. We reserve the right to boot recipes that are too high carb.

*No recipes with hydrogenated oils -- no vegetable shortening, no margarine, no ingredients using them.

* They must be YOUR recipes, not from a book or magazine. You certainly may start with a recipe from a book or a magazine, and alter it -- to make it lower carb, to make it simpler to make, to improve the flavor, whatever. If you've changed it, it is officially your recipe.

* Names of contestants will not appear with their recipes. We don't want it to become a popularity contest.

* The Webmaster will put up a recipe posting page. Anyone can read them, of course. All registered posters (registration is free, folks!) may rate recipes. The ratings will run from one star to five stars, with one being "Are you kidding? This is nowhere near worth the time and effort." and five being "I would pay big bucks for this in a restaurant, and thank the chef." We will assume that ratings will also take into consideration the carb count of the recipe, with one being "Geez, you want me to waste five grams of usable carb on that?" and ten being "Wow, this is amazing! And so incredibly low carb!" And whatever else makes you like or dislike a recipe. You'll need to leave some sort of comment along with your star rating, even if it's one word, like "Amazing!" or "Sucks."

*No rating your own recipes. Honor system on this one!

* The big prize -- the mixed case of Zevia -- will go to the recipe with the most total stars. The next two top rated recipes will each win a mixed six-pack of Zevia. And heck, we might even throw in a bonus prize somewhere.

* Hold the Toast reserves the right to republish all recipes submitted. In other words, if we want to eventually put out a booklet of "Prize-winning Recipes From Hold The Toast Readers," we can do that. In that event, you will be credited with your contribution in any publication.

So send in your recipes, folks, to contest@holdthetoast.com! And have fun trying everyone else's recipes!