Delicious and nutritious tofu turkey recipe
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 5 (16 ounce) packages extra firm tofu
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 red onion finely diced
- 1 1/3 cups diced celery
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 1/8 cup dried sage
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 1/4 cup tamari
- 3 cups prepared herb stuffing
- 1/2 cup sesame oil
- 1/4 cup tamari
- 2 tablespoons miso paste
- 5 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon honey mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- Carbohydrate 3.42422150155205 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 13.8450675366485 g
- Fiber 0.858842502406688 g
- Protein 1.89847275110233 g
- Saturated Fat 2.00765575526991 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (57g)
- Sodium 756.393907809197 mg
- Sugar 2.56537899914536 g
- Trans Fat 0.64224232663621 g
- Calories 142 calories
Step-by-step
- 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.
Pressing the moisture from five blocks of extra firm curd for two to three hours is the single factor separating a solid roast from a collapsing heap on the pan. Soy contains a high volume of water that dilutes flavor and prevents browning. Removing this liquid demands physical weight applied through a cheesecloth-lined colander over a catch basin. Skipping this hydration purge leaves the exterior wet and incapable of absorbing the savory tamari and sesame glaze during baking.
- Weight the curd thoroughly using a heavy plate or cast-iron skillet to extract excess liquid efficiently before shaping.
- Maintain a one-inch border of pressed soy along the edges of the colander to form a stable outer shell that holds the herb stuffing inside.
- Bake the assembled dome covered in foil at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for one full hour to steam the interior before browning.
- Remove the protective foil cover after the initial sixty minutes and baste with the miso-tamari mixture to develop a caramelized exterior crust during the final hour in the oven.
Substituting tamari with standard soy sauce alters the sodium balance and changes the final color development due to different wheat ratios. Adjusting the oil content downward reduces the necessary crisping on the surface crust.
