Tofurkey Day

Last Monday, PETA was in downtown Baton Rouge giving away free Tofurkeys (turkey made out of tofu). So my wife went and picked one up. That was pretty cool of PETA since we haven't been able to find any Tofurkeys here in Baton Rouge. Our plan was to cook the Tofurkey and then bring it with us to celebrate Thanksgiving with my wife's family.

Here I am first thing in the morning. I can barely contain my excitement: "Finally, a Tofurkey of my very own!". Pay no attention to my hair.

Here's a close up of the box. It shows that there is stuffing in the middle of it. Notice in the corner is a reminder: "Don't forget the gravy!". Also notice in the top right corner is what appears to be a cartoon of a soybean-guy with two leaves as wings. I guess he's dressed up like a turkey.

Here is the Tofurkey out of the box. The directions recommmend cooking it with carrots and potatoes, and luckily enough, I had some potatoes and carrots. The Tofurkey is clearly labeled to make sure you thaw it out before cooking. Another important thing is to remove the plastic casing before cooking. At this point, I'm starting to think that the Tofurkey is idiot-proof.

Here's the Tofurkey just before it goes in the oven. The glaze is a homemade adaptation of what is recommended on the box. They have a recipe for an Soy-Apricot Glaze on the box, but lacking Apricot Jelly, I substituted a Peach Jelly (a vegetarian jelly) to make a Soy-Peach Glaze.

The Tofurkey cooked for two hours on a low 300 degrees. It was ready to come out of the oven and we were almost on our way to the family's house, when I realized that I forgot to make the gravy. I was pretty sure that they wouldn't have the stuff to make it, so I had to whip it up in 20 minutes. Here's my quick veggie gravy recipe.

Quick Veggie Gravy

A handful of chopped mushrooms
1 celery stalk
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unbleached white flour
2 cups water
two vegetable boullion cubes
2 teaspoons ground sage
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon Kitchen Bouquet
dash of cajun seasoning
dash of soy sauce

1) Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped 'shrooms, onions, garlic, and celery. Saute for a few minutes.
2) Add the flour and stir. Cook for another minute or two.
3) Add the water, boullion, and spices. Stir.
4) Cook for about ten minutes.
5) Let it cool. While it cools, put the dogs in the bedroom. Make sure they have food and water. Lock the backdoor. Wash your face. Put the gravy in glass container. Wrap it in a towel and put in in the trunk of your car for transport to the in-laws.

In the rush to make it to the family's house, and in making the gravy, I forgot my camera so that I could take a picture of Tofurkey after its trip to the oven. It came out pretty, with the vegetables nicely browned due to the glaze.

The stuffing was awesome. It had wild rice and nuts in it. We got some of the family's omnivores to try the Tofurkey, and they said it was pretty good.

So if you're looking to have a cruelty-free Thanksgiving, I highly recommend a Tofurkey.