Vegan Turkey with Cranberry for Thanksgiving

The last couple of Thanksgivings, I've made Cheese & Lentil Gratin as the vegetarian main. Everyone loves this dish and there's never any leftovers. But this recipe for Vegan Turkey in Ann Gentry's Real Food Daily Cookbook swayed me this year. I'm not really into faux meat dishes, but every recipe I've made from this cookbook has been truly outstanding. Gentry developed these Faux Turkey Breasts for a favorite client and now includes them in premade Vegan Thanksgiving meals with all the trimmings.

So I made up the patties for tomorrow and baked one today to test. Absolutely superb! Gentry is a vegan genius! The patties are made of tempeh and tofu and have a wonderful moist texture inside, not really meatlike, but toothsome and substantial without any of the usual faux meat issues (dryness, rubbery texture, gumminess, floury). The exterior is slightly crisp and the sage seasonings were delicious.



These patties are also fast and easy to make from staple items found in most vegetarian/vegan pantries. So if you're still trying to decide what to make, I hope you'll consider these!

What else is on the menu for tomorrow?
Roast potatoes, mashed potatoes, baby Brussels with mushrooms, purple & white cauliflower gratin, and green beans.

I'm also going to try this recipe for Rosemary Roasted Cashews kindly sent to me by Kimberly.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Vegan Turkey Breasts (adapted from Real Food Daily Cookbook):

8 oz tempeh
6 oz tofu
4 tbsp miso
1-1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1-1/2 tsp dried sage
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 350.

Cut up the tempeh and tofu and blend in a food processor until crumbly and well mixed. In a small bowl, mix together the miso and mustard. Set aside.

Heat a little olive oil in a skillet and fry the onion until soft (6-8 minutes). Add the sage, Herbes de Provence, salt and pepper and stir for 30 seconds. Add the tempeh-tofu mix and the miso-mustard to the pan and saute for 8-10 minutes, until starting to brown. (My mixture was moist, rather like tuna salad, but it did brown). Remove from heat and allow to cool. When the mixture is cool enough to touch, form into 4 patties with your hands. Brush the patties with olive oil and bake from 25-35 minutes until golden brown. (Gentry says the unbaked patties can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days if you want to make these ahead).