Baked Broccoli Bites

Call it our new alternative to a tater-tot. Kids love tater-tots and who doesn’t? But they are just not the best thing for you. Even if you make them at home with good fats, it is still just potato, and in my mind, that is the least nutritious vegetable you (or your kids) can eat.

Instead, let’s make it green. Let’s use broccoli, with some cheddar, and you have a tasty broccoli-cheddar-soup-like-snack, yum! Add some eggs and almond meal to help bring it all together, and now what we have is a flavorful, cheesy morsel you can serve to your kids to dip in their favorite condiment.

We made it with dinner as an appetizer, and as you can see, the kids loved it.

Wes takes his snacking seriously and is using a fork.

Ollie chose to use his fingers to indulge.

This will definitely be made again, in bulk, and kept on hand to throw in the oven any day we feel we will need an extra snack. And there are veggies in it, hallelujah! Finally a snack with veggies not just the adults, but the kids can enjoy.

Did I mention they are gluten-free? Yep, no breadcrumbs in this recipe, just some almond meal for binding. Took me roughly 25 minutes to make, and if you have pre-steamed broccoli on hand or frozen, it is even quicker. Easy, healthy and tasty; the perfect snack for the whole family any time of the day.

Enjoy!

What You’ll Need:

• 1 cup steamed broccoli, (about 2 cups raw, chopped into bite-sized pieces)
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, from grass-fed cows
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 2 pastured eggs
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• grass-fed butter to grease pan

What to Do:

1. Prepare to steam your broccoli by bringing 2 cups of water to a boil in a steamer. Add your chopped broccoli and steam for about 10 minutes or until fork is inserted easily. Allow to drain and chill in freezer while you prep your other ingredients.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add chopped broccoli, cheese and almond meal and gently mix together with a spoon
3. Preheat oven to 375°. Using your hands, form the broccoli into bite sized balls and place onto greased pan.
4. Once you have used up all your ingredients, bake in preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes, turning half way through until golden.

Makes about 20 bites