#MeatlessMonday-Tofurky and Mushroom Gravy #vegetarian #vegan

Photo of a Tofurky in the wild courtesy of megabeth via flickr

Yeah, we're gonna go there.
The first time I saw the words 'Tofurky.' Even I, a 20+ year vegetarian, thought, "Oh hell, no." This Thanksgiving, I asked my daughters (who aren't vegetarians) what they wanted for Thanksgiving dinner. One decided on stuffed salmon and the other wants flounder. Add some rice and vegetables, and they're good. But since I don't eat fish, that leaves me out.

Now, I could do what I always do and go with soup. I'm not very traditional. But this Thanksgiving I have a lot to be thankful for and thought I'd dabble in the traditional thing. So, I'm gonna go there. I'm going to buy a Tofurky and give it a try. I'm not fond of the flavor of meat but we'll see how it goes. Maybe my daughters will give it a try and discover a new family favorite.

Here's a Tofurky recipe I found on The Farm Sanctuary's website. We sponsor a turkey there every year. I tweaked the ingredients to suit my tastes. If you give it a go, let me know what you think. If you're a gravy fan, you can try the vegetarian mushroom gravy (which is really good on french fries, by the way!). Enjoy!


Tofurky Roast

Ingredients:

1 thawed Tofurky roast, unwrapped
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Chinese chili paste with garlic
8 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Whisk together honey, soy sauce, vinegar, chili paste, garlic, cumin and pepper. Pour over the Tofurky, coating all surfaces.
2. Cover Tofurky and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
3. Drain the Tofurky and place on a rack in a large, shallow roasting pan. Save the marinade!
4. Roast in preheated oven 45 minutes, basting with marinade.
5. Allow the roast to rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

Easy Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy

Ingredients

6 T butter

2 T finely chopped onions

2 T finely chopped mushrooms

2 minced garlic cloves

3 T flour

2 T soy sauce

1 cup water

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp basil

Directions

1. Saute the onions, mushrooms and garlic with the butter.

3. Make a roux by gradually adding the flour. Make sure you continuously whisk to avoid lumps!

4. Still whisking, add soy sauce and water to the mixture.

5. Add salt and pepper and cook until it reaches the desired thickness.