All About Tofurky: The Vegan Alternative for Thanksgiving Dinner

If you plan to eat vegan on Thanksgiving next Thursday, be sure to consider Tofurky as your main course. Our family LOVES these little beauties and enjoy them not just for Thanksgiving dinner, but as a special "any day" meal whenever we can splurge.
 
Tofurky is made by Turtle Island Foods, a family-owned and operated company in Hood River, Oregon, that has been making nutritious and delicious veg food for nearly 30 years. Their products are made with organic soybeans and/or organic tofu and they contain no MSG, artificial ingredients or preservatives.
They state: "We use organic soybeans and organic tofu as a soy protein base for all our products. All our products are formulated to promote the health and vitality of both the consumer and the planet’s ecosystems. We make everything in small batches using only the finest ingredients and go the extra mile to maintain the taste and integrity of our products. Our products are vegan, kosher, packaged in recycled paperboard and cholesterol free."

Seth Tibbott invented Tofurky many years ago because he was tired of eating just potatoes and yams each year at holiday meals. He became a vegetarian in 1974, after reading a book by Frances Moore Lappe called, "Diet For a Small Planet," and was startled at the idea of how much grain (15 pounds) was required to feed the livestock that produced just one pound of beef.
 
Tibbott was a teacher in Oregon until the Ronald Reagan era, when the outdoor-education program he was involved in was phased out by the Reagan regime. After years of preparing tempah, he decided to focus more on this business and set out to produce and market it full-time.
 
While strapped for cash while first starting the venture, he built a tree house (complete with running water and a stove) in 1984, paying just $25 a week to the tree owner, and lived in it while the company got established, until 1992.
 
Initially, the products were sold via mail order and in specialty stores in the Northwest, but as word spread and more vegetarians and vegans realized that they could be included in the full-course dining experience at special meals too, it wasn't long before Tofurky was a hit.

• Last year, over 300,000 Tofurky Roasts were sold, compared to just 500 when the Roast product was introduced in 1995.
• While it takes 4.87 pounds of grain to produce one pound of turkey meat, it requires only .47 pounds of grain to produce one pound of Tofurky.
• Pounds of grain saved by Tofurky Roast eaters last year (2008) = 1,781,216
• Average lifespan of a turkey in the wild: 10 years or more
  Average lifespan of a commercial turkey: 6 months

Tofurky Roasts must be thawed like a traditional turkey.

Thaw frozen Tofurky Roast in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours prior to cooking.

• 1 stuffed Tofurky Roast
• Quarter and Peel 3-4 Potatoes
• Cut 3-4 carrots into slices
• Chop 1 onion
• *if you prefer additional veggies, get creative and use your favorites to cook alongside the Tofurky*

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. When your Tofurky is thawed and ready for preparation, remove the plastic casing using scissors. 
3. Remove roast from plastic casing. 
4. Place roast in a tightly covered baking/casserole dish (or wrap with aluminum foil) with your veggies.
5. Cook for 3 hours and 15 minutes at 300° F.
6. At this time, open and baste, then cook for 10 more minutes, uncovered.
7. Enjoy!

Photo by Jake of 8bitjoystick.com