Vegan Recipe: Grilled Tempeh Reuben Sandwich

This is an amazingly great sandwich. Perhaps the best sandwich I’ve ever eaten! This recipe was originally posted by Rachel at this link: http://theveeword.blogspot.com/2012/06/tempeh-reuben-sandwiches.html

What you need:

For the marinade: 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar 2 Tbs. low-sodium, gluten-free tamari 1 Tbs. gluten-free, vegan Worcestershire sauce 2 Tbs. raw apple cider vinegar 2 Tbs. water 1 tsp. liquid smoke 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp. onion powder 1 tsp. dried mustard 1 tsp. dried coriander 1 tsp. smoked paprika 1 bay leaf, crumbled

For the Russian Dressing: 1/3 cup vegan mayonnaise 2 Tbs. ketchup 1 Tbs. prepared horseradish 1 tsp. gluten-free, vegan Worcestershire sauce 1/8 tsp. hot sauce or Sriracha (optional) Kosher salt and black pepper to taste For the sandwiches: 1 block tempeh, cut into 8 pieces 1 Tbs. safflower or olive oil to oil the pan 1-2 Tbs. vegan butter 4 slices rye bread 1 cup sauerkraut

What you do: Prepare the marinade by combining all the ingredients in a bowl or Tupperware container. Cut the tempeh into 8 pieces. I do this by cutting the rectangular block in half so I have 2 squares. Then I slice each square like a bagel so that it’s turned into 4 thin squares. Then cut each square in half so you have 8 thin rectangular pieces. Add the tempeh to the marinade, cover and let sit for at least one hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the Russian Dressing by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and mixing well. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and grill the tempeh on both sides until browned and softened, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the grill pan and set aside.

Heat a griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Coat one side of each slice of bread with vegan butter. Cook the bread, buttered side down, on the griddle until golden brown. Remove from the griddle but leave the griddle on the heat. Butter the uncooked side of the bread.

On the cooked side of one slice of bread, slather some of the Russian Dressing. Add 4 pieces of tempeh and a good amount of sauerkraut. Slather the cooked side of a second piece of bread with Russian Dressing and top the sandwich.

Put the sandwich onto the hot griddle, buttered side down. Press on the sandwich gently with a spatula and cook until the bottom is browned, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip the sandwich over and brown the other buttered side. Repeat with the second sandwich. Serve while hot.