The holidays are almost upon us and we all know what that means; potlucks, parties, and entertaining. For one final time this year I have partnered up with ThinkTurkey.ca and Turkey Farmers of Canada to create not one, not two, not even three, but five delicious Turkey hors d'oeuvres to help you get through this Holiday Season.
So, what did I come up with? To start, Mini Moroccan Spiced Turkey Meatballs, and Turkey and Brie Sliders, then on to Oven-Baked Turkey Tenders with Cranberry Sweet and Sour Sauce, Teriyaki Turkey Skewers, and finally, Southern Braised Turkey on Corn Bread Muffins. Drooling yet?
Let's take a look!
Mini Moroccan Spiced Turkey Meatballs
With Moroccan spices and apricot, these turkey meatballs are flavourful and have a little pop of sweetness. These could easily be made ahead, frozen and reheated so there ready when you are. One pound of ground turkey makes about two dozen mini meatballs, of course, you can make larger ones and just have them for dinner too.
To make these Mini Turkey Meatballs, combine all the ingredients listed in the recipe below, mix and form into 24 balls. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, add a touch of oil and sauté until cooked through. Easy peasy.
Recipe
Mini Moroccan Spiced Turkey Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Turkey
- 8 Dried Apricots
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ⅛ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Ground Coriander
- ½ teaspoon Cayenne
- ½ teaspoon Allspice
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoon Bread Crumbs
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix well.
- Divide the meatball mixture into 24 pieces and roll into balls.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat.
- Add 1-2 teaspoon of grapeseed oil, then add in the meatballs.
- Sear the meatballs on all sides and continue to cook until cooked through.
- Spear the meatballs with a toothpick and serve with yogurt and a squeeze of lemon.
Turkey and Brie Sliders with Green Apple Relish
The second item I made was Turkey and Brie Sliders with Homemade Green Apple Relish. The turkey patties I made for this could easily be made a bit bigger and used as a great turkey sausage breakfast patty. Seriously, try it.
To make the sliders I mixed some ground turkey with the spices listed below and formed it into small patties. I fried these and then topped them with a slice of brie. I put mine on a gluten-free baguette with a bit of mayo, you can use any kind of bread you'd like.
For the relish, I combined vinegar, sugar, water, salt, and spices in a small pot, brought it to a boil then added in 1 green apple cut into match sticks and half an onion thinly sliced. I cooked this all together for a minute or two, then it was ready to top the sliders.
Turkey and Brie Sliders
Ingredients
Sliders
- 1 lb Ground Turkey
- ¼ teaspoon Chili Flakes
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 12 slices Brie
- 1 Baguette (sliced into 12 small pieces) or 12 Slider Buns
- ¼ cup Mayo
Green Apple Relish
- 1 Granny Smith Apple
- ½ Onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon Sugar
- 2 tablespoon White Vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Water
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 pinch Chili Flakes
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seed
Instructions
Sliders
- Combine all the ingredients except the brie and baguette.
- Mix well and form into 12 small slider patties.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add 1-2 teaspoon of oil.
- Add the sliders to the pan and cook for 3 minutes per side or until cooked through.
- While the sliders are cooking top the baguette slices or the slider buns with mayo.
- Once the slider are cooked top them with the brie and put them on the buns.
- Top the sliders with the Green Apple Relish and serve.
Green Apple Relish
- Put the vinegar, water, sugar, bay leaf, salt, mustard seed, and chili flakes in a small pot and bring to a boil.
- Cut the apple into match sticks and put in the pot along with the half onion.
- Cook for 3-4 minutes then serve.
Oven-baked turkey Tenders with Cranberry Sweet and Sour Sauce
If I had to choose my number one favourite item from this list, this would be it. The turkey was tender, the breading was crisp, and the sauce was out of this world. I will definitely be adding this into the meal rotation and putting it on my hors d'oeuvre menu.
To make these Turkey Tenders I seasoned some flour (I used gluten-free flour and bread crumbs) with the spices listed below. I breaded the turkey using the standard breading procedure of flour, egg, breadcrumbs. Then I baked the turkey on a greased baking sheet on 400°F for a total of about 25 minutes.
For the sauce, I combined sugar, vinegar, cranberry juice, and dried cranberries in a pot and brought it to a boil. I then added a mixture of cornstarch and water to thicken it.
I cannot stress enough how much you need to make these. You will be so, so happy that you did.
