Low-Sodium Turnip Tots

Sometimes good things happen to old vegetables.

Like these baby turnips that were sadly wilting away in my refrigerator, getting mushier with every passing day that they were ignored for things like kale and ground pork and life in general.

But as I was about to throw them towards their composite demise, I realized that the softened texture and small round size made for the perfect tater tot substitute. And suddenly, these aging baby turnips were given a bright new future.

Once again, a little olive oil and cornmeal give these vegetables some appealing crunch. Any spice mix will help brighten up the turnip’s earthy flavor (may I suggest some lemon zest, dill, and salt-free garlic powder to start). And because I’m the kind of person that likes gnawing on bones and eating the stems of padron peppers, I left root and tip on the turnips. But you can always cut them off.

So the next time you have some wilting vegetables in the fridge, consider the oven, some cornmeal, and a second chance at a culinary life.

Chow on.

LOW-SODIUM TURNIP TOTS

Ingredients

• 3 cups baby turnips, washed
• 1 tbsp oil (coconut, grape seed, olive…whatever you want) + extra for greasing pan
• 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 tsp salt-free garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried dill
• 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• Zest from 1 lemon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400dg F.

Then, in a large ziplock bag or a big bowl, mix all the ingredients together. If using a bag, close and shake. Then transfer the cornmeal coated turnips to a greased 9×11-inch baking pan. Place in the oven and cook until the cornmeal gets crispy, about 15 minutes. Serve warm and enjoy.

+Sodium Count: Turnips: 87mg per cup, raw and cubed, 40mg sodium per small turnip