And don’t worry if you’re not a World Cup or foosball person. You can still enjoy the snacks, the commercials, and even tune out for the sportsball part by tuning into some fun games of your own like this Ragdoll Rise Up Game. I think I love it mostly because it reminds me of my cat, who is a Ragdoll mix stray, but it’s a fun little time-waster. And if that’s not your cup of tea, there are a ton of other games on the site that might suit. Check out more games here. And then head back and check out some of these snacks!

Vegetarian Game Day snacks

One of my all-time favorite dips that’s absolutely perfect for a Game Day get-together is this garlicky delicious White Pizza Dip.

Tasty, simple game day Garlic Cheese Sticks will be popular with your whole crowd. Add some marinara for dipping and you’ll have a tasty treat.

You’re going to have to try this gluten-free vegan Chickpea Nuggets recipe for kids! It’s delicious and believe it or not – my whole family loves them!

Homemade Hummus is amazing at any party. And, it’s vegan!

How about some vegan Loaded Guacamole? So simple and yet so full of flavor! This loaded vegan guacamole recipe is delicious! We all loved it – it’s got just the right bit of spice to keep it interesting!

Buffalo Chicken French Bread Pizzas are the perfect treat for the game. Make them snackier by cutting the bread into 3-inch sections after baking.

Slow Cooker Chili is so easy, vegan, and will warm up any game. Plus, there is so much to do with leftovers. This chili is also FANTASTIC on hot dogs, mac and cheese, and nachos. 

Pizza Bagel Bites are a great Game Day addition, especially for kids (big and small).

Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadillas are the perfect treat for hungry couch-surfers. Slice these into triangles and serve with sour cream and guacamole!

Or, start the game out right with snack-size slices of Vegan Pepporanata Pizza.

Or how about some Deviled Eggs for an amazing party-friendly snack.

What are you serving for your Super Party?

Check out these 27 Healthy Game Day Snacks, too!

This is a sponsored post; however, all opinions are my own.

My financial independence journey has changed not only my life but also the lives of my entire family. We aren’t dependent on any single job or project to maintain our house or livelihood. We have what J.L. Collins calls FU Money at hand whenever my partner or I want to walk away from a job or freelance project that isn’t working for us for any reason. We started on this journey after Mr. Meaty was laid off from a corporate career after working for the same company for 18 years.

Generation Career Shock

For Generation Xers and some older millennials, we grew up in a time when our parents worked in the same position for 40 years for the same company. And, for the most part, our parents were rewarded for that loyalty with raises and generous pensions and retirement plans. But somewhere along the way, not long after we entered the workforce, that all changed. Some of us received about five years of a pension package before being rolled over to the new voluntary 401k programs. And, since our parents grew up on automated pensions, we had zero education on 401ks and this method of investing in our retirement. So, what did we do? Well, if we didn’t have the money, you guessed it, we didn’t invest it in 401ks because we thought we couldn’t afford it.

Oh, how wrong we were, and how much do we wish we could go back? So much. But, there was either no or very little matching funds then and with no education and all the time in the world before retirement, it just didn’t get done. So, eventually many of us invested a minimal amount when matching funds (where the employer matches 3% or so of your annual income in your 401k) came out, we did that. It’s free money after all. You should always take that deal. But there was another problem. In my case, I wasn’t as lucky as my partner to be able to stick with one company for 18 years.

I found myself required to hop companies in order to be promoted. That’s also somewhat new to our generation. In order to give yourself a raise or promotion, it’s often easier to change companies that to receive the same promotion within the company you’re already employed by. Bizarre, but true. So, with limitations on investing often coming a year or so after starting with each company, that sometimes meant I had barely begun investing at a job before moving on to a new company. Not much of a nest egg was built up in my 10-year newspaper career prior to my pregnancy-induced introduction to freelance writing life.

Now, at that point, I could have done a super smart thing and created a small business IRA or 401k. But, with two children under age two and adjusting to living on one income and intermittent freelance payments… Well, it just didn’t happen. Until we experienced the layoff at least. Then we were directed by a dear friend from high school to look into financial independence. We had known about the layoffs coming for some time so we’d been preparing a bit with savings and such. And then we had about nine months of severance to prepare even more. So at that point, we hit the savings and investing really hard.

Where to Start

My two favorite resources are Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and The Simple Path to Wealth by J.L. Collins. Between those two books, you’ll get a great start on investing. Not only the how but the why. The basic gist of Simple Path is to choose a simple investing strategy when you’re young, like a whole stock market stock like VTSAX, and stick to it investing regularly until near retirement. My favorite advice from Collins; however, has to be about FU money. His explanation is that with enough savings, you can say to any job or project, you know what, I’m not doing that, and simply walk away if it goes awry. That buffer and advice have saved me so much stress in recent years. I highly recommend it. Robin explains the why of investing for retirement. You’ll learn in Your Money or Your Life how to get out of debt, save money through mindfulness rather than strict budgeting, declutter your life and live well for less, invest savings, and create wealth.

Start an Avalanche

If you still have bad debt (anything revolving with high-interest rates, like credit card debt), you’ll need to tackle that before you do anything else. My completely not a financial advisor way of doing things is to go with the avalanche method. That is, pay the minimum payments on everything except your highest interest card or account. Then once you’ve figured out what you have in your budget to be able to pay toward debt, sock the remainder of that lump sum toward the highest interest card each month. So if you have $1000 per month and your total other minimums are $300, pay $700 toward that highest interest card each month. Once that card is paid off, choose the next highest interest card and do the same until each of those cards is paid off.

Once your debt is cleared, if you plan to continue to use credit cards and believe you can do so responsibly, set all of your credit cards to autopay the STATEMENT BALANCE. This way, you won’t be charged any credit card interest on the balance each month and you can continue to accrue points and such on your cards to be used towards travel and the like. If you don’t think you can use cards responsibly, switch to debit cards until such time that you think you can handle credit cards again.

