It's Tofurky time!

For the past several years, I've had my own Thanksgiving tradition: making a Tofurky. Lots of people laugh or ask if there really is such a thing when I tell them this, but Tofurky is the realest fake meat you'll ever find: An Oregon company called Turtle Island Foods has been making the stuff since 1995. Today, you can buy a Tofurky Feast (which includes a Tofurky Roast, cranberry apple potato dumplings, Tofurky "Giblet" and Mushroom Gravy, herbed brown and Tofurky Wild Rice Stuffing, and a vegetarian wishbone called a Wishstix that's made out of Tofurky Jurky) or just the Tofurky Roast, which is what I usually get. You can also buy the gravy, stuffing, potato dumplings and other Tofurky products on their own (Wild Oats carries most of the line, and right now Tofurky Roasts, which serve four, are on sale for $8-something).

OK, so I know what you're going to ask: How does it taste? To be perfectly honest, I don't know if it's going to win over meat-eaters anytime soon. It really doesn't taste like turkey, and you sort of have to be used to the taste of soy products to enjoy it (although the stuffing inside is delicious regardless). But I've developed a taste for it, especially when it's cooked as directed (with potatoes, carrots and onions, basted with a mixture of soy sauce, orange juice and herbs, and smothered in Tofurky gravy). Plus, half the fun of having Tofurky for Thanksgiving is just being able to say that you had Tofurky.

Want to win a free Tofurky Feast? Go here (but note that to enter, you have to send an e-mail to family and friends to explain why you won't be eating turkey this year, which could make things a little strained if you'll be sharing Thanksgiving with meat-eating relatives).