As a vegetarian, I'm always asked if I'm "bringing the Tofurky". Like you, I've found that actual Tofurky is pretty poor -- the 'meat' gets chewy and tough, the stuffing is goopy, and the 'giblet' gravy is downright terrible. I found I was the only one eating it.

I've found I'm perfectly happy with side-dishes -- a plateful of extra helpings of cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes (with mushroom gravy), green bean casserole, and such is very satisfying. But I'll usually bring a Quorn Roast as well; they taste fantastic, the health-concious meateaters love it too (low fat, high-fiber), and it makes great leftovers.

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For Thanksgiving this year I gorged on veggies, having told my family a solid two months in advance that I didn't eat meat, they prepared some stuff sans bacon and chicken stock. My grandmother even went as far as to make a special pan of stuffing just for me using water instead of chicken stock (it was flat and terrible but I love that she tried).

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I've been vegetarian for two-and-a-half years now, and I'm the only one in my family. For holiday gatherings, there are usually lots of vegetarian-friendly side dishes, and I bring my own dishes as well. I've never tried Tofurky, nor does it really look that appetizing.

My family members are usually pretty accommodating and take into account my needs as well. It isn't all about the meat during the holidays! Sometimes side dishes are what really make the meal.

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I have a question for vegetarians who do use Tofurky and other imitation meat substitutes--why? It never tastes as good as the real thing. Whether you are a vegetarian for health reasons or humanitarian reasons (even thoughg we've been eating animals for thousands of years), if you really miss the taste/experience of meat that much, maybe you should just eat it. And as for family gatherings, any I've ever been to has plenty of veggie side dishes to fill up on. And besides, amazing Thanksgiving or Christmas feasts is simply part of what you conciously and voluntarily give up if you make the decision to be a vegetarian.

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There is a really great alternative to Tofurky. It's called a "field roast," made from wheat gluten and lentils. Although it's pricey, it can be obtained from Whole Foods Market.

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bigkingken - I've been a vegetarian for about 10 years. What I can say mostly about eating meat replacement products is that I don't believe it's the actual meat that is missed. When I did eat meat, ribs were delicious because of the BBQ sauce. Burgers tasted great because of ketchup and mustard. Turkey was boring unless you added gravy. The best example I can think of is the "Parmesan" something. You can make it with veal, chicken, eggplant, or probably whatever you like. Nobody really thinks it's odd that there are different varieties of basically the same dish. But the real flavor of it comes from the sauce and cheese. So why is it do weird to think of a "veggie" burger or "soy" ribs, or even Tofurkey. It's the same idea, with the same flavor enhancements.

As far as eating animals for 1000s of years go, it's only been a small fraction of those years that animals have been raised in the horrible environments they are in now with very little movement or light. Just so people can be gluttonous because a burger only costs 99 cents. I don't have any problems with people who need meat to survive and are hunting or raising animals humanely, and not just eating a whole chicken every day simply because they are cheap.

Also, I don't wear any animal products either. There are fine alternatives, and most people can't easily tell the difference.

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I'm usually fine with the abundance of side dishes available. (many kinds of veg, potatoes, etc.) If I want something a bit more substantial though, I will make a nut/tofu loaf.

Here is a great link to the "Magical Loaf Studio", which creates a personalized recipe for you instantly based on your preferences. It's awesome:
http://www.veganlunchbox.com/loaf_studio.html

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Tofurkey blows. Bon Appetite/Epicurious has an amazing wild mushroom lasagna that is soooooooo good:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/101195

Not a vegan option but man, it. is. good. Made it three or four times. Definitely a once in a while dish though - mega rich.

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Ian - I'm going to have to disagree with you on the whole meat/sauce things. To me, most dishes have way too much breading/sauce/other flavors which mask the natural taste of good beef or pork and to a lesser extent (because they're not as flavorful to me) chicken and turkey. To me, there's nothing better than 1/2 pound burger, slightly salt and peppered, with a thin layer of mayo on a bun (and maybe a slice of cheese) which I suppose is why I'm not a vegetarian. And I know there are plenty of meat-lovers out there who would agree with me.

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bigkingken, that's one of the most common arguments vegetarians hear... "If you're a vegetarian, why are you eating a veggie burger or veggie dogs? Isn't that like pretending to eat meat?"

Well, yeah. I grew up eating turkey at the holidays, and while I love a good veggie casserole, it's great to have a hearty, savory slice of Quorn (or another fake-meat) that goes perfectly with all the traditional side dishes. Broccoli's great, but it doesn't go too well with cranberry sauce :)

Keep in mind that there's lots of reasons people choose to be vegetarian. Some people do it for health reasons, some for ecological reasons, and many do it for ethical reasons -- they don't feel right eating animals. So it's great to have a tasty fake turkey that's healthier than the real stuff and didn't involve killing a turkey to get.

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One word - gravy! Make a big pan of veggie gravy and all is right in the world. Experiment a lot and come up with a recipe you like. Mine involves veggie bouillon, sesame oil, various herbs and lots of pepper.My family (all meat eaters) no longer ask for meat-based gravy version on the table - they're perfectly happy pouring my veggie stuff over their turkey/potatoes/stuffing.

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although at thanksgiving i do a tofurkey or something similar...i take it to the next level at christmas time. last year i made a fake christmas ham. it was huge! i adapted it from recipes from here:

http://www.vegetarian.org.nz/page/vegetarian-Christmas-recipes

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My whole family is veggie, so we make homemade pizza if we're at home. (It tastes a lot better!) If we visit our cousins who love turkey, we bring a side dish. We eat that, a little bread, and whatever vegtatable they make, plus dessert. Kids love it too! For christmas-well, we're jewish, so chinese takeout or popcorn and a movie. On a daily basis, we have veggie burgers (kids dislike these a little), pizza, pasta, and the like.

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