Skip to main content

Tempeh Reuben

Mmmmm grainy mustard.

I considered centering this post around the marinade rather than the sandwich. It is the best tempeh marinade ever. The flavors are balanced and it's completely versatile for different kinds of recipes, as opposed to my usual rut of Asian-themed marinades for tofu and tempeh. Any time I want flavorful tempeh for a non-Asian recipe, this is the marinade I use.

The beginning of beautiful things.

The rest of the recipe is flexible. Of course you'll want sauerkraut, but I've varied the rest of the ingredients and I've never gone wrong. Thousand Island or mustard - both good. Onions or no onions - both good. Rye bread or sourdough bread or Ezekiel bread or Sarah Lee 45 calorie wheat bread - all good. Swiss or provolone - both good. I even tried cheddar once in a pinch, and it was perfectly acceptable.

My original inspiration was from this recipe. Her sauce with the cannellini beans sounds great, but I've  never gone to the effort. Recently, the spectacularly delicious white fish salad sandwich at Falling Sky has peaked my obsession with whole-grain mustard, so I just use that. Previously, I used to mix plain yogurt with ketchup for sort of a makeshift Thousand Island dressing.

Seriously, try the marinade.


The Recipe:
1/2 c water
1/3 c soy sauce
2 tsp cumin
1 tb mustard
3 cloves garlic
8 oz tempeh, sliced thickness-wise if it's not already thin enough for sandwiches
Sauerkraut, bread, swiss cheese, and mustard - or other desired sandwich components

  • Blend together the water, soy sauce, cumin, mustard, and garlic
  • Line a baking dish with foil and place tempeh slices in a single layer
  • Pour sauce over tempeh, coating it completely
  • Bake at 350, uncovered, for 30 minutes
  • Assembly a sandwich with tempeh, sauerkraut, cheese, and mustard.
  • Eat before the sauerkraut makes the bread soggy.

The Verdict:
Overall grade: A+ for the marinade. B for the sandwich.
Overall reason: The sandwich is good, but the marinade is golden. A perfect complement to so many different kinds of flavors.
Time to prepare: 40 minutes, including baking time
Husband quote: Sadly, the husband does not get very excited about tempeh sandwiches. Unless I make oven fries to go with them.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kitchen renovation!

BEFORE: AFTER: Still to come: a beautiful new induction range and some wood shelving on the left side, above the backsplash. And maybe the shelving unit on the wall facing the cabinets should be green, but we're going to live with a while before making that decision.
2 comments
Read more

Red lentil dal

Cucumber salad is key. This dal is perfect. Most of us took seconds, and I'm really excited to eat the last portion that's sitting in the fridge right now. The accompanying salad is really great for adding texture, crunch, and acidity to the meal. I wouldn't skip it. I got it from  Tea for Turmeric  and prepared it pretty much as written, but doubled and with none of the optional ingredients. This recipe doesn't mention any seasoning/dressing on the salad, but adding lemon and salt to it really brightened things up. The Recipe: (from Tea for Turmeric) 2 c red lentils splash of avocado oil 2 tsp cumin seeds 2 small onions, finely chopped 1 inch ginger, grated 4 small tomatoes, chopped 2 thai chilies, minced 2 tsp cumin powder 2 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp cayenne 1 tsp turmeric 2+ tsp kosher salt 2 tsp lemon juice 1/2 c cilantro, chopped For serving: basmati rice and plain yogurt Salad ingredients: 1/2 english cucumber, sliced 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered 1/4 onion, slic...
Post a Comment
Read more

Vietnamese Curry Stir-Fry

  When I get the recipe just right, I'll go to the effort of adding fried shallots on top. I'm back to my on-and-off mission of trying to make a stir-fry as delicious as the shrimp I used to get at  Pho Grand  in St. Louis during college. It was called "cari tom" but it definitely wasn't a coconut milk type of curry, and they ALSO have a separate listing on their menu for "cari tom dac biet" which includes "coconut milk sauce" in their description. So I'm pretty sure it was just a stir-fry that had curry flavors in it? I got myself a big container of Vietnamese curry powder and I'm going to keep experimenting. This is the closest I've come so far. Changes for the future: - More oil and sugar, restaurant style - A blend of fish sauce and soy sauce, instead of just soy sauce - Fried shallots on top The Recipe (adapted from  Veggie Anh ): 3 tb fresh lemongrass, chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 Thai chili, minced 1 pinch salt 2 tb avoc...
Post a Comment
Read more