The Ultimate Finger Food

Kids like to eat with their fingers, and when you’re feeding children, sandwiches are always a good bet.

Be sure to keep in mind that kids these days have their own ideas about food and may require a number of options. Better to be prepared in advance for vegetarian requests than to be surprised at the last minute.

The sandwiches that follow are easy to assemble in advance and heat as needed, all in a 400-degree oven. The pizza bagel, which is always popular, is an old standby. Variations on this theme are numerous. The warm pita holds a delicious mix of melted cheese and vegetables, drizzled with dressing. An open-face, low-fat Oriental turkey burger on French bread completes the array of warm sandwiches.

Full-flavored and low-fat, these turkey burgers are made on crusty French bread, which makes them easy to handle. A food processor chops the vegetables and mixes them into the turkey meat quickly. Serve with a small dollop of hoisin sauce, if desired.

OPEN-FACE ORIENTAL TURKEY BURGER SANDWICH

12 ounces ground turkey meat

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon minced ginger root

1/2 cup minced green onions

1/2 cup finely chopped peeled carrots

1/2 cup catsup

1 teaspoon salt

Crushed hot red pepper, optional

8 crusty (1-inch thick) French bread slices, each slice about 4 1/4 inches long, about 2 1/4 inches wide (best to cut slender French bread on diagonal for this size slice)

24 cilantro leaves, for garnish

Hoisin sauce, optional

Combine ground turkey, oil, ginger, green onions, carrots, catsup, salt and crushed hot red pepper to taste in 1-quart bowl. Mix well. (Can be made several hours in advance and refrigerated, covered airtight.)

Spread mixture, about 1/3-inch thick, on bread slices. Smooth surface. Place on baking sheet.

Bake in center of 400-degree oven until surface is lightly browned and meat fully cooked, about 15 to 18 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with 3 cilantro leaves and small dollop hoisin sauce. Makes 8 open-faced sandwiches.

Each serving contains about:

152 calories; 635 mg sodium; 28 mg cholesterol; 3 grams fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 0.2 grams fiber; 18% calories from fat.

Here, bagels (they’re easy to serve and pick up) are the sandwich base for typical pizza toppings. Vary the toppings as you wish. Just be sure to use salami or other sliced meat or vegetables to fill up the center hole for the melted cheese.

PIZZA BAGEL SANDWICHES

1/2 cup pizza sauce

4 plain water bagels, split horizontally

2 small onions, sliced paper-thin

20 thin slices hard Italian salami (about 2 3/4 inches in diameter)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Crushed hot red pepper, optional

Drizzle 1 tablespoon pizza sauce over cut surface of each bottom bagel. Overlap onion slices on top, dividing evenly. Repeat with salami slices, overlapping in center to cover hole. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cheese. Close bagels. Drizzle 1 tablespoon pizza sauce over each. Sprinkle evenly with remaining cheese, oregano and crushed red pepper, if using. (Can be prepared up to this point several hours in advance and kept at room temperature.)

Place bagels on foil-lined baking sheet. Bake in center of oven at 400 degrees until cheese is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Let rest few minutes before serving. Serve hot. Makes 4 bagels.

Each serving contains about:

194 calories; 773 mg sodium; 33 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 53 grams carbohydrates; 20 grams protein; 2.2 grams fiber; 54% calories from fat.

This is a do-it-yourself salad pita, and simple as it is, it has great flavor. Melt the cheese in the pita, as I have done here, or simply offer the cheese slices with the vegetables and heat the pita halves wrapped in foil. If you prefer other salad fixings, by all means substitute them but make sure they are chilled.

DO-IT-YOURSELF WARM SALAD IN PITA POCKETS

1 small onion, sliced paper-thin, slices separated into rings

1 large green pepper, cut into fine juliennes

3 cups shredded peeled carrots

2 small plum tomatoes, cut into thin lengthwise slices

40 tender flat spinach leaves (about 2 3/4 cups, tightly packed)

8 (1-ounce) slices Jack cheese

4 (6-inch) pita rounds, each cut in half crosswise

Dressing

Arrange onion, green pepper, carrots, tomatoes and spinach leaves on separate dishes. Cover and chill up to several hours ahead of serving.

Tuck 1 slice of cheese into each pita half, folding it back on itself if it extends beyond edge of bread. Don’t press to close. Place pitas in single layer on foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees until cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes. Arrange hot pitas (spoon any running cheese back into pita) on large platter. Let each person fill pita with chilled salad ingredients and spoon Dressing into salad. Makes 8 pita halves.

Each serving with dressing contains about:

332 calories; 580 mg sodium; 32 mg cholesterol; 21 grams fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams protein; 0.7 grams fiber; 57% calories from fat.

Dressing

1/2 cup light mayonnaise

1/2 cup chili sauce or catsup

Combine mayonnaise and chili sauce in small dish. Add little water if needed for medium-thick consistency (it should be thick to avoid dripping). Can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated. Makes about 1 cup.