Summer Squash Tots

 

Ingredients:

• 3 small yellow squashes or zucchini about 1-1.5 lb yellow squash
• 1 egg
• 4 oz grated cheddar cheese or other meltable cheese (about ½ cup grated)
• ¾ cup breadcrumbs
• ½ medium onion finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Ground black pepper to taste
• Optional: 2 tablespoons - 1/4 cup finely minced parsley leaves

For the yogurt dip:

• ⅓ cup unsweetened Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice (from about ½ lemon, or to taste - see notes)
• 1 teaspoon finely minced parsley (or dill, or ½ teaspoon dried parsley or dill)
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder (or use 1 small clove of garlic, minced)
• ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon pepper or to taste

Preparation:

Make the tots:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, or grease the baking sheet with olive oil.
2. Grate the squash on a fine grater or use a food processor. Add ½ teaspoon salt, and mix it together. Put the grated squash in a colander (or use a cheesecloth, see notes). Let sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
3. Use your hands to squeeze all the extra liquid from the grated squash into the colander. You should have about 1 cup of liquid for every pound of squash you use. Discard the liquid.
4. Combine all the tot ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. The mixture should be sticky and wet, like a thick paste. If it is too wet, add extra breadcrumbs. Form small tots with your hands (about 1.5-2 tablespoons squash mixture per tot). Tip: dip your hands into a bowl of cold water in between every few tots - this will help keep the squash mixture from sticking to your hands!
5. Arrange the tots on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400F for 25 minutes, or until golden on top and lightly browned on the bottom. Allow to rest 5 minutes before removing them from the baking sheet - this will help prevent them from sticking.

Make the dip:

1. In a small bowl combine all the ingredients for the yogurt sauce while the tots are baking. Serve as a dip for the warm tots!

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