Achtung! It’s an Emergency

Now that you’ve got your debts paid down, you need your first emergency fund so you never fall into credit card debt again. First, get $1,000 into a simple savings account. It takes as long as it takes, tackle it in monthly installments if needed. Just get it done so that the next time your car breaks down or an appliance needs fixing, you have the extra funds and don’t need to put it on credit.

Once you have the $1,000 emergency fund you can breathe a little easier. Check out your investment options at work. Do you have employer match? If so, get it. That’s the bare minimum; if your employer will match up to 3% of your income, get that free money on the table and put in 3% of your income to that 401k. Once that’s done, consider building up three months of emergency savings/FU money. Now, what do you base your three months on? Your monthly expenses or your monthly take-home income. Once you have that savings built up, you’ll be able to weather a layoff or other job loss for three months without (much) worry.

At this point, you can increase your 401k investment or your personal IRA if you don’t like the investment options at work. In the financial independence world, most people try for about a 50% savings rate. But when you’re first starting out, you can ease into that and shoot for 25% and see if it’s possible to work your way up to more later.

So now you have FU money, a bit invested and you’re on your way to freedom.

Holy moly cinnamon cranberry orange jumble loaf is where it’s at. I don’t know if you’ve picked up what I’ve been putting down, but I love The Great British Bake Off (aka Baking Show in the States). And you might also know that I love cinnamon rolls but I don’t love making them. I find this jumble loaf much more forgiving and I am a huge fan of the original recipe in the cookbook. But, I have a confession to make. I do not like cooked raisins, Sam I am.

So, instead of raisins, (and yes, I know some of you will say, Kristi, you nut how are those that different? but whatever, they are to me…so, indulge me, you get a delicious recipe out of the deal, right?) I use dried cranberries or dried black currants in just about every baking recipe that calls for raisins. So that’s what I’ve done here. And, of course, I’ve added my usual gluten-free and sourdough flair to the mix, too. Winner! And let me tell you. It is fantastic. And beautiful. Did I mention it’s gorgeous? You’re going to want to serve this at like every brunch get-together ever. Enjoy.

Note: if you don’t have sourdough starter, just add another 1/2 cup each of your flour and milk, and be sure to use the yeast.

Cinnamon Cranberry Orange Jumble Loaf

Ingredients

For the cranberry dough:
450g gluten-free OR strong white bread flour
227g sourdough starter
7g fast-action dried yeast (optional, only use this if you’re not sure your starter is jazzy enough)
7g sea salt
2 teaspoons caster (white) sugar
125 ml milk
50g unsalted butter, diced
1 medium free-range egg, room temperature
75g dried cranberries
1 Tablespoon orange zest
For the filling:
65g light brown muscovado sugar
1 teaspoon gluten-free OR strong white bread flour
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon milk, for brushing
Essential kit:
You will need 1 x 900g loaf tin, about 26 x 12.5 x 7.5cm, greased with butter and lined with a long strip of baking paper. You will also need an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook.

Method

To make the dough, put the flour, yeast, sourdough starter, salt, and sugar into a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a free-standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook). Mix thoroughly.

Gently warm the milk with the butter until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and cool until lukewarm – your little finger should feel comfy dipped in the mixture. Add the egg and beat with a fork just to combine.

Add the milky liquid to the flour mixture and work everything together with your hand (or the mixer on the lowest speed) to make a very soft but not sticky dough. If there are dry crumbs in the bowl or the dough seems dry and stiff, and hard to bring together, add more milk (or water) a tablespoon at a time; if the dough sticks to your fingers or the side of the bowl, work in a little more flour.

Turn the dough onto a worktop lightly dusted with flour and knead thoroughly for about 8 minutes until the dough is silky smooth and feels very pliable and stretchy. Scatter the cranberries and orange zest over the dough and gently knead for about 2 minutes (slightly less if using the mixer) until evenly distributed.

Return the dough to the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or lid. Leave to rise at room temperature for about 1 hour until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough to deflate it before turning it onto a lightly floured worktop. Flour your fingers and, without kneading, gently pat out the dough to a rectangle roughly 2 cm thick. Cover it lightly with a damp tea towel and leave it to rest for 5 minutes — this will make it easier to roll out.

Meanwhile, for the filling, mix together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Flour a rolling pin, then roll out the dough to a neat rectangle of 30 x 40 cm. Brush the dough with milk, then sprinkle the filling evenly over the damp surface, leaving a 1cm border clear at one long side. Roll up the dough, like a Swiss roll, from the other long side, then pinch the seam firmly together to seal.

With a large sharp knife, slice the roll of dough across into 14 rounds. Set the slices cut side up and cut them in half to make half-moon shapes.

Arrange a layer of dough pieces in the lined tin, dough-side down. The rest of the dough pieces can be set on top in a higgledy-piggledy jumble — make sure the pieces are touching but don’t press them in. Don’t flatten or neaten the top; let it look a bit lumpy.

Slip the tin into a large plastic bag, slightly inflate it so the plastic won’t stick to the dough as it rises, and secure the ends. Leave the dough to rise at normal room temperature for about 1 hour until doubled in size. Towards the end of the rising time, heat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.

Uncover the loaf and brush the bumpy top very gently with milk. Bake in the heated oven for about 35 minutes until the loaf is a good golden brown. To test if it is thoroughly cooked, run a round-bladed knife around the inside of the tin to loosen the bread, then lift it out using the ends of the paper strip. Peel off the paper and tap the underside of the loaf – it should sound hollow. If it doesn’t, put the paper back in place and the loaf back in the tin and bake for a further 5 minutes, then test again.

Cool on a wire rack before cutting into slices.

Hungry for More Bake Off?

This jumble loaf is sooo good. If you love this, check out the other bake-off recipes I’ve made, like Honey Loaf Cake, English Ginger Biscuits, and Blueberry Lemon Scones.

