YELLOW SQUASH TOTS

Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 25 mins | Total Time: 45 mins | Yield: 24 tots/4 servings

Snackable, very delicious, and the perfect way for your picky eaters to eat more veggies. Made with squash or zucchini, make sure to whip up a big batch because these yellow squash tots will be devoured fast!

INGREDIENTS :

Tots:

• 1 Egg
• 3 small yellow squashes or zucchini – about 1-1.5 pounds of yellow squash
• 4 ounces grated cheddar cheese or other meltable cheese (around 1/2 c. grated)
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3/4 c. breadcrumbs
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• Optional: 2 tbsp – 1/4 c. finely minced parsley leaves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Ground black pepper, to taste

Yoghurt dip:

• 2 tsp lemon juice (from about 1/2 lemon, or to taste)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder (or use 1 small clove of garlic, minced)
• ⅓ c. unsweetened Greek yoghurt
• ¼ tsp salt, or to taste
• ¼ tsp pepper, or to taste
• 1 tsp finely minced parsley (or dill, or 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley or dill)

DIRECTIONS :

Step 1: Prepare the oven. Preheat it to 400 degrees F. Using parchment paper, line a large baking sheet. Alternately, you can grease the baking sheet with olive oil.

Step 2: On a fine greater, grate the squash. You can also use a food processor if desired. Season with half tsp salt and mix well. In a colander or cheesecloth, transfer the grated squash. Set it aside while prepping the rest of the ingredients.

Step 3: Squeeze all the extra liquid from the squash with your hands to make about 1 c. of liquid for every pound of used squash. Then, discard the liquid.

Step 4: In a large bowl, place the tot ingredients. Mix well until you have a wet and sticky mixture (like a paste). You can add more breadcrumbs if the mixture turned out too wet. Using your hands, shape small tots (around 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp squash mixture per tot). To keep the squash mixture from sticking to your hands, dip your hands into a bowl of cold water in between.

Step 5: On the prepared baking sheet, arrange the tots. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes or until the top is golden and the bottom is lightly browned. Remove from the oven when done and let the tots rest for about 5 minutes before taking them out of the baking sheet.

Step 6: To make the dip, whisk the yoghurt dip ingredients in a small bowl until well mixed. Serve with the warm tots for dipping. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 290 | Total Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0g | Unsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 669mg | Carbohydrates: 25g | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Protein: 15g