This recipe is unbelievable.
I’m serious. It’s one of those recipes where you read the ingredients, roll your eyes, and say, “There is absolutely no way this recipe will turn out.”
Then you try it anyway, because curiosity gets the better of you.
Such was the case when I came across a recipe for no-potato tater tots in the book Superfood Kitchen. Logical reasoning told me it just wasn’t possible that the ingredients listed on the page could yield something even remotely similar to a tater tot…
Logical reasoning was wrong.
Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside…
And difficult to stop eating!
These “superfood” taters are high in protein, EFAs, and fiber. And in this recipe, no deep-fryer is necessary to achieve that perfect crispy-soft texture.
Healthy Tater Tots
(Reprinted with permission)
- 3/4 cup cooked white beans (such as Great Northern)
- 2 tbsp flaxseeds (golden for most-authentic appearance)
- 2 tbsp ground flaxmeal
- 1 cup cooked quinoa (K note: I cooked my quinoa with 1/8 tsp salt)
- 1 tbsp white miso
- 2 tbsp brown rice flour
- 1/4 cup finely-diced onion
- oil or oil spray for the pan
Using a fork, mash the white beans in a large bowl. (If using unsalted beans, you can add a little extra miso or salt to compensate.) Mix in the remaining ingredients, except for oil. A handful of dough at a time, form 1 inch thick long logs on a chopping board. Carefully cut logs into ½ thick slices to make the tots. Warm a skillet over low heat, and pour in a little olive oil (a tablespoon or two) to coat the pan. (K note: I did these in two batches and used about 1 tbsp olive oil per batch. I did also fry a few separately in oil spray to make sure it would work, as I knew people would ask about that option!) Place tots inside the pan, and cook for several minutes until browned. Use a spatula to flip tots over to brown other side evenly. Serve homemade tater tots immediately with ketchup if desired, or freeze for later use. Serves 3-5.
Click to: View Tater Tots Nutrition Facts
Although I’ve never been completely sold on the extent of superfoods’ health benefits, I found myself bookmarking page after page of Superfood Kitchen by Julie Morris simply because the recipes sound delicious. Quinoa Spaghetti with Cashew Cream Sauce and Chard? Hearty Kale and Black Eyed Pea Stew? Superfood Sangria? Yes please! Along with the recipes, Ms. Morris has included a catalogue of superfood ingredients, detailing the benefits of and uses for each. It’s inspired me to expand my own culinary horizons, and I recommend this book for anyone looking to break out of a cooking rut and experience a whole array of new flavors.
Do you include any superfoods in your diet?
I don’t go out of my way to eat something just because it’s a superfood, but my diet is accidentally filled with superfoods: blueberries, almonds, sweet potatoes, spinach, coconut, chocolate… chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. Chocolate. And no, it is not a typo that I have chocolate listed five times.
Link of the Day:
……………… Black Bean Brownies
Beans are a superfood too. Bring on the brownies!
In a word, YUM! I made these last night as a ‘potato’ item to go with roasted veggies and baked oatmeal. My husband was very skeptical when he saw me making them, but tried one and said he was eating any that I wasn’t.
I did make quite a few substitutions based on what I had on hand, I’m looking forward to trying it as written soon.
I subbed whole wheat flour for the brown rice flour.
Soy sauce for miso.
Cooked millet for quinoa as I had a bunch of millet sitting in the fridge.
Oh wow, I love tater tots! These look fabulous!
This was a great recipe. I felt like baking them rather than frying them in a pan: 1) I was lazy and didn’t want to spend time stirring them around in a pan, and 2) I wanted to use the residual oven heat to warm up my apartment. In case your readers want to try it, place the tots on a greased cookie sheet in the oven for 45-60 minutes at 325 Fahrenheit (go longer is you want them crispier). I’d check them every 15 minutes to make sure they are browning evenly.
These look yummy, healthy AND super cute!
I was just going to make these as a little snack, but I ended up eating the whole batch! Loved them!
I gotta say I was a little unsure of these, but I have 2 little girls who love potato’s and have never tried a tater tot. They were one thing I loved as a kid, so I had to give it a try. OMG, my oldest who is 10, is not a fan of quinoa, but ate almost the whole batch LOL Definatly a must try recipe, you will not be disappointed, but I haven’t found a bad recipie yet here 🙂
I made these last night and made a lot of substitutions because they looked too good to pass up. I used chick peas, whole wheat flour, ground flax only, onion powder, and soy sauce instead of miso. I also baked them on 400 degrees for 20 minutes, but I think that was a little too long so I’d knock it down to 15. They were GREAT. I put the chickpeas in my food proccessor first and added a little water to make them into a paste, then I added everything else and pulsed it until it came together. I plopped the dough on my cutting board and divided it into 4 smaller rolls and snaked them out, then cut small tots. I baked them on parchment and gave them some salt and a spray of non-stick spray to crisp them up. So good, quick too. I put the leftovers from last night in the refrigerator so we’ll see how they are reheated. Real tater tots aren’t too good after one cooking. They don’t taste just like a regular tater tot, but if you wanted to be healthier and eat tater tots more often, these are a GREAT replacement. Mine had about 26 grams of carbs, 8 grams of protein, 7 grams of fiber – totally unlike potato tater tots. They were really good with ketchup, too. My husband, the unadventurous eater, even liked them! Awesome, awesome, awesome!
I was wondering how many of these yummy tots are considered one serving?
Thanks
You had me until miso. Bummer! Major soy allergy at our house. 🙁
Try chickpea miso :).
Ok, so I hate quinoa…I’ve tried to love it, but I just can’t. I know it would change the “healthiness” of these, but can I roll them in panko instead of quinoa?