Cinnamon Cranberry Orange Jumble Loaf

Yield: 1 loaf

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes

Cinnamon Cranberry Orange Jumble Loaf, adapted from The Great British Bake Off

Print

Ingredients

• For the cranberry dough:
• 450g gluten-free OR strong white bread flour
• 227g sourdough starter
• 7g fast-action dried yeast (optional, only use this if you're not sure your starter is jazzy enough)
• 7g sea salt
• 2 teaspoons caster (white) sugar
• 125 ml milk
• 50g unsalted butter, diced
• 1 medium free-range egg, room temperature
• 75g dried cranberries
• 1 Tablespoon orange zest
• For the filling:
• 65g light brown muscovado sugar
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free OR strong white bread flour
• 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon milk, for brushing
• Essential kit:
• You will need 1 x 900g loaf tin, about 26 x 12.5 x 7.5cm, greased with butter and lined with a long strip of baking paper. You will also need an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook.

Instructions

1. To make the dough, put the flour, yeast, sourdough starter, salt, and sugar into a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a free-standing electric mixer fitted with the dough hook). Mix thoroughly.
2. Gently warm the milk with the butter until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and cool until lukewarm – your little finger should feel comfy dipped in the mixture. Add the egg and beat with a fork just to combine.
3. Add the milky liquid to the flour mixture and work everything together with your hand (or the mixer on the lowest speed) to make a very soft but not sticky dough. If there are dry crumbs in the bowl or the dough seems dry and stiff, and hard to bring together, add more milk (or water) a tablespoon at a time; if the dough sticks to your fingers or the side of the bowl, work in a little more flour.
4. Turn the dough onto a worktop lightly dusted with flour and knead thoroughly for about 8 minutes until the dough is silky smooth and feels very pliable and stretchy. Scatter the cranberries and orange zest over the dough and gently knead for about 2 minutes (slightly less if using the mixer) until evenly distributed.
5. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or lid. Leave to rise at room temperature for about 1 hour until doubled in size.
6. Punch down the dough to deflate it before turning it onto a lightly floured worktop. Flour your fingers and, without kneading, gently pat out the dough to a rectangle roughly 2 cm thick. Cover it lightly with a damp tea towel and leave it to rest for 5 minutes — this will make it easier to roll out.
7. Meanwhile, for the filling, mix together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl.
8. Flour a rolling pin, then roll out the dough to a neat rectangle of 30 x 40 cm. Brush the dough with milk, then sprinkle the filling evenly over the damp surface, leaving a 1cm border clear at one long side. Roll up the dough, like a Swiss roll, from the other long side, then pinch the seam firmly together to seal.
9. With a large sharp knife, slice the roll of dough across into 14 rounds. Set the slices cut side up and cut them in half to make half-moon shapes.
10. Arrange a layer of dough pieces in the lined tin, dough-side down. The rest of the dough pieces can be set on top in a higgledy-piggledy jumble — make sure the pieces are touching but don’t press them in. Don’t flatten or neaten the top; let it look a bit lumpy.
11. Slip the tin into a large plastic bag, slightly inflate it so the plastic won’t stick to the dough as it rises, and secure the ends. Leave the dough to rise at normal room temperature for about 1 hour until doubled in size. Towards the end of the rising time, heat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
12. Uncover the loaf and brush the bumpy top very gently with milk. Bake in the heated oven for about 35 minutes until the loaf is a good golden brown. To test if it is thoroughly cooked, run a round-bladed knife around the inside of the tin to loosen the bread, then lift it out using the ends of the paper strip. Peel off the paper and tap the underside of the loaf – it should sound hollow. If it doesn’t, put the paper back in place and the loaf back in the tin and bake for a further 5 minutes, then test again.
13. Cool on a wire rack before cutting into slices.

We’re all feeling the budget crunch right now. With inflation on the rise, layoffs galore, and minimum wage somehow still at an abysmal $7.25 in the United States in spite of the need to raise it to somewhere near $20 at this point, budgets are tight. So, how can you do more with less? Sometimes, Amazon has the answers. Check out these 11 finds that will help you save money, spend less, and be more efficient in with the products you use every day.

