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

Pickled radishes

I made those! When the CSA box hands you radishes, you eat one. Then you try to give the rest to the neighbors. Then, left with no other option, you pickle them. Then you discover that the pickled radishes are really good. I followed  this super-simple method from My Korean Kitchen . I picked it because it had good reviews on Pinterest, but mostly because it was easy, and I wasn't willing to dedicate a lot of time and effort to these things that none of us really liked. But it turns out that they are delicious.  As is clear from the original recipe, these are good with Korean food. They are also good on Vietnamese rice bowls. And they are PERFECT on salad with hard boiled egg and honey-mustard dressing. And the toddler ate half of them in one sitting, just as a snack. We might actually need to buy more radishes. The Recipe: 1 bunch radishes 1 c water 1 c sugar 1 c white vinegar Pinch of salt Thinly slice the radish bulbs and place them in gla...
1 comment
Read more

Spicy Tomato Jam

Little pot of bubbling goodness seeks lentil patties, sweet potato fries, or pretty much anything else. I recently made  this recipe  from Crumb Blog for lentil patties with tomato jam. The lentil patties were pretty good, but the tomato jam was really something to write home about. It's one of those foods that makes you feel warm, even when it's cold. It has just the right balance of sweetness, acidity, and spice. The mustard seeds are a must (haha, must ard seeds). Their crunch, and the little burst of toasty peppery flavor that follows, are amazing in contrast to the rest of the flavors. The next time you're tempted to put ketchup on something, consider this instead.  I have a little bit of this gold left over in the freezer. I'm thinking I may thin it out with vegetable broth and use it as a sauce for a stir-fry. Stay tuned for the results. The only change I made to this recipe was upping the amount of mustard seeds. I think 1 tsp is the perfect a...
1 comment
Read more