He said Tofurky was different from most vegetarian fare because it could actually stand in for a turkey roast.

"It allowed me to be at a Thanksgiving meal having a sort of centerpiece of my own and not just eating stuffing and nibbling on veggies and whatnot," he said.

Today, there are many more meat alternatives on the market. Some brands such as Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat work hard to appeal not only to vegetarians, but meat lovers too.

"The strategy has been to offer a product that's as close as possible in taste, texture, and price to the products that meat consumers are already eating," Dutkiewicz said.

Producing plant-based proteins generates much less carbon pollution than animal agriculture. So Dutkiewicz said making plant-based foods that appeal – even to meat eaters – can help reduce global warming on Thanksgiving or any day of the year.

Reposted with permission from Yale Climate Connections.