11 Foodie Finance Budget Stretchers

1. Instant Pot
   This beauty I absolutely use nearly every day. Especially when Mr. Meaty and I were working full-time and the kids were in school, I set the delay timer up to warm up whatever leftovers we had on hand for lunches. Amazing! It was ready exactly when we needed it for a quick lunch break and we never threw away all that delicious leftover food. I especially love the instant pot for making saucy delights like Indian paneer or chickpea dishes or simple staples like rice or boiled eggs for egg salad.
2. Roku Streaming Stick
   You’ve gotta be able to watch your cooking shows, right? If you haven’t cut cable yet, I’m here to tell you. Do it. I cut cable sometime when the kids were small and Caillou was still annoying me on the air on a daily basis. The early teens (2010s) I believe. And I’ve never looked back. It actually took me quite a few tries to cut cable, because, interestingly, when you try, the cable company often entices you to stay with way lower prices. So, once you’re ready to leave, you might end up staying a bit longer at a drastically reduced monthly rate. But, be prepared to bolt with a streaming stick. My favorite streaming service is BritBox, which I subscribe to via AmazonPrime, but you can get it independently as well. You can also get the standard streamers like Hulu, Netflix, Disney+, and more on your Roku.
3. Water Filter
   Stop buying bottled water and get yourself a countertop (or fridge shelf) water filter like this one from Epic. I love tastier whatever like anyone else, but I do not love the pricey and wasteful bottled water from the grocery store, so I have a water filter and reusable bottles instead. Win for me and the planet. Boom.
4. Water Bottles
   Speaking of water bottles, I personally love these bottles from Klean Kanteen. They come in great colors and they’re drop-proof, ask me how I know. And they keep pretty cold. They also make my favorite travel coffee mugs and I tell you what, they keep tea or coffee piping hot all day. Like, almost too hot. You have to open up that bad boy and let it breathe for a bit.
5. Last Drop Getter
   This ingenious little tool will have you asking, “why didn’t I invent that?” It will help you get the last drop out of just about anything from condiments to shampoos. Save on groceries and beauty supplies with this bad boy (but maybe buy a couple so you can have one for food and one for beauty stuff).
6. Jar Spatula
   For a not quite as intense way to get the last drop, and for more viscous stuff like jams and peanut butters, try this jar spatula.
7. Reusable Storage Bags
   Don’t waste your hard-earned money on disposable freezer bags. Get these reusable storage bags for the shelf, the fridge, or the freezer. Not only will you save on bag costs, but you’ll keep your leftovers from going bad by properly storing them inside airtight bags.
8. Food Saver
   Speaking of saving food, if you buy food in bulk to save money you really want to get a vacuum food sealer. You can portion out your bulk food into whatever size you need for family meals and freeze them so they won’t go bad on you. When it’s time to prep that food for dinner, pop that frozen bag on the counter or in a bowl of warm water, depending on your time constraints. It’s not as eco-friendly an option as reusable storage bags, but it’s a lot less wasteful than throwing out food. And, the plastic seal bags can be recycled once cleaned.
9. Dryer Balls
   Washing up your dining and kitchen linens has never been so adorable. Beyond the environmental and skin issues with dryer sheets, they’re just plain pricey. Save yourself some room in your budget with either homemade or store-bought dryer balls to keep your clothes soft and static-free.
10. Reusable Bamboo Towels
    If you haven’t transitioned away from paper towels, try these reusable bamboo towels. They’re washable and replace six months of paper towels. They make a great transition product if you’re not ready for the full switch to cloth towels just yet.
11. Soda Stream
    I adore my soda stream. I use it to make myself ginger fizzy waters (with or without rum added) all the time. My kiddos love blackcurrant fizzy waters and various other treats. And right now I’m enjoying my version of the Honey Deuce because I’m watching U.S. Open tennis.
    
    What are your foodie finance budget tips?

Whoo, I don’t know about for ya’ll but 2020 was a long decade for our family. We’ve been up to a lot. Mr. Meaty and I both changed full-time jobs once during the pandemic and I’m now back to freelancing full-time after dipping my toes into the full-time remote editing world. So, what’s changed over the years on VeggieConverter. So. Much.

In the beginning…

When I first started VeggieConverter it wasn’t at all to make an income for my family. It was simply something to keep my brain from turning to mush while raising two kids under two. (The kiddos are a year and nine months apart.) Also, with one vegetarian, one meat-eater, and two kids who were developing their taste buds, it was an interesting culinary journey to get dinner on the table every night that everyone would eat.

And, as I found out, there are a lot of us blended-eater families out there! Back then, it was just a fun project and, in that first year I challenged myself to make a meal each day of 2011 (yes, 365 different meals) and blog about them that converted a traditional family meal to vegetarian. And I made it. Some of my hair was lost or grayed in the process, but I did it.

Since that year, we’ve experimented with different culinary styles (we added a lot of gluten-free when we found out myself and my youngest daughter couldn’t eat wheat without issues). We’ve gone wheatless, low carb, keto, and gasp! I’ve even tried a bit of meat over the years. We’ve settled these days into a mostly Mediterranean wheatless diet. But hey, we’re not perfect, we sometimes eat whatever’s available at campouts or whatever event we’re at. And that’s OK.

How it evolved

As far as the blog’s evolution, I eventually added advertising and affiliate links to my posts and I even published two books! One cookbook and one how-to book. Between all of those income streams, I’ve been able to turn my passion into the primary income for our family. Now, google algorithm changes and advertising partner changes aside, it’s had ebbs and flows. But, I’m ever thankful for the consistent income that allows me to stay home with my family and still do what I love. And, bonus, take a break whenever I want to or have health issues come up.

Working with brands and social media

One of my favorite parts of being an influencer is working with brands that I love. Over the years I’ve worked with so many amazing companies through this site and social media campaigns to share products I love with all of you. I cannot express enough my thanks to all of the companies that gave me those opportunities. And I made some great friends with their media folks along the way, too. Score.

Just starting your vegetarian or blended-eaters journey?

As always, I’m here to help. If you want to introduce meatless meals to your family (or just for yourself). I’m here to help. Just going meatless one day a week can be fun, healthy for you and the planet, and help stretch your budget.

This is a sponsored post; however, all opinions are my own.

We’ve made this delicious sourdough whole wheat carrot cake a few times now and it is absolutely delicious as both carrot cake and zucchini cake!

In these quarantine times, we have been baking primarily with sourdough and whole wheat flour since flour was scarce and we bought a giant bucket of wheat berries for home-milled flour.

And, when we got an abundance of carrots in our veggie box, it was the perfect breakfast treat to make. The next week we received eight large zucchini. And while I love it, the kids aren’t fans of zucchini at all.

So, when I told them I would be making their favorite carrot cake with zucchini instead of carrots, they were skeptical to say the least. And, to be fair, I was a little skeptical of being able to to just swap it in without any changes. But, I gave it a shot and it worked out marvelously. The only change was a slightly longer baking time, with the zucchini version taking 55 minutes versus the usual 45 for the carrot.

So, whether you have an abundance of carrots or zucchini from a veggie box, your garden or your wholesale club, choose either cake and have a yummy dessert or breakfast cake for the whole family. This 24-serving beauty lasts us nearly a week.

We use a mix of craisins, black currants and walnuts for the mix-ins, but you can use whatever dried fruit and nut mixture you have on hand.

Try these other delicious zucchini cake and carrot cake recipes, too: citrusy carrot cake, chocolate zucchini cake, carrot spice muffins and chocolate zucchini black bean cupcakes.

