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.

Sweet Tots

There is something about tater tots that reminds me of childhood. The bite size pieces were fun to play with and poppable, so they were easy to eat. I haven't bought frozen potatoes in a really long time, but when I saw sweet potato tots in someone's cart at the store I knew I needed to try them. These little tots are from Alexia, which has really great seasoned potato wedges and waffle fries. These are absolutely delish! They aren't too sweet, have a very tiny touch of salt, and a crispy outside. They are fun to eat and have more nutrition than regular potatoes. I made sure to limit myself so that I wouldn't eat too many because they are really easy to eat. I will be buying these again because they are a grown up version of one of my childhood favorites. Be sure to pick up a bag next time you are at your grocery store!