Oven-Baked Turkey Tenders
Ingredients
Turkey Fingers
- 300 g Turkey Breast Fillets, cut into 12 strips
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon White Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Ground Sage
- ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne
- ½ cup Bread crumbs (or more as needed)
- 2 Eggs, beaten
- ½ cup Flour (or more as needed)
Cranberry Sweet and Sour Sauce
- ½ cup White Vinegar
- ½ cup Water
- ½ cup Sugar
- ½ cup Cranberry Juice
- ¼ cup Dried Cranberries
- 2 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon Water
Instructions
Turkey Fingers
- Add the spices to the flour and mix.
- Dip the turkey in the flour, then the beaten eggs, then the bread crumbs.
- Place the breaded turkey fingers on a greased cookie sheet.
- Bake the turkey fingers in the oven at 400°f for 15 minutes then flip and bake for 10 more minutes or until cooked through.
Cranberry Sweet and Sour Sauce
- Put the vinegar, water, sugar, cranberry juice, and dried cranberries in a medium pot and bring to a boil.
- While the vinegar mixture is boiling combine the cornstarch and water and mix well.
- Cook the sauce for 3-4 minutes, stir the cornstarch and water and add to the vinegar mixture.
- Turn the heat down to medium and cook for 3 more minutes.
- Serve with the turkey fingers.
Teriyaki Turkey Skewers
Little pieces of turkey breast put on a skewer and baked with a simple homemade teriyaki sauce; who isn't going to love that?
These are about as straightforward as they come. Thinly slice the turkey, put it on skewers, bake with the sauce and bake.
The sauce is a mixture of soy sauce (I used gluten-free tamari), sugar, rice vinegar, and water. That's it. Boil this until it's thick and you are good to go.
Teriyaki Turkey Skewers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 300 g Turkey Breast Fillets
- 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 2 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Slice the turkey into 24 even pieces and put on skewers.
- Combine the Soy Sauce, Sugar, Rice Vinegar, and Water in a small pot.
- Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.
- Bake the skewers on 400°F for 8 minutes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Lightly brush the skewers with the sauce and bake for 3 more minutes.
- Flip the skewers, brush with more sauce and bake for 2 more minutes.
- Remove the skewers from the oven brush generously with the remaining sauce and serve.
Southern Braised Turkey Breast on Cornbread Muffins
There really isn't too much I can say about these except, "OH MY GOD!" These are my second favourite on this list and for good reason. They taste amazing. The turkey is braised in a southern style BBQ sauce made with ketchup, vinegar, liquid smoke (can be found at most grocery stores), brown sugar, garlic, onion, and a touch of chili. Once the turkey was cooked I pulled it apart with two forks pulled pork style and served it on the best cornbread muffins I have ever had. (Find the cornbread recipe here)
While I was making these Southern Braised Turkey Cornbread Muffins, I debated adding cheese, or jalapeno, or any number of other things, but at the end of the day, nothing was needed. These were so good on their own that I left them alone and let the simplicity of them speak for itself.
Southern Braised Turkey On Cornbread Muffins
Ingredients
- 700 g Bone-in Turkey Breast
- ¼ cup Ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Hickory Flavoured Liquid Smoke
- ¼ cup Cider Vinegar
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Chili Flakes
- 1 Onion, sliced
- 2 Cloves Garlic, Sliced
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pat the turkey dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add 1 teaspoon of oil and place the turkey breast in the pan skin side down and sear until the skin is golden brown.
- Flip the turkey, sear for three minutes and remove from the pan.
- Add the onion into the pan and cook for 7-10 minutes or until a deep dark brown.
- Add in the garlic and cook for two minutes. Then add in the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
- Put the turkey back into the pan along with ½ cup of water.
- Put a lid on the pot and put the turkey in a 350°F oven and bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through.
- Use 2 forks and shred the turkey meat.
- Discard the bones and mix the meat into the sauce.
- Serve the turkey on cornbread muffins.
Notes
Conclusion
I can't really express how much fun I had creating these recipes and making this post. Not only did I get to push my creativity a little but I got to eat some really, really good food. I can not be more serious when I say that you need to try at least a couple of the apps on this list. You, your family, your friends, and your guests will be so happy that you did.
Remember to think turkey all year round not just at the holidays, it can be so many delicious things. And for even more great turkey recipes, go to ThinkTurkey.ca
