This vegan turkey recipe makes a delicious, tender roast you can use for holiday dinners or any time of year. Leftover slices can be used to make sandwiches too.
Drain the liquid from the tofu and lightly press to remove some of the liquid. Add tofu to a food processor with oil, bouillon, onion powder, garlic powder, and poultry seasoning. Blend for about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend again until smooth.
Transfer the tofu mixture to a bowl. Add vital wheat gluten. Use a spatula to stir the ingredients together. Use your hands to gently "knead" the mixture in the bowl, only until just combined, and none of the powdery vital wheat gluten is visible.
Turn the dough out onto a cutting board. Shape it into an oval loaf. Tightly wrap the roast in foil, sealing the ends. This helps compress the loaf, so it doesn't expand as it cooks. Place the loaf in a steamer basket over boiling water and steam for 60 minutes. Check the water level every 20 minutes and add more as needed.
Once it's done, use tongs to remove the roast from the basket. Leave it in the foil and set it aside to cool.
You can eat the roast as is, but it transforms into something amazing after being roasted with basting liquids.
For Roasted Vegan Turkey
Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
Transfer the roast to a baking pan. Combine the basting ingredients and drizzle them over the roast. You can also add optional ingredients like thinly sliced garlic or rosemary.
Place the pan in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, spooning basting sauce over the turkey once or twice as it bakes.
The loaf will firm up as it cools. Cut the roast into slices to serve for dinners. To cut thinner slices for sandwiches, allow the roast to cool completely, then refrigerate for an hour or so. Use a serrated knife to cut the chilled roast.
Notes
Substituting Steamer Baskets: If you don't have a steamer basket, you can a metal strainer, a metal pie pan with holes, 3 balls of foil, or even mason jar lids in the bottom of a saucepan (but realize you'll need to add more water from time-to-time). Substituting Tofu: If you don't have tofu or prefer to not cook with it, you can substitute a 15-oz can of chickpeas. You will also need to add up to a half cup of water to the mixture to get a good consistency.**For bouillon you can substitute any vegetable bouillon