Thanksgiving No Turkey Turkey

Not everyone eats turkey at Thanksgiving, right? Well, even if you do, this delicious no-turkey turkey recipe may have you changing your mind. It's flavorful, healthy, and worth every minute of the time it takes to prepare. Enjoy it at Thanksgiving or any time!

Notes

If you use prepared seitan to make the Rich Brown Gravy, substitute water flavored with tamari or soy sauce for the cooking liquid. If you prefer a smooth gravy, omit the chopped onion and add a pinch of onion powder.

Check out more recipes just like this one in a collection of 8 Sensational Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes.

Cooking Time1 hr 15 min

Ingredients

2 (1-pound) loaves multigrain bread
2 tablespoons margarine
2 medium carrots, finely diced
2 large stalks celery, finely diced
1 large onion (or two medium), finely diced
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 whole leaf sage, crumbled
1/2 cup egg substitute or equivalent egg replacer
1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
2 pounds chicken-flavored seitan, cut horizontally into 1-inch thick slices
1 cup Rich Brown Gravy (recipe below)
1 package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed (may substitute yuba)

Instructions

Break bread into 1-inch chunks; dry in a large bowl, uncovered, at least 8 hours.
Melt margarine in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Add carrot, celery and onion; sauté, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Transfer to a large mixing bowl; cool to lukewarm.
Add pepper, bread cubes, parsley, sage, egg substitute/egg replacer, and broth or water. Toss to combine; set aside at least 30 minutes to allow liquids to soak into bread.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty foil; spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.
Brush seitan with gravy (recipe below) on both sides; arrange overlapping slices on foil in a row, mounding in center.
Press stuffing mixture around seitan to cover completely.
Wet hands lightly , and press into a neat oval.
Roll puff pastry sheets out to 1/16-inch thickness; arrange, overlapping slightly, to make a large rectangle.
Seal edges with dabs of cold water.
Drape pastry over mound; trim excess away around bottom.
Use scraps to cut out decorative shapes (leaves, apples, etc.); attach with dabs of cold water.
For a shiny crust, brush pastry lightly with skim milk or soymilk.
Bake 1 to 1 1/4 hours, covering pastry with foil if it browns too much.
Transfer “turkey” to a platter.
To serve, cut straight down through pastry, stuffing and seitan to make neat 3/4-inch slices. Spoon gravy over each serving.

To Prepare Using Yuba:

Reconstitute sheets by soaking 5 minutes in water in a flat shallow dish, or between layers of wet towels. It will turn white and pliable, but will still be fragile.
Cover oval mound with at least 2 and preferably 3 sheets of yuba, trimming excess and smoothing it down as much as possible.
Brush entire surface with melted margarine or shortening.
Allow to stand 15 minutes before cutting.

Rich Brown Gravy Recipe:

2 teaspoons margarine
4 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
4 rounded tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
4 cups seitan cooking liquid or water
4 tablespoons sodium-reduced tamari or soy sauce (omit if using seitan cooking liquid)
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Melt margarine over medium heat in a heavy nonstick medium skillet.
Add onion; sauté, stirring, until onion becomes very soft, about 2 minutes.
Transfer onion to a small bowl; wipe skillet clean with a paper towel or napkin.
Add flour to skillet; cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until flour browns and gives off a toasted fragrance, about 5 minutes.
Remove flour from heat; add seitan liquid or water flavored with tamari or soy sauce.
Return to heat; cook, whisking constantly, until gravy comes to a boil and thickens, about 5 minutes.
Stir in reserved onion and pepper to taste.
Cook 1 minute to blend flavors. If necessary, thin with a little more liquid if the gravy looks too thick; simmer 1 minute. Makes 4 1/2 cups.