Cheesy Cauliflower Tots with Balsamic Ketchup

The next three days are going to have great posts because Kayla, my friend from law school who acts as a guest photographer here at Vegetarian & Cooking!, collaborated with me on the posts. Check back today, tomorrow and Saturday to see our collaboration. If you use the Search box at the above right, search Kayla, to find the other nineteen posts where we've collaborated.

This recipe was on my Pinterest board for a while, mainly because it really intrigued me. If you read this blog regularly, you know that I have a small obsession with cauliflower, I think that it is the best vegetable ever. Seriously, what can't you do with cauliflower? Because at this point I'm convinced that it can be turned into a faux-recipe of almost anything. 

Cauliflower Tots recipe from I Breathe, I'm Hungry & Balsamic Ketchup recipe from Cupcakes & Kale Chips.

Ingredients:

Tots

-1 medium head of cauliflower

-1 tbsp heavy cream

-1 tbsp butter

-1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar

-4 egg whites

-salt and pepper to taste
-Flour

-oil for frying

Ketchup

-1 12 oz can tomato paste
-1 c balsamic vinegar
-½ teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon dried oregano
-½ t dried basil
-⅛ teaspoon pepper
-1 teaspoon mustard powder
-¼ t garlic powder

Grate the cauliflower into a bowl.

                                   

Mix in the cheddar cheese.

Add in the rest of the ingredients, except the oil for frying.

Make small balls of cauliflower and roll in flour.

Fry in hot oil, gently smoosh the cauliflower flat to form tots. 

Make sure both sides are golden brown. 

To make the ketchup, combine all ingredients in a bowl.

Serve together.

I was impressed by these! I could tell that they were not potato based tots, but if I didn't know they were cauliflower, I might have been able to be convinced that these were potato based. The balsamic ketchup was a strong, dark flavor -- overall I enjoyed the ketchup. The cauliflower tots were light and the light flavor of the tots went well with the dark flavors of the ketchup.