Sourdough Whole Wheat Carrot Cake

Ingredients

For the Cake:

400 grams sugar

260 ml olive oil

3 eggs, room temperature

240 grams sourdough starter discard

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

210 grams whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon chai spice

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

300 grams grated carrots or zucchini

1 tablespoon whole wheat flour

75 grams dried cranberries

75 grams dried currants

120 grams chopped walnuts

For the Frosting:

16 ounces cream cheese, softened

200 grams powdered sugar, sifted

fat pinch of fine sea salt

For the Toppings:

coconut shreds and food coloring (optional)

Method

For the Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or glass dish with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the sugar, oil, eggs, sourdough starter, and vanilla.

Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes until light yellow and slightly thickened.

In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients: flour, chai spice, baking soda, and salt.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture; mix on low speed.

Wash, peel, and grate the carrots or zucchini with a box grater.

Combine the carrots or zucchini with 1 tablespoon of flour; mix well.

Add the carrots to the batter and fold in with a rubber spatula.

Add the craisins, dry currants and walnut pieces and fold in.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Bake the cake on the center rack for 40 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. The zucchini version tends to take 55 in my oven, due to the increased moisture. Carrot cake is usually done in 40-45.

Cool in the pan for 15 minutes.

Remove to a wire rack, if desired, and cool completely before frosting and decorating.

For the Frosting:
In a stand mixer, add the softened cream cheese.

Sift the powdered sugar directly over the bowl.

Add the salt.

Mix on medium-low speed until light and creamy. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

Spread the frosting across the cooled cake with a rubber spatula.

Cut cake into 24 even pieces, serve, and refrigerate for up to a week.

Sourdough Whole Wheat Carrot Cake

Yield: 24

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

We've made this delicious sourdough whole wheat carrot cake a few times now and it is absolutely delicious as both carrot cake and zucchini cake!

Print

Ingredients

• For the Cake:
• 400 grams sugar
• 260 ml olive oil
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 240 grams sourdough starter discard
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 210 grams whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon chai spice
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 300 grams grated carrots or zucchini
• 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
• 75 grams dried cranberries
• 75 grams dried currants
• 120 grams chopped walnuts
• For the Frosting:
• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 200 grams powdered sugar, sifted
• fat pinch of fine sea salt
• For the Toppings:
• coconut shreds and food coloring (optional)

Instructions

1. For the Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
3. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the sugar, oil, eggs, sourdough starter, and vanilla.
4. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes until light yellow and slightly thickened.
5. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients: flour, chai spice, baking soda, and salt.
6. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture; mix on low speed.
7. Wash, peel, and grate the carrots or zucchini with a box grater.
8. Combine the carrots or zucchini with 1 tablespoon of flour; mix well.
9. Add the carrots to the batter and fold in with a rubber spatula.
10. Add the craisins, dry currants and walnut pieces and fold in.
11. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
12. Bake the cake on the center rack for 40 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. The zucchini version tends to take 55 in my oven, due to the increased moisture. Carrot cake is usually done in 40-45.
13. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes.
14. Remove to a wire rack, if desired, and cool completely before frosting and decorating.
15. For the Frosting: In a stand mixer, add the softened cream cheese.
16. Sift the powdered sugar directly over the bowl.
17. Add the salt.
18. Mix on medium-low speed until light and creamy. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

Honey loaf cake, wow, you are the answer to my quarantine woes. When we were in Dublin, we visited a cool little cafe that served a delicious honey cake with our coffees and we absolutely loved it. So, I was thumbing through our British Bake Off cookbooks looking for a recipe and found this super simple version for honey loaf cake.

I tinkered with it just a bit since I’m using sourdough starter to all of my homemade baked goods and I bought a giant bucket wheat berries, so everything is wheat flour at the moment. So, I swapped out the self-rising flour for wheat flour and added my sourdough flare. But, boy howdy, it is delicious.

I also added more lemon juice to the icing than the original since it was way too thick as it was in the book. I’m guessing there’s some variation in the UK vs U.S. ingredients.

But, the result is super tasty and I absolutely love the nuttiness that the wheat flour gives the cake. I’m definitely getting used to the wheat sourdough flavor, it’s really unique.

I think, if you’re short on ingredients, any citrus or any liquid would work in the cream cheese icing. Flax eggs could certainly hold up this cake, too. Loaf cakes are super forgiving that way. And coconut oil could be subbed in for the butter.

If you don’t have the cream cheese, just try a simple drizzle icing with only powdered sugar and liquid. It’ll be great!

Try the glaze as icing from this awesome Meyer Lemon Pound Cake, it’s perfect.

Not only is this a great dessert, it makes a fantastic breakfast treat. We absolutely loved having it around (for the few days it lasted). What treats are you enjoying during your lockdown?

Honey Loaf Cake

Ingredients

275 grams honey

225 grams butter

125 grams light brown sugar

240 grams whole wheat flour (or gluten-free flour)

100 grams sourdough starter discard

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

3 medium eggs, room temperature, beaten to mix

GLAZE:

3 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon water

ICING:

50 grams cream cheese

1 tablespoon honey

125 grams powdered sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Weigh the honey, butter, and sugar. Heat in a pan over medium heat until melted and smooth, stirring occasionally.

Remove pan from heat.

Sift flour, salt and ground ginger in a mixing bowl and make a well in the center.

Pour the melted honey mixture and beaten eggs into the well. Mix everything together until combined into thick batter.

Use a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture into a 9×5 greased and lined (with parchment paper) loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50-55 minutes, checking at 45 minutes and covering with foil if necessary to prevent over-browning of the top. Check for a skewer or toothpick to come out clean in the center of the loaf when done.

Meanwhile, gently beat the honey and water together for the glaze and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and keep hot.

When the cake is done, remove from the oven and set the tin on an oven rack and use a skewer or toothpick to poke holes all over the top of the cake.

Spoon or brush the hot glaze over the top of the cake and allow it to seep into the sponge.

Leave the cake to cool for about 20 minutes and carefully remove it from the loaf pan.

Allow cake to cool completely.

Meanwhile, beat together ingredients for the icing.

