It’s not turkey. No, no … it’s tofurkey.
That’s how Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, and his wife, Elizabeth, celebrate the day devoted to the bird — with some rubbery tofu stuffed to … tofection.
But wait … do people actually eat that stuff?
“Well, do you want me to be honest?” Elizabeth Kucinich asked Wednesday. “It’s more of a novelty … but Dennis really likes it, that’s why I get the tofurkey.”
Although the self-professed vegans will spend the holiday with a close friend in the hospital this year, Elizabeth Kucinich shared some of her homemade meatless Thanksgiving recipes with Yeas & Nays that could please even a carnivorous crowd.
» Want to skip the tofurkey? Kucinich recommends stuffed zucchini as a substitute for the main course. First, remove the seeds and the center of the vegetable. Next, grind up nuts and mix in boiled rice and seasoning. Then choose a moist food like apples or cooked whole grains that will bind the stuffing and mix it with the rice, ground nuts and seasoning. Place the stg in the middle of the zucchini, wrap it in tin foil and place it in the oven on medium heat for 45 minutes to an hour, until the vegetable is tender.
» For a side dish, baked apples stuffed with fresh cranberries are a sweet pairing. Start by coring six cooking apples. Then wash a bag of cranberries and place them in a pan on very low heat, adding sugar, syrup or any other alternative sweetener and a quarter-cup of water. When the sugar starts to melt and the skin on the cranberries starts to pop, put the cranberries in the center of the apples and pour the sugary syrup over the apples. Place the stuffed apples in the oven on medium heat for a half-hour.
» For Thanksgiving gravy sans meat, chop onions and place them in a pan, adding a small amount of water to substitute for oil. Next add mushrooms to the pan and sautee until browned. For vitamin B-12, add a yeast extract. Then add canned chopped tomatoes and a small amount of water for very rich gravy — almost a vegetable as well.
Kucinich, who see director of public affairs at animal rights group Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, recommends trying the organization’s Thanksgiving recipes (posted at pcrm.org) for vegan alternatives this holiday.
But can you get a tofurkey coma?
