Thanksgiving Turkey Substitutes: The Least Appetizing Choices (PHOTOS)

Here at HuffPost Green, we appreciate the positive effect that vegetarians are having on the environment, especially come Thanksgiving time when millions of factory farmed turkeys are slaughtered for the feast.

However, our appreciation for turkey-abstainers does not necessarily mean all turkey substitutes look particularly appetizing. We mostly get behind the philosophy that vegetarian food is better when it's not trying to pretend that it's meat. We thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the more wacky vegetarian and vegan turkey alternatives.

From Tofurky to nutloaf, check out this slideshow of the most bizarre foods to be consumed this Thanksgiving. Vote for what you think is the weirdest!

Tofurky Roast

We think this picture pretty much speaks for itself.

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Comments

[MsCuda]

11:44 PM on 01/06/2010

My criticism of this is why try to make a substitute meat? If one is eating to be humane, and/or healthy--and I have no issues with that AT all--why not just cut out even the appearance of meat all together and go for substance over style? When the meat substitutes are such a big fail (and I've personally not tasted one that even came close to meat )?

I"m not a vegetarian, but I've made a nut loaf that was delicious. With added parsley and red peppers, it was visually interesting; making a vegetable based sauce added moisture and was also delicious.

Yes, it was rather expensive but it was a special meal. The problem I had with it was that what I made was very high in calories, but again, I'd not have made it for an every-day meal. I pretty much scarfed it down in two days. Yum!

[Katie Young]

07:30 AM on 11/27/2009

If you opened your minds to new options, and actually tried some of these foods, you would find that they are very tasty. My 87 year old mother-in-law had tofurky for the first time yesterday, and thought it was great. Food should bring out not only the compassionate side of us, but the adventurous side too...

[karela]

01:15 AM on 11/25/2009

There are some delicious things that can be made with real food from scratch. You certainly did a good job of finding the ugly options and the commentary was also as negative as possible. That mushroom nut loaf might actually be pretty good. I make a mean cottage cheese roast that has a meat loaf look and texture. I'm not a vegetarian but I like good food and I have vegetarian friends. I make a patty that gets rave reviews from the biggest meat eaters at the party out of cheese, onions, sage, crackers and eggs. The cheese melts as you fry the patties in very tiny amount of oil and it gets all deep golden on the outside with a little crunch and the onions and sage are divine. I make a delicious pilaf with mixed exotic brown rices and wild rice cooked with lentils, onions and seasoned broth with thawed frozen peas and butter stirred in at the very end. I know a picky toddler who gobbles that one up. I like meat but there are also a lot of very, very good things to eat that don't have meat in them. It just takes a little more thought. Fresh ingredients are a must and holding love and good wishes in your heart for the recipients of the food is an ancient health practice that I find also makes the food taste better. That has been an earth culture spiritual practice for millennia.

[thisisntme]

06:15 PM on 11/24/2009

This is why I eat meat. MMMMmmmeat!

[bnation]

06:12 PM on 11/24/2009

What is gross is a dead animal carcass when you know the torturous life it was forced to live and the horrific death it endured to end up on your plate.

[brooklyncitizen]

05:39 PM on 11/24/2009

Most vegans don't obsess about meat-substitutes and it certainly is not one of my staples; these substitues are really just another industry trying to capitalize on the holidays. The idea of flesh for food , of preparing it, smelling it, cooking it , cutting it and thinking about where it came from is far more disgusting than any of these images.

[Spiky Kitten]

09:11 AM on 11/24/2009

Eat it - all you people who "care" about climate change.
Or are you all just hypocrites?

[zachd]

08:40 AM on 11/24/2009

Way to marginalize those who are deciding to make a healthy lifestyle choice by mocking their choice of food during a culturally important holiday. Maybe instead this page should be filled with pictures of factory farm turkeys before, during and shortly after they are slaughtered. Then tell me what looks grosser or weirder.

[brooklyncitizen]

05:35 PM on 11/24/2009

Fanned.

[Ayame4]

07:16 PM on 11/24/2009

Well said!

