What can’t cauliflower do? It’s delicious as a puree, makes a great meaty steak and now, can be enjoyed as the ultimate finger food-a crunchy tot. We use crispy rice cereal as a gluten-free breading. A hot oven (and a little cooking spray) gets you a crackling exterior without deep frying.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Active: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 6 servings (about 6 tots each) |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 small heads cauliflower
- 1 cup almond meal
- 2 large eggs, separated
- Kosher salt
- 2 cups crispy rice cereal
- Cooking spray
- Dipping sauces, such as ketchup, grainy mustard, pesto or red-pepper hummus, for serving
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the top position of the oven, and preheat to 450 degrees F. Set a cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, and cook, stirring frequently, until browned and soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and let cool in the skillet.
- Remove the outer leaves and core of the cauliflower heads. Separate the heads into large florets, and trim away most of the remaining smaller stems. In 2 batches, process the florets in a food processor until very finely chopped, almost a paste, then transfer the paste to a large bowl. Wipe out the food processor.
- Put the cauliflower in the middle of a double layer of cheesecloth, and gather up the sides into a bundle. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can over the sink, then put the cauliflower back in the bowl. Add the browned onion, almond meal, egg whites and 2 teaspoons salt, and work together with your hands until combined and the mixture holds together when squeezed. Scoop out even tablespoonfuls, roll each into a ball and shape into a squared-off tot shape, and line them up on a baking sheet. (The tots can be covered loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight.)
- Pulse the rice cereal in the food processor until finely ground, and transfer to a small dish. Whisk the egg yolks with 1/4 cup water in a medium bowl. Line up the tots, egg wash, ground cereal and prepared baking sheet with the rack on your work surface. Dip the tots in the egg wash (let the excess drip off), roll them in the cereal to fully coat and place on the rack. (To avoid a mess, designate one hand for dipping and retrieving in the egg and the other for rolling in the cereal.) Spray each tot all over with the cooking spray, turning as needed. (Unsprayed breaded tots can be placed on a parchment-lined baking sheet, frozen until solid, about 2 hours, then transferred to a large freezer bag for up to 1 month. Coat with cooking spray before baking.)
- Bake the tots on the prepared baking sheet until golden brown outside and hot inside, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a serving platter. Serve with desired dipping sauces.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 160 calorie |
| Total Fat | 12 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 1.5 grams |
| Cholesterol | 55 milligrams |
| Sodium | 630 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 11 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 grams |
| Protein | 7 grams |
| Sugar | 3 grams |
Reviews
Sounds great and good for me
Looks great and easy.
Doesn’t seem like a very healthy recipe
with rice crispy and eggs (highly process food and high cholesterol)
with rice crispy and eggs (highly process food and high cholesterol)
Crispy Rice Cereal is not low carb. My five year old son is Type 1 Diabetic. This recipe would send his blood sugar to the moon. This recipe use a high carb ingredient that would affect my son in a serious way and can not be considered low carb, anymore than adding peanuts to a recipe and calling it peanut free.
Buy the cauliflower riced for you-frozen section. Makes things MUCH easier. I just used seasoned panko since that’s what I had on hand & added whatever seasoning…turmeric, some paprika, garlic, a little ground mustard. Next time I’m going to try them with dill. But these were great!
Amazing!
Prep time of 5 minutes is a gigantic joke. It should read “prep time is at least 60-90 minutes.” End result though is soooo worth it, next time I will season more and allow more time to finish them
directions are not in complete, recipe works exactly as stands and they are great with a few added seasonings. process RAW cauliflower to paste and then it needs to be squeezed in cheesecloth to get out water, you do not cook it first. Add some garlic , seasonings and Parmesan to paste. Don’t need almond meal , use breadcrumbs or panko and add some Parmesan and seasonings to rice crispies. As recipes says , whites are added to paste and yokes are used for breading to stick.Came out crunchy and tasty!!
I’m confused, do you add the 2 egg whites to the cauliflower mixture, use them for the egg wash, or use one for each?
I saw these on Instagram and thought they might be tasty. They really aren’t. For how much work they are, they taste like nothing. I drowned them in ketchup and garlic aioli and then they were edible.