Once cake is completely cooled, spread icing over the top of the honey loaf cake.

Serve. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Honey Loaf Cake

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

While in Dublin, we visited a cool cafe that served a delicious honey cake with our coffees and loved it. I found this super simple version for honey loaf cake.

Print

Ingredients

• 275 grams honey
• 225 grams butter
• 125 grams light brown sugar
• 240 grams whole wheat flour (or gluten-free flour)
• 100 grams sourdough starter discard
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 3 medium eggs, room temperature, beaten to mix
• GLAZE:
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon water
• ICING:
• 50 grams cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 125 grams powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Weigh the honey, butter, and sugar. Heat in a pan over medium heat until melted and smooth, stirring occasionally.
3. Remove pan from heat.
4. Sift flour, salt and ground ginger in a mixing bowl and make a well in the center.
5. Pour the melted honey mixture and beaten eggs into the well. Mix everything together until combined into thick batter.
6. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the mixture into a 9×5 greased and lined (with parchment paper) loaf pan.
7. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50-55 minutes, checking at 45 minutes and covering with foil if necessary to prevent over-browning of the top. Check for a skewer or toothpick to come out clean in the center of the loaf when done.
8. Meanwhile, gently beat the honey and water together for the glaze and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and keep hot.
9. When the cake is done, remove from the oven and set the tin on an oven rack and use a skewer or toothpick to poke holes all over the top of the cake.
10. Spoon or brush the hot glaze over the top of the cake and allow it to seep into the sponge.
11. Leave the cake to cool for about 20 minutes and carefully remove it from the loaf pan.
12. Allow cake to cool completely.
13. Meanwhile, beat together ingredients for the icing.
14. Once cake is completely cooled, spread icing over the top of the honey loaf cake.
15. Serve. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

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• The Great British Bake Off Perfect Cakes & Bakes To Make At Home

Making banana bread like crazy? Try this sourdough fruit bread with bananas, applesauce or cranberry sauce to use whatever ingredients you have on hand.

I have several yummy banana bread recipes, but I’ve never made cranberry sauce bread until now. I ran out of bananas, yet the kids wanted more muffins. I still had some leftover cranberry sauce in the freezer, so I thawed that out and made an absolutely fantastic fruit bread. Applesauce is yummy, too.

My favorite thing about fruit bread is that it’s no fail. I’ve never had one go completely wrong. It’s always delicious and often beautiful. I’ve had my fair share of fails with regular bread, but I’ve yet to fail fruit bread.

And the addition of sourdough starter makes it easier on my tummy and extra delicious.

Sourdough Fruit Bread

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, room temperature
3 large overripe bananas, mashed (or 1 cup cranberry sauce or applesauce)
1 egg, room temperature
1 cup sourdough starter discard
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour or gluten-free flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, butterscotch chips or chocolate chips (optional)

Method

Set out your egg and butter to get them to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease either a 9 x 5 loaf pan or 2 12-cup muffin tins.

Cream butter and sugar in a mixer.

Add fruit (mashed banana, cranberry sauce or applesauce), egg and vanilla. Beat until combined thoroughly.

Add the sourdough starter and beat slowly for about 2 minutes until mixed thoroughly.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until just combined.

Stir in walnuts and/or butterscotch and chocolate chips. I like the mix of all three for banana bread and just walnuts for the cranberry and applesauce breads.

Pour into bread pan or muffin tin.

For bread, bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes.

For muffins, bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 22 minutes.

Check that a toothpick comes out clean, allow bread to cool completely before slicing. Set on a cooling rack in pan for 5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for a few hours. Muffins can be removed from the pan after 5 minutes and eaten immediately.

Love fruit bread? Try these, too: Banana Oat Bread, Banana Oatmeal Muffins, Banana Bread Pudding and Pumpkin Walnut Bread!

Sourdough Fruit Bread

Yield: 1 or 24

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Making banana bread like crazy? Try this sourdough fruit bread with bananas, applesauce or cranberry sauce to use whatever ingredients you have on hand.

Print

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil, room temperature
• 3 large overripe bananas, mashed (or 1 cup cranberry sauce or applesauce)
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1 cup sourdough starter discard
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups flour or gluten-free flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts, butterscotch chips or chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. Set out your egg and butter to get them to room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Grease either a 9 x 5 loaf pan or 2 12-cup muffin tins.
4. Cream butter and sugar in a mixer.
5. Add fruit (mashed banana, cranberry sauce or applesauce), egg and vanilla. Beat until combined thoroughly.
6. Add the sourdough starter and beat slowly for about 2 minutes until mixed thoroughly.
7. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix until just combined.
8. Stir in walnuts and/or butterscotch and chocolate chips. I like the mix of all three for banana bread and just walnuts for the cranberry and applesauce breads.
9. Pour into bread pan or muffin tin.
10. For bread, bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes.
11. For muffins, bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 22 minutes.
12. Check that a toothpick comes out clean, allow bread to cool completely before slicing. Set on a cooling rack in pan for 5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for a few hours. Muffins can be removed from the pan after 5 minutes and eaten immediately.

If you’re saving the world by staying at home, you might need these 15+ meatless instant pot recipes using pantry staples. If your pantry is fully stocked with dry and canned goods, you should be able to ride through the weeks (or months) with relative ease (at least in the kitchen).

What are my pantry staples?

Your pantry staples might be different than mine, so feel free to adjust this list according to your preferences. These are my pantry staples and can be used as a guideline for setting up your pantry and as reference for what types of meals we’ll be cooking.

Dry Beans

Beans are definitely tops in my pantry. And, probably most vegetarian and vegan pantries. So, what varieties do I usually keep on hand? I usually have at minimum: chickpeas, black beans and pinto beans.

I buy them in 5 pound bags like this bag of chickpeas. So, I should have plenty to get me through most apocalypses. Beans are an excellent protein source and the meals based around them are among my favorites. Chili, black bean soup, falafel…you can’t go wrong.

