Apple Turkey Fingers (For Older Infants & Toddlers)

Kishka's Note:

Inspired by the classic (and kid-friendly) combo of apples & turkey, I concocted these tonight for my 9 month old and liked them so much I might end up eating them myself! Perfect for older babies and toddlers (serve with a fun dipping sauce), these make cute little "fingers" in perfect take-one-out-of-the-freezer-at-a-time portions. I used half an egg (if your child is over 12 mos. you can use more - I limited the egg white for infants) and unprocessed bran (for a nutritional boost) for binding. Enjoy, babies and grown-ups alike!

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 30 fingers

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 medium carrots
• 1 large apple
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 small onion
• 1/2 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup unprocessed natural bran
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• salt & pepper (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Place ground turkey in a large mixing bowl.
3. In a food processor or by hand, grate the carrot, apple, garlic & onion, or else mince very finely (I grated the carrots using a microplane, but minced the apple, onion and garlic for texture). Add to bowl with turkey.
4. Add the 1/2 beaten egg (or whole egg for older kids), bran, thyme and any seasonings you wish. Mix all ingredients together.
5. Scoop mixture up about 1/4 cup at a time (size of a large meatball) and roll into little sausage shapes, placing on a broiling pan or cookie sheet as you go (you may need to do two pans worth). Wet your hands periodically if it's sticky.
6. Place in broiler and broil for 10-15 minutes on one side, then turn over and broil 5-10 minutes more.
7. Remove and let cool. Store together in a freezer bag or individually wrapped in foil.
8. Enjoy!

Reviews

[FrVanilla]

5 stars for making my toddler excited to eat and dip. Mommy and Daddy enjoyed them also. I rolled them in cornmeal for an extra crunch. Served with mashed potatoes, gravy and peas (or ball-balls). I will make them again for sure. I want to try freezing a batch, so I can take them out as part of an easy lunch. A nice way to get the convenience of frozen food without it being processed.

[Trixyinaz]

These were good, but I was expecting a different flavor. Using my Pampered Chef chopper, I minced my carrots, apples, onions and garlic cloves. I added celery too. I was hoping for more of a turkey stuffing taste, but I never acheived that. I added some poultry spice and used breadcrumbs instead of the bran. I also used an egg replacer since my DD is allergic. When all was done and cooked, it tasted like turkey meatloaf sticks. We enjoyed it, but next time I think I will use stuffing bread instead of bread crumbs or bran, saute my veggies in a tiny bit of butter, boil some gizards and saute them with the veggies too and add that to the turkey and stuffing bread mixture. Can you tell I'm craving stuffing? Very easy recipe that we all enjoyed and will make again. Thanks!

[Chef #1315437]

Did not care for this recipe. Apples and turkey do not go that well together IMO.