Submitted by: Susan Voisin
This is my traditional Thanksgiving turkey substitute, adapted from the New Farm Cookbook:
Slice extra-firm tofu 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Place it in a long dish and let it marinate in soy sauce and water (1 part soy sauce to 2 water) for at least 10 minutes. Mix together:
1/2 cup flour
2 Tbs. nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. each basil, oregano
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning (or half thyme and half sage)
dash of garlic powder
generous grinding of black pepper.
Shake off excess marinade from tofu and dip slices into breading, covering both sides thoroughly. Pan fry in a non-stick skillet sprayed with oil. Serve with mushroom gravy.
To make the mushroom gravy (there’s no exact recipe for this), I take whatever’s left of the flour mixture and, if necessary, add a little more flour, nutritional yeast, and poultry seasoning. You’ll need at least a 1/4 cup total, more for large amounts of gravy.
Steam-fry some sliced mushrooms and garlic in a non-stick skillet with a little water. (Cover, but stir frequently.) When they’re about done, add the flour mixture and brown slightly. Then add liquid, starting with about a cup, stirring constantly. The liquid could be veg. broth or soy milk diluted with water or water with some broth powder added–or any combination of these, but I recommend some soy milk for creaminess. Add more liquid as necessary to make it the right consistency for gravy and add extra seasoning to taste. Serve over the tofu. I also serve it over mashed potatoes and with dressing.