[MagicalPossibilities]

11:20 PM on 11/23/2009

I would try any of these - the field roast and bean cakes look good, and while I haven't had any in ages, seitan is pretty tasty. For Thanksgiving however, I am sticking with a nice free range organic turkey. I tried to go vegan once and felt like crap. Sorry, but I need some animal protein at least a few times a week.

[dragonfur]

10:11 AM on 01/09/2010

"Feeling like crap" is usually the result of making bad food choices, not going vegan. I know of someone who got very sick when she was "vegetarian", and blamed it on that. (The fact that her vegetarian lifestyle consisted of junk food--Twinkies and potato chips ARE mostly vegetarian, but not exactly healthy fare--receives no credit toward her illness. She says it's because she was vegetarian. Period.)

People who start out on a vegan diet, can get caught in a rut, eating the same few items every day. Veganism is mostly a form of "slow food" eating, and quick and convenient is a major part of the American lifestyle. It takes more time and effort to prepare fresh, heathly fare daily. If you got into the "rut", don't blame feeling bad on being vegan (or vegetarian, for that matter). Accept the bad food choices that are made, even on a vegan diet.

[socialtalker]

07:21 PM on 11/23/2009

okay I AM THE ONE who has tasted several of these, so have no fear, i will lead people right!
1. tofurky- yuk, a gummy gluten like, glob- (although ironically i do like their tofurky slices)
in fact all the gluten choices i pass on.
2. home made mushroom/nut roasts- when you start buying all the ingredients, its gets very expensive to make, a lot of work, cooking, processing, combining, baking...no taste.
3. field roast- definitely the most elegant looking of the choices. -no taste, too bad.
4 Quorn- not much in the looks department, but the most similar to turkey in taste and texture. its the only real choice for me. a nice gravy and all the other fix-ins and we have thanksgiving.

[MagicalPossibilities]

11:23 PM on 11/23/2009

I've never tried Quorn. I'll have to see if I can find some. Not for Thanksgiving but certainly in the near future.

[MurCal]

06:48 PM on 11/23/2009

Probably, we just need to get over the turkey fixation around Thanksgiving. There's lots to be thankful for (and eaten) other than turkey.

[spiderbucket]

06:10 PM on 11/23/2009

Placenta Helper is the worst.

[Sumocat]

04:49 PM on 11/23/2009

I find it amazing that anyone has the gall to call anything unappetizing on day that involves eating bread crumbs shoved up a bird's ass.

BTW, the Field Roast is absolutely amazing. Far superior to the Quorn or Tofurky options.

[Katie Young]

07:33 AM on 11/27/2009

thank you!!!

[BebeLush]

04:36 PM on 11/23/2009

I just stick with the dressing and the cranberries. Everthing else is blah!

[ellim]

04:30 PM on 11/23/2009

Not all of those look that unappetizing, but I admit to not being a fan of Tofurkey (their tempeh 'drumsticks', OTOH, are delicious). I make Rose Elliot's White Nut Roast with Herb Stuffing for my family at Thanksgiving. Everyone who's ever eaten it raves about it, even the most ardent meat lovers. This Christmas, I'll be making Bryant Terry's Smothered Seitan Medallions in Mixed Mushroom Gravy.

In the meantime, some links to blogs with more appealing vegetarian Thanksgiving food:

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/11/celebration-pot-pie-with-pumpkin.html

http://veganyumyum.com/2008/11/a-yumyum-thanksgiving/

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/thanksgiving-recipes-recipe.html

[ofcoursejesusisblack]

04:56 PM on 11/23/2009

Do you have a link for the white nut roast? I have yet to make a roast that has been up to my standards.

[ellim]

12:12 PM on 11/24/2009

Yes, I did find it online! When I make it, I use a mix of slivered almonds, pine nuts, and roasted cashews. And of course, It's even better with fresh herbs. I haven't tried vegan-izing the recipe myself, but it looks like it'd be easy to make without dairy. Not sure about the eggs. I'm not experienced enough with vegan baking to know what to sub for beaten-until-stiff-egg-whites.

http://www.recipelink.com/mf/6/1710