Homemade sattvic-ish Tofurkey – enjoy!

So you wanna celebrate Thanksgiving but for whatever reason, not the turkey. Here’s the best recipe I’ve found for a tofurky. If you have a food processor, it’s incredibly easy. If you are a sculptor, you may just have to make a bird shape out of it. That’s not my forte, but hey, go for it. Here’s the recipe:

Thanksgiving Day Tofurkey

Yield: 1 medium loaf

Wash the tofu, pat it dry, cut into small pieces or mash. Put the tofu, arrowroot, basil and sage, salt, pepper and agar flakes (or cornstarch) in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. Oil and flour the loaf pan. Spread a layer of tofu paste inside the pan, lining the bottom and all four sides. (Spread only a thin layer on the ends.) Use all but about 1 cup of the paste.

Firmly but gently press the stuffing into the pan, on top of the tofu paste “liner”. Try to avoid displacing the tofu.  Cover the stuffing* with the remaining tofu, carefully sealing the edges. Cover the pan with foil, making certain the foil doesn’t come in contact with the tofu. (The tofu will eat into the foil.)

Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes. Then remove the foil cover, glaze the top of the loaf with the dissolved barley malt syrup, turn the oven up to 450 degrees and continue baking for 10 minutes. Unfold, slice…. enjoy watching your relatives’ reaction. They may even ask for a bite.

*Sage Stuffing

Saute the celery and carrots in oil for 5 minutes. Add the sage, basil, salt, pepper and hing and continue cooking 5 minutes longer. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Stir in the bread cubes and cook for a few minutes. Then remove from heat.