Broccoli-Cheese Tots with Cheddar Onion Sauce

Certainly, most people have heard of tater tots. But what about broccoli tots? Here’s a recipe that combines cheese and broccoli into easy-to-eat tots.  Try them as they are, or dip them in the accompanying cheddar onion sauce.

Broccoli-Cheese Tots

Ingredients

• ¾ cup of raw almonds
• ¾ cup breadcrumbs
• 4 ½ cups broccoli florets
• 5 ounces Cabot sharp cheddar, grated, about 1 ¼ cups
• ¼ cup chopped sundried tomatoes
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• 3 large eggs, whisked
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Directions

1. Chop almonds in food processor until they are in small pieces. Should be about the size of a grain of rice.
2. Toast bread to make breadcrumbs. Rip into smaller pieces and chop in food processors until about the size of peas or smaller.
3. Chop the broccoli florets in a food processor until they turn into small pieces.
4. Mix all the ingredients for the tots together in large bowl.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Prepare the tots – using one of two options. Either line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or spray a 24-hole mini-muffin tin with cooking spray. The muffin tin tends to create rounder tots; the baking sheet creates tots that are browner.
7. Shape about 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons of the broccoli mixture and shape into a ball. Repeat until all mixture is rolled. Set the tots into the muffin tin or on the baking sheet.
8. Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until tops are browned.
9. While tots bake, prepare cheese sauce.

Cheddar Onion Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 TBS olive oil
• 2 tsp King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup low-fat 1 percent milk
• 4 ounces Cabot Sharp Cheddar, grated, about 1 cup
• 1 tsp to ½ tsp onion powder, depending on taste
• ¼ tsp white pepper, or cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp. salt 

Directions

1. Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add olive oil.
3. When saucepan is hot, add flour and stir with oil immediately. The flour will bubble, then add the milk and let it boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in the cheddar.
5. Remove from heat and mix in onion powder, white pepper, and salt.

The cheese sauce may harden as it cools. It can be made liquid by microwaving for 30 seconds.

You can learn more calcium-rich recipes at the “Calcium Challenge” at LVMC from 5:30 pm to 7 pm on March 27. This recipe courtesy of Cabot Cheese Cooperative.