Zucchini Tots

I have honestly never been a fan of zucchini, but during one of my Pinterest sessions, I can across this recipe for zucchini tots from The Two Bite Club. These are a play on tater tots, but are much healthier and don't leave you feeling guilty about eating them. I journeyed to the local farmer's market to see what I could find. The zucchini I found was about 12 inches long (which is huge!) and a few inches around...the difference between local and other produce. I wasn't sure what to expect when I took them out of the oven, but these tots were deliciously. They were crispy on the outside, but tender on the inside. I might have cooked mine a for just a few more minutes to get them a tab bit more golden on the outside. However, this was not a bad first try. Plus, they were super yummy! They don't have an overwhelming zucchini taste to them and they would be great with a homemade marinara dipping sauce. Since they are similar to tater tots, they are a super kid-friendly food and the perfect way to get them to eat more veggies!

Ingredients: 

1 1/4 cup zucchini, grated (this was about 6 inches of the giant zucchini)

1 egg, brown

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese. finely grated

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

Pepper

*You will need a 24-count mini muffin pan, but the recipe only made 20 for me. 

Directions:

Grease your mini muffin pan with cooking spray. Dice your onion and grate your zucchini.

 I didn't realize this, but there is a ton of water in zucchini. The next step is to take the grated zucchini in a dishtowel and wring out the water. The more you get out, the better the tots will stay together. *Just a warning it will turn the dishtowel a light green color, but it will wash out.*

In a small to medium size bowl, mix together the zucchini, onion, egg, cheddar cheese, breadcrumbs and pepper. Add the mixture to the pan. Be sure to use your fingers or a spoon to press the mixture down. You can to compact it so that when it bakes, it stays together.

Next, bake the tots at 400F for 12-15 minutes or until the top gets a nice golden brown color. I am not sure if it was because of the Panko breadcrumbs or that they needed to cook a tiny bit longer, but mine seemed to be a bit delicate. They didn't fall apart but it seemed like they wanted to. These little veggie bites were super yummy and are a nice treat when you are looking for a tater tot like option. Fortunately, I have the other half of the giant zucchini that I will be using to make another batch.