The poor Tofurky. The football shaped loaf of tofu has been a running joke at Thanksgiving tables for years. Tofu instead of turkey? As if.
Thing is, you’d be hard-pressed to find an omnivore who’s ever tasted one. So BiteClub took on the challenge of cooking up the odd blob of tofu and spices with a rice and stuffing surprise in the middle. With Tofurky gravy. First off, it cooks up in about 90 minutes in a casserole dish to which you add carrots, onions and potatoes. Baste with some olive oil, soy sauce and dried sage. The scent is heavenly, and in the time it takes to get old Tom turkey dressed, seasoned and trussed, Thanksgiving is served.
Our unofficial taste test results: It’s pretty darn good. In fact, moister than a lot of turkey breasts I’ve had. The flavor is true to the traditional holiday bird, although there’s a definite “tofu” aftertaste. It’s a reasonable alternative if you’re cutting back on your animal proteins, can’t cook worth a darn (it’s pretty foolproof) or just want something a little different this year.
At least one reprieved turkey will thank you.
Available in the freezer section of most grocery stores.
Had it. Hated it. Why faux meat at all? For holidays, I throw together an African stew based on yams, garbanzos, and a dollop of peanut butter, pair that with some roasted root vegetables, and bliss out.
Had it. Hated it. Why faux meat at all? For holidays, I throw together an African stew based on yams, garbanzos, and a dollop of peanut butter, pair that with some roasted root vegetables, and bliss out.
Hmm, I guess I should try this Tofurkey, at least the name sounds awesome! 😀
I have been vegetarian for years and always look forward to my “roast beast”, as I call it. My favorite glaze is a sour cherry and balsamic onion combo. My omnivore husband loves it!
A big YUM from this vegetarian! I have enjoyed the product for many years on Thanksgiving, and other special occasions.
As a longtime vegetarian, I have looked forward to Thanksgiving for its plentiful foods and family gatherings. Many people assume that the Tofurkey is the best way to accomodate their vegan friends at the meat eaters table. For me, Thanksgiving feasts are more about the seasonings and the vibrant flavors. The fake meat is just a carrier for the flavors of the season. That said, the fake meat must have two things going for it, the texture and the seasoning. I have tried Tofurkey and have found it lacking in one of these areas, the texture. It is like a chewy ball of Thanksgiving spices. The seasoning is fine, but if it has such a poor texture then it is not worth eating. This year I tried out the fake turkey roast put out by Gardein. It was much more flavorful than the Tofurkey; however, it too had texture issues. It did have a nice “stuffing surprise” and plenty of gravy. Lastly, my go to fake meat is produced by Quorn. It is a small roast that tastes wonderful and has the texture of meat. I served it to my meat-loving family and they liked it (don’t worry they had meat too). My husband actually preferred it to the real bird. One small thing that can also be done to help make the vegetarian feel welcome is making stuffing with vegetable broth instead of meat-based broth. That’s my two cents.
Great idea!
I’ve been a vegetarian for 20 years and the Tofurkey roast is a welcome addition to my Thanksgiving tradition. I’m not a master gourmet so it is nice to have a simple item I can cook but still dress up with different options (their website has a lot of variations). It’s also not chock full of antibiotics and growth hormones like most mass produced meat tends to be.