TOfu FUn: November 2011


Who loves ya, baby!!

Sheesh Louishe! Nearing the end of November already? I know October was a blur with it's cornucopia of holidays and events but this month seems to be passing by even faster as I scramble to ketch up on all my eggs. Here's last month's recap:

Margaret celebrated another birthday in all her garb and glory as a Ninja Turtle (Michaelangelo) with this year's Heroes and Villains Theme (I was Shredder). With her birthday so close to Halloween it seemed fitting to dress up for the party. Last year it was Favorite Eras and the year previous was 80s.

Instead of cake, her special request this year was for a giant pizza cookie which went down faster than a wall of dominoes.

Guaranteed devour in 30 minutes or less.

And speaking of pumpkins, there's been plenty to snack on with Halloween's leftover seeds and sugar.


Rotting pumpkin from too much candy...

With best intentions I still never got to making my own pumpkin pie which comes of a surprise after September's flake and bake pie-fest. Bags of berries still bulge from the freezer door and I'm confident they'll make tasty gifts this Christmas.

We celebrated Thanksgiving last month in Canada and this week I send my best wishes to our American neighbors. Enjoy that pumpkin pie!

Christmas and cranberries were fresh on my mind and plate during our Thanksgiving weekend. Both holidays are combined with the perfect ingredients - food, family and friends. And with only 4 weeks til Xmas the meal plan is done cause it's gonna be exactly what I had for Thanksgiving - tofurkey.

A tofurkey dinner has all the trimmings of the traditional turkey feast and is just as enjoyable if not more.
It doesn't look like a turkey, but I suppose with a lot of patience and imagination you could mold it into something respectable of it's predecessor or the shape of a football. However, with the right blend of flavors and scents the taste will make up what it lacks in appearance. And it won't make you pass out before the second half is over!

Eat tofurkey and catch the end of your favorite game or movie.

Whether it's for this week (U.S. Thanksgiving), this Christmas, or any time of year, this tofu turkey recipe will gobble up all the attention.

Tofurkey for Two

INGREDIENTS
1lb block extra firm tofu
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp dry dill
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
Shallow glass or metal baking pan.

You can substitute the rosemary, sage, thyme and marjoram with 1 tbsp of a turkey rub (we use Epicure).

PREPARATION

Press tofu with a heavy object to drain excess water:

The longer you wait, the better the press. You can play all tracks of the Beatles White Album or let it be overnight. I wouldn't recommend putting your 8-track player or other priceless collectibles in the fridge.

Mix the ingredients in a bowl and let stand while doing other prep work.

Slice the tofu horizontally into 4 even slabs:

Pour enough of the mixture to cover the bottom of the pan.

Lay the slabs side by side and pour the remainder of the mixture over them. Let them marinate overnight or for a few hours. There is no hard and fast rule here - whatever your time permits. The longer it sits, the better the flavor: