Thanksgiving Tofu Recipes

TOFU TURKEY I

Steps:

• Line a medium sized, round colander with a cheese cloth or a clean dish towel. Place the crumbled tofu in the colander. Place another cheese cloth over the top of the tofu. Place the colander over the top of a bowl to catch the liquid. Place a heavy weight on top of tofu. Refrigerate the colander, tofu and weight for 2 to 3 hours.
• Make the stuffing: In a large frying pan saute onion, celery and mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil until tender. Add the garlic, sage, thyme, salt and pepper, rosemary and 1/4 cup of the tamari. Stir well; cook for 5 minutes. Add prepared herb stuffing and mix well. Remove from heat.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet.
• Combine 1/2 cup sesame oil, 1/4 cup tamari, miso, orange juice, mustard and orange zest in a small bowl; mix well.
• Remove the weight from the tofu. Hollow out the tofu so that there is one inch of tofu still lining the colander. Place the scooped out tofu in a separate bowl. Brush the tofu lining with a small amount of the miso seasoning. Scoop the stuffing into the center of the tofu shell. Place the leftover tofu on top of the stuffing and press down firmly. Turn the stuffed tofu onto the prepared cookie sheet. Putting the leftover tofu side of the "turkey" (the flat side) down. Gently press on the sides of the "turkey" to form a more oval shape. Brush the tofu turkey with 1/2 of the oil-tamari mixture. Place the sprigs of rosemary on top of the tofu. Cover the "turkey" with foil.
• Bake for one hour. After one hour, remove "turkey" from the oven and remove the foil. Baste the "turkey" with the remaining tamari-oil sauce (reserving 4 tablespoons of sauce). Return "turkey" to oven and bake another hour or until the tofu turkey is golden brown. Place the tofu turkey on a serving platter, brush with the remaining tamari-oil mixture and serve hot.

THANKSGIVING TOFU

Steps:

• Stand each block of tofu on its long side and slice in half lengthwise to create 4 slabs total. Put 3 layers of paper towels onto a baking sheet and arrange the tofu in a single layer on top. Cover with 3 more layers of paper towels and a second baking sheet. Weigh the baking sheet down with 6 large cans (or whatever you might have handy) to press the water out of the tofu. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour and up to 2.
• Meanwhile, grind the pumpkin seeds to a coarse meal texture in a mini food processor and put into a shallow bowl or pie plate. Break up the dried cornbread, add to the food processor and pulse to a coarse crumb texture. Add the cornbread crumbs to the pumpkin seeds. Add the sage, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the cornbread and stir to combine.
• When you're ready to cook, whisk together the flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in another shallow bowl or pie plate. Whisk the eggs in a third shallow bowl or pie plate. Dredge 1 slab of pressed tofu in the flour and shake to remove the excess. Coat the tofu in the egg and then place into the cornbread crumbs, pressing to completely coat with the crumbs. Repeat with the remaining tofu.
• Fit a baking sheet with a wire rack. Add enough oil to a large skillet to come about 1/2 inch up the side. Place over medium heat and heat the oil until it sizzles when a bit of flour is dropped into it. Place the breaded tofu in the oil 2 pieces at a time and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from the oil and drain on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the tofu with salt while still warm and serve.

TOFURKEY (TOFU TURKEY)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• In a large bowl, prepare the marinade by whisking together all the ingredients except the tofu. Set aside.
• Slice the tofu into desired shapes, about 1/4 inch thick (a pound of tofu will give you about 10 slices).
• Lay each slice on a cookie sheet or a lasagna pan, cover with marinade, and let sit in the refrigerate for at least an hour -- the longer, the better. Turn the slices over a few times as they marinate.
• Bake for 1 hour, turning slices over after 30 minutes.
• To serve, fry cutlets on a nonstick frying pan until both sides are browned.