Baked Cheesy Cauliflower Tots

This recipe is brought to you in partnership with my friends at Goldfish®Ca nada. All views and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

When it comes to easy, (yet nourishing) treats that are favored by big and little hands alike; these cheesy cauliflower tots are a real winner. AKA: the best way to up your dinner game without cutting back on nutrition. Bonus: best way to hide some veggies. You can throw in as many as you like. They’re technically eating veg tots, but they won’t even know it.

Quite simply, these tots are: deliciously addictive, baked not fried, and made with all real-food ingredients. These crunchy and cheesy bites are packed with 2 cups of cauliflower, shredded organic mozzarella, pasture-raised eggs & the best type of breadcrumbs made with the new, Goldfish® crackers made with 70% organic ingredients.

These crackers are made with organic wheat, baked with real cheese & are also non-GMO. All things I look for when shopping for snacks for my kids. While they don’t adhere to a gluten or dairy-free diet, I make sure everything that goes into their little bodies is free of artificial colors, flavors or any unwanted chemicals. I wanted to so something more than just snack on these crackers, and the idea to use them as bread crumbs to create a fun, finger-food recipe. I just had to pick a veg with an edge, a little side kick.

Let’s face it; cauliflower is everywhere these days. This pretty ubiquitous cruciferous veg has staged quite the comeback. Gone are the steamed cauli side plate days, yep- too boring. These days you’ll find buffalo-style cauli “chicken wings”, frozen cauliflower and blueberry smoothies, cauli fried rice & now: cauli tater tots in lieu of traditional potato ones.

You can easily customize the recipe and add a little bit of chopped chives, onions or red pepper for a bit of color and added flavor. The cauliflower is easily digestible because it’s steamed prior to being pulsed in your food processor. These are great as a snack, as an app, or as the perfect accompaniment to any meal. Let’s get started- you will love!

Cheesy Cauliflower Tots

Servings: 25 tots
Time: 35 mins
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Ingredients

2 + 1/4 cups of steamed cauliflower florets
1 large egg (beaten) or a flax egg*
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives OR cilantro OR parsley (I used parsley)
1/2 cup shredded organic or grass fed mozzarella cheese or vegan mozzarella
1 tbsp of nutritional yeast (optional)
sea salt & ground black pepper to taste
avocado oil or cooking spray
1/3 cup Goldfish® crackers made with 70% organic ingredients (pulverized in blender, into bread crumbs)

For 1 flax egg: combine 3 tbsp of water with 1 tbsp of ground flax seed. Let it sit for 5 mins to thicken & get sticky.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375F & line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray with avocado oil.
Steam the cauliflower until tender, in about 1/4 inch of water & with a lid on the pan for about 5 mins. Drain and place the cauliflower florets in the food processor. Pulse to rough chop/grate them as if you’re making cauli rice.
Pro tip to avoid your tots from being “mushy”: place the pulsed cauliflower florets into a kitchen cloth or towel and squeeze gently to remove any moisture.
Combine ALL the ingredients in a large bowl. You can shape the tots into round patties, ovals, little-falafel type balls, or the traditional tot shape.
Place tots in your baking sheet, bake for 10-12 mins on each side and then flip. Total bake time is at least 20 mins or until the edges start browning. Ovens may vary slightly.

By: Aleyda | The Dish On Healthy