Tempeh Reubens

I love a good sandwich, and I rarely bring them for lunch 'cuz I like 'em hot and grilled and melty. And I don't make them often for dinner either because it seems a little indulgent (all that cheese!) so I try to make leaner dinners most nights.

But every once in awhile, that craving kicks in. You know the one I'm talking about...the one that makes you think a frosty cold beer and piping hot french fries from a neighborhood bar would be the perfect dinner. I've been there, done that. It's not healthy. A Tempeh Reuben satisfies that craving in a much healthier way.

You don't need to marinate tempeh, I read somewhere that it makes it fall apart. Just a quick dip in a little sauce and into a hot pan to sear on each side. The sauce I used was simply sesame oil and tamari (soy) sauce.

Also, I know you can make sauerkraut from scratch but it's cheap and yummy from a can. Plus, look at the ingredients - doesn't get much less processed than that!

I know it's traditional to use rye bread in a Reuben, but I have these cute little ciabatta rolls so I improvised. And, oh my gosh I know you are just sick to death of hearing about them, but Refrigerator Pickles are so good with everything I eat right now! They make Tempeh Reubens kick major Tuesday night butt.

Tempeh Reubens

1 package tempeh, cut into sandwich-sized squares

2 Tbsp sesame oil

2 Tbsp soy sauce, or tamari

sauerkraut, drained

swiss cheese, sliced

1 tsp mayo

1 tsp ketchup

pickles, sliced or chopped

sandwich bread or rolls (preferably rye)

Mix sesame oil and soy sauce in shallow dish. Dip squares of tempeh in the mixture, then pan fry over medium-high heat until nice and golden brown on both sides and hot through. I dumped the rest of the oil/soy mixture on top of the tempeh as it was frying to use it all up.

Mix mayo, ketchup, and pickles together to make your "thousand island" dressing.

Layer mayo/ketchup mixture, pickles, tempeh, kraut, and cheese on bread.

Either do what I did and put it on a grilled roll/bun, or grill like a panini.