Vegan 'Turkey'

Finally, an easy recipe that tastes like turkey but is animal-free, virtually fat-free, and absolutely delicious. I have made this once with stuffing in the center, and without, and both are great! I got this recipe off of Ellen from her amazing vegan chef Roberto. You can use any spice rub that you like with this (I use an onion soup mix). It takes time to prepare, but it is well worth it, and the left overs go great on sandwiches. I tweaked it slightly (adding different seasonings that I like better) But you can always use the original too.

Ingredients (Makes one loaf, enough for 8-10 people):

1 large onion small dice and caramelized
1 tblsp olive oil, margarine 

4 Cups vital wheat gluten (I got this in the Bulk Barn under "gluten flour")
1 Cup bread crumbs
1 Cup nutritional yeast (Easy to find in better grocery stores, or specialty food marts)
2 1/2 tblsp dried italian herbs
1/2 tblsp dried sage

1 tblsp sea salt

½ Cup olive oil

 4 Cups stock (I use a vegan 'chicken' stock, but you can also use vegetable stock)

1 full sheet of cheesecloth

Twine

1 large pot of water

1/4 cup onion soup mix

1/4 cup margarine

(blend in small bowl)

- Caramelize the onions over medium heat with oil and margarine until they are golden brown. Set aside.

- Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add wet ingredients (except for pot of water) and onions, stirring until combined (it will be a sticky mess, so no worries). 

-  Unroll about 24" of cheesecloth on to a clean dry surface. Unfold the cloth completely and then fold it in half to form a two-ply piece of cloth.Place the loaf in the middle of cloth and roll it up, leaving enough space to tie off at both ends.Now tie two more pieces of twine over the center of the roast.
- Place the roast into a large pot of boiling water and simmer for at least two hours.
- Carefully remove the cheesecloth and place the roast on a small sheet tray and rub the roast with margarine and onion soup mix combination. Bake roast at 350 for 20+ minutes or until golden brown. You may need to rotate or turn over roast to ensure even roasting. Allow roast to rest a few minutes before slicing. Serve with all of the fixings!