"tofurkey" news and stories

For years, the "Tofurkey" seemed like some sort of make-believe food item and I pictured blocks of tofu stuck together and carved into a giant turkey shape. This particular mental image was smashed the day I first spotted an actual Tofurkey at the market. The product is a 100% vegan roast made out of tofu and vital wheat gluten (this is the combination, with seasonings, is known as "Tofurkey"), stuffed with a brown rice stuffing and accompanied by a side of "giblet and mushroom gravy," which contains more Tofurkey, mushrooms and a variety of seasonings, oils and thickeners.

I decided that I'd give it a try and see what it was like. After all - how bad could it be?

For a week now, I've been challenging myself to eat as close to vegan as possible. It's part of my month-long, "Going Vegan" experiment. So far, I have to say, it hasn't been hugely difficult. The hardest part has been not drinking milk with my coffee. I have given up my beloved double cappuccinos for plain drip coffee. (Hmph. Maybe that's why I've been so grouchy lately...)

So what have I been eating? Lots of salads. I eat a salad everyday anyway, but I've been making them more substantial mixing in baked tofu, roasted veggies, nuts, and/or beans. I roasted sweet potatoes and spring onions and tossed them with balsamic vinaigrette to make a warm salad (recipe follows). Another day I roasted some fingerling potatoes and tossed those with an olive oil-horseradish emulsion and served them on a bed of baby watercress.

I've made two soups. One an "every-kind of vegetable" soup. The other a simple, comforting puree of leeks and garbanzos enriched with a little soy milk and margarine. I'll have bread shmeared with mashed avocado and sprinkled with sea salt. I've made paninis with veggies and Tofurkey deli slices which, I'm surprised to admit, are pretty good.