Vegan Turkey for Thanksgiving Sandwiches

Enjoy your holiday and try to be mindful of those guests attending your meals who may have cultural preferences; religious observances; social/eating preferences or even allergies you may not realize. By offering vegan, nut free, gluten-free, sugar free or raw options, you are not only providing a healthier dish for everyone, but making all your guests feel welcome. Try this delicious recipe to create a vegan option for the traditional Thanksgiving turkey entree.

To maintain vegan standards, be certain to use vegan versions for all of the following:

1 1/2 cups fruit juice (pineapple, orange or coconut milk)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
6 cloves finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fresh ground chile pepper (preferably ancho chile)
1 lb. firm curd tofu
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons arrowroot

Directions:

Combine fruit juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and chile pepper in a bowl. Whisk until oil is well combined, set aside as marinade. Drain tofu and cut into eight equal cutlets by cutting in half the short way, and dividing the halves into quarters. Place tofu in a dish and marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours. If you begin cooking in earnest on Thanksgiving morning start it then and let it marinate about 8 hours.

In a glass pie pan, combine flour, oats, and bread crumbs. Add some chile pepper, or other spices (e.g., cumin, basil, oregano, etc.,) to your taste into the dry mix.

Take marinated tofu cutlets and dredge them through this dry mix making sure to cover the entire cutlet. Add Olive oil to a hot skillet and pan fry each of these cutlets until breading becomes dark golden brown. Remove cutlets from pan, let drain on paper towel then, place into oven to keep warm. Put them into a foil ?pouch? to maintain moistness.

Put remaining marinade mixture into still warm skillet. Add arrowroot to skillet, whisk, and reduce until a thick gravy forms. Add water if too thick, or more arrowroot if too thin. Serve on the side. Serves: 2-4

This makes SUPERB sandwiches the next day just like non-vegan turkey!