We also keep a jar of mixed lentils for our favorite Indian dishes. It’s a mix of red, brown and black lentils.

Remember if you don’t want to speed up the process in the instant pot, you’ll want to prepare ahead for using dry beans by soaking the day before.

Rice

Since I can’t have wheat, rice is super important for me. But, it’s a great pantry item for everyone because it’s shelf stable and can be used in so many meals. Black beans and rice, fried rice, spicy rice balls, and rice pudding are all great pantry recipes.

We usually keep basmati, sushi and arborio rice in the pantry as well as a bit of black sticky rice. We also keep quinoa for a protein-packed change of pace.

Pasta

We’re big fans of Tinkyada brown rice pasta spirals, which we get at Kroger, but you can also (usually) find online. But any type of pasta you enjoy will be great for these pantry recipes.

Broth

We have both shelf-stable packaged vegetable broth and frozen homemade vegetable broth. The packaged variety will keep no matter what, but as long as you have power, the homemade freezer broth is perfect. And, bonus, you can keep saving up all of your kitchen scraps to be able to replace it as you go.

Flour

I keep both gluten-free flour and wheat berries (for making sourdough) in my pantry. You can also keep frozen bread if you have enough freezer space. I personally am enjoying the regular baking while we’re locked in.

Pickles, etc.

Jarred pickles, olives, capers and the like are great shelf-stable ingredients to have on hand for all kinds of yummy recipes like pasta putanesca, pizzas, and even just sandwiches.

Vegetables

Canned tomatoes are essential for most of my pantry recipes. Chilies, soups and pasta sauces all can be made with these powerhouses of the pantry. If you have access to enough freezer space, frozen peas, corn, cauliflower rice, spinach, squash, green beans and potatoes are a huge bonus.

15+ Meatless Instant Pot Recipes Using Pantry Staples

Here are my XX meatless instant pot recipes using pantry staples. From chili to rice pudding, these recipes are sure to take the edge off your shut-in doldrums and bring you some delicious meals.

Black Bean Soup

This recipe is incredibly versatile. As long as you have beans, spices and canned tomatoes, you can make this delicious Black Bean Soup work!
This easy vegan slow cooker or instant pot black bean soup is a mom’s dream because it’s full of hearty black beans, tomatoes and whatever veggies you like.

Tomato Soup with Pasta Stars

Check out this simple instant pot or slow cooker Tomato Soup with Pasta Stars recipe. You can also make this with rice or other small pasta like orzo. Use what you have.
You’ll need canned tomatoes, lentils and frozen vegetables.

Black Bean Tortilla Soup

I crafted this easy peasy Black Bean Tortilla Soup that’s vegan and delicious.
Black beans, canned tomatoes and green chiles, vegetable broth, taco seasoning and rice are all you need for this yummy soup!

Minestrone

While fresh vegetable minestrone is super tasty, times dictate the need for canned or frozen veggies for this minestrone soup. You’ll swap in the canned ingredients rather for the fresh, so you’ll need dry black beans, canned tomatoes and corn.

Tomato Soup

We love vegan tomato soup, especially fresh tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. And I am a firm believer that soup, is not just for fall and winter. You’ll need canned tomatoes and spices primarily. You can leave out the carrot if needed and swap in minced onion for the fresh one.

Any Greens Pesto

If you have frozen greens like spinach, you’re going to love this super healthy better than basil use-any-greens pesto! It’s easy to make with ingredients you already have and it tastes wonderful!

8 Can Soup

This vegan eight can soup is super simple. I loved using different flavors of chili, that was a super combination. It’s a great instant pot pantry staples meal.

Vegan Cheese Sauce

Bonus, it’s also shelf-stable. You’ll primarily need nuts, spices, nutritional yeast and a thickener like arrowroot or flour.
This Homemade Vegan Cheese Sauce Powder recipe can help you enjoy a dairy-free cheesy recipe like mac and cheese or cheesy popcorn. It’s so easy to make!

Dal Makhani

Slow Cooker or instant pot Dal Makhani and it’s just as delicious (if not better) than the restaurant variety? Yes, please!
All you need is your standard Indian spices from your pantry, lentils, black beans, canned tomatoes or sauce, and some frozen or tubed ginger. Yum.

Marinara Sauce

This recipe for vegan marinara sauce is super easy and it’s made in the slow cooker. Besides that – it turned out delicious!
You’ll need an onion (sub minced onion if you don’t have one), a carrot (you can leave it out and add a bit of sugar if your sauce is too acidic instead), canned tomatoes and spices. You can also add lentils to make a vegan bolognese.

Vegan Chili

Check out our vegan slow cooker chili, whole-foods friendly and our new instant pot method using dry beans either soaked or not! It’s a family favorite!
Dry beans or lentils, canned tomatoes and spices are the only required ingredients here. If you have to sub out the onions and green peppers, you can still make delicious chili.

Taco Soup

This slow cooker vegan taco soup recipe is super delicious. Everyone in the family loved it! The leftovers have many uses and you can play with the spice.
The main ingredients you need for this recipe are dry black beans and lentils, canned tomatoes, corn and green chiles.

Chickpea Parmesan

Instant pot chickpea parmesan is one of my new favorites. It’s so incredibly simple. If you use pre-made sauce, it’s stupid easy. The only critical elements are marinara sauce, which you can make from your pantry items, and chickpeas. If you’re lucky enough to still have mozzarella, all the better.

Chickpea Nuggets

You’re going to have to try this gluten-free vegan chickpea nuggets recipe for kids! It’s delicious and believe it or not – my whole family loves them! All you’ll need are bread crumbs and hummus or simple pureed chickpeas.

Bean and Rice Soup

Vegan bean and rice soup is so tasty. Beans, rice, lentils, veggies and taco seasonings, done!

Sticky Black Rice

Pulut Hitam — sticky black rice — is made with black rice, coconut milk, and honey. It’s easy and delicious and made entirely of pantry items.

For more ideas to get you through, check out Stuck at Home? 9 Tips to Prepare Your Pantry and 30 Meatless Instant Pot Freezer Meals!

Love this list of 15+ Meatless Instant Pot Recipes Using Pantry Staples? Pin it, please!

I crafted this super yummy black currant lime martini, because at the end of a long week of I have no idea what day it is anymore days, I want a fancy beverage. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been doing way more baking lately, and I needed to relax a bit.

And, this martini is so versatile, I have a warm hot toddy-like version and a kid-friendly mocktail, too!

The amazing thing about this martini, my version of the quarantine martini, aka Quarantini, is that it (at least the mocktail version) is filled with healthy ingredients that can see you through isolation.

Benefits of Black Currant

Black currant is a powerhouse plant. In fact, it’s similar to elderberry, but doesn’t come with the risk of cytokine storm for those with certain autoimmune conditions suffering from flu.

The kids and I fell completely in love with black currant syrup in kind of a funny way. We were in London at a pub (The Barley Mow) and the kids wanted a fancy drink, too, of course.

Their go-to is Shirley Temples. So Mr. Meaty sidles up to the bar to ask if they know what that is and, unsurprisingly, they don’t. He explains it. The don’t have grenadine, she says (the bartender), but they do have black currant syrup and sparkling water.

And thus, the kids’ new favorite drink was born. And it is delicious. We had it everywhere we went after that and ordered the black currant syrup when we got home.

Little did we know, health food drinks are filled with black currant juice because of their high concentration of anthocyanins, polyphenolic substances, antioxidants, vitamin C, and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA).

It’s also amazing for your immune system, can soothe sore throats and ease flu symptoms. And, it can have an anti-inflammatory effect on joints and muscles.

The high potassium levels and GLA can help lower blood pressure. Black currant can also help you recover after exercise.

Benefits of Lime Juice

Limes are my favorite citrus (sorry oranges!). And, bonus, they’re super high in vitamin C and antioxidants.

Limes are immune boosters, reduce heart disease risk factors, prevent kidney stones, aid iron absorption, and promote healthy skin. Lime juice also may reduce inflammation and stimulate collagen production.

Benefits of Honey

We love using honey for sore throats and coughs. A spoonful of honey is way better than cough syrup, for us. We also make lozenges out of honey that are super awesome.

Honey also is antibacterial, it can be stored indefinitely in a sealed container on a shelf and keep itself stable. Ancient honey would still be delicious as long as the jar is intact. Crazy, right?

Honey has been show to fight e. coli and salmonella. Manuka honey even fights the bacteria responsible for peptic ulcers, h. pylori.

Honey has been used to fight skin sores and inflammation and even wounds that don’t respond to antibiotics. And it’s high in antioxidants, so it will also fight oxidative stress and inflammation.

Benefits of Cinnamon

Ahh, cinnamon, how I love you. The main reason I use cinnamon is for its anti-inflammatory properties. This is super important when you have a chronic autoimmune condition. But it does so much more! Cinnamon is high in cinnamaldehyde, which is the compound responsible for its smell and its impact on metabolism and health.

Cinnamon is super high in antioxidants, outranking even garlic and oregano on the super food spices list. It can even be used as a natural preservative because its antioxidants are so high.

Cinnamon also cuts heart disease risk, reduces levels of total cholesterol and bad LDL, while leaving good HDL cholesterol unchanged or increased, and could reduce blood pressure.

Cinnamon can also improve sensitivity to insulin, lower blood sugar levels, have beneficial effects on neurodegenerative diseases, may protect against cancer and helps fight bacterial and fungal infections.

Benefits of Carbonated Water

The primary benefit of carbonated water, for most of us, is the avoidance of high fructose corn syrup-filled sodas. But, sparkling water has its own health benefits, too.

My other question about carbonated water was whether it was still hydrating since it was carbonated. It turns out that it is. The carbonation does make sparkling water slightly more acidic, but it won’t change the pH of your body, because your kidneys filter out the acidity from the carbonation. And the water is still just as hydrating as regular filtered water.

Carbonated water can also improve digestion. It can improve your ability to swallow, may increase your feeling of fullness, and may help relieve constipation.

Now, once you add the sugary syrups and vodka, it’s not as healthy as plain water, but it’s not as unhealthy as packaged sodas that are filled with unpronounceable ingredients and high fructose corn syrup.

Black Currant Lime Martini

Ingredients

1 ounce creme de cassis (or black currant syrup for mocktail)

1/2 ounce lime juice

1 teaspoon honey (omit for mocktail)

1 1/2 ounces vodka (omit for mocktail)

cinnamon sugar for rim of glass

carbonated water (I make mine at home with my Soda Stream, but bottled bubbly water works, too)

Method

Mix all black currant lime martini ingredients in a shaker except the carbonated water.

Pour into martini glass rimmed with cinnamon sugar.

Add carbonated water.

Serve your black currant lime martinis.

For a hot version: leave out carbonated water. Add ingredients to a tea or coffee mug. Add boiling water. Serve.

Black Currant Lime Martini

Yield: 1

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

At the end of a long week of I have no idea what day it is anymore days, I want a fancy beverage. So I crafted this super yummy black currant lime martini with black currant liqueur, lime juice, honey and vodka.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 ounce creme de cassis (or black currant syrup for mocktail)
• 1/2 ounce lime juice
• 1 teaspoon honey (omit for mocktail)
• 1 1/2 ounces vodka (omit for mocktail)
• cinnamon sugar for rim of glass
• carbonated water (I make mine at home with my Soda Stream, but bottled bubbly water works, too)

Instructions

1. Mix all black currant lime martini ingredients in a shaker except the carbonated water.
2. Pour into martini glass rimmed with cinnamon sugar.
3. Add carbonated water.
4. Serve your black currant lime martinis.
   
   For a hot version: leave out carbonated water. Add ingredients to a tea or coffee mug. Add boiling water. Serve.