Thanksgiving Treats - Hail Seitan Style (better late than never)

see my little tofurkey there in the far left center?

Between working three jobs, playing in a band, and taking ten units of science courses at the local community college (I had finals y'allz!), I super duper lagged at posting the next two recipes. 
I made vegan mashed potatoes, a homemade "turkey", and fig and "bacon" stuffing.  At thanksgiving, my mom placed her regular fully loaded mashed potatoes next to my vegan variety, and did a blind taste test with all the fam.  One of my aunties came over to me later and said, "Jackie, I didn't even get a chance to taste your vegan mashed potatoes, my plate was too full".  When I asked her what crock pot she grabbed them from, she pointed to the vegan one.  Ha, she was fooled!  This xmas, my mother and I are only going to serve the vegan style potatoes.  Shhhhh.... don't tell the old folks......

Thanksgiving Tofurkey with Fig and "Bacon" Stuffing

Ingredients

For the Tofurkey:

• 5 14-oz. tubs extra-firm tofu
• 2 tsp. ground dried thyme
• 2 tsp. rubbed sage
• 2 tsp. italian seasoning
• 1 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• crushed red pepper (as spicy as you like it)
• salt and pepper to taste

For the marinade:

• 1/4 -1/2 cups low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp orange juice
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil

For the stuffing: (you can use your own recipe if you would like)

• 1 loaf day-old Italian or French bread, cut in 3/4‐inch cubes (about 10 cups)
• 3/4 c.  chopped walnuts
• 1 stick vegan butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 package diced vegan bacon
• 1 chopped yellow onion
• 2 1/4 cup vegan chicken broth
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning or ground sage
• 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup chopped dried figs

Directions:
THE DAY BEFORE T-DAY!

1. Bring the tofu to room temperature, place between two paper towels or dish towels and squeeze tofu of excess water.  After tofu has been dried, break it up into small bits and place them in a processor.  Process them little by little until smooth, then put it in a large bowl and mix all the seasoning.  Taste the tofu to make sure it isn't too bland, this is where you can add a little more if it is.  If you make it too salty, just add more tofu!  Feel free to experiment! 
2. Place some moist cheesecloth or paper towels into a colander.  The colander should be the shape that you want your tofurkey to be (the first time I tried it the colander was too large, and my "turkey" came out flat.  So find a small, domed colander). 
3. Drop the tofu inside the colander and press it into the sides and bottom of the colander - really squish it in there.  Now put a plate right on top of the tofu press it down gently. Use a heavy object to place on top of the plate (I used my 5 lb. dumbbell that hasn't been getting much use this time of year). This is to help the tofu drain excess water through the colander. Place this inside the refrigerator overnight (at the very least). This helps the tofu to absorb the seasoning well too.


ON T-DAY
For the stuffing:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread bread cubes over 2 large baking sheets. In large skillet over medium‐low heat, toast walnuts for 3‐4 minutes, shaking pan several times; set em aside.
2. In same pan melt 3/4 of the butter stick over medium heat, add garlic and rosemary, and cook 1 minute more.  Pour this deliciousness over bread and turn it to coat. Bake for 10‐15 minutes until goldenish.
3. Meanwhile, in same pan over medium heat fry vegan bacon until brown then remove and set it aside.  Add last 1/4 butter stick and onion, and over medium‐low heat, stir onions until clear. Mix toasted bread and onion in large bowl with broth, parsley, seasoning, and pepper. Stir in pancetta, walnuts, and figs. Place into a 9" x 13" baking dish and bake for 20 to 30 minutes until goldenish on top and desired crispness.

For the marinade:

1. Whisk/mix all the ingredients for the marinade until combined.  Easy no?

For the tofurkey assembly:

1. Your oven should still be 375 from the stuffing. Drain the tofu water from the plate on which you placed the colander.  Remove weight and plate from colander.  Now scoop some tofu from the center. Make sure to leave at least 1-2 inches on the sides and bottom.
2. Now fill this hollow with the stuffing, and top the stuffing with the scooped out tofu.  Make sure to smooth the surface and level it out.
3. Take a pie plate large enough to cover the colander opening on top of the colander.  Mine was a 9 inch plate.  Hold tightly, and slowly invert colander onto the plate so that tofurkey drops gently onto dish.  I had to have my boyfriend hold the pan as we flipped it over.  It was sooo scary, I thought for sure I was going to drop it.  Now slowly remove the cheesecloth from the tofu.  Can you see the white dome now?  Baste the tofu turkey with the prepared marinade and bake for 15 minutes.
4. Baste again. reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 1 hour or so, basting as many times it strikes your fancy.  When it is done, you will see a crisp tofu crust over the top (just like in a real turkey!)

ENJOY!