Vegan Reuben Sandwich

Before I went full time vegan, I used to get a tasty vegetarian reuben at a bar in my old haunts called The Happy Dog. Because I didn't like meat or vegetables when I was a kid, the only sandwiches I ever ate were peanut butter and jelly or grilled cheese. So the bizzare combination of stuff on the reuben never even occurred to me as a viable food option until I saw it on the vegetarian menu of the Happy Dog one night I was half in the ol' bag. But, hells bells! Drinking sure can lead to a many new discoveries.

Anyway, I've since become vegan and I still hanker for that sandwich every once in a drunk stupor. I just can't order it off their menu anymore. So I had to veganize it.

Traditionally, a reuben sandwich is made with corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and russian dressing on grilled rye bread.

Really, the key here is the russian dressing. All the other stuff is easily veganized. I guess I might as well have just called this "russian dressing recipe". But, like I said, I never had a reuben before I went vegetarian/vegan, so maybe you haven't either. And if you have, well, maybe this won't taste anything like an actual reuben!

Rueben Sandwich

Russian Dressing:
1 package silken tofu
1 tbl apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1 tbl liquid lechitin or olive oil or nut butter
1 tbl ketchup
1 tbl sun dried tomato
1 tsp fresh garlic or garlic powder
1 tsp salt or soy sauce or namu shoyu or miso or braggs (I use braggs--and more to taste)
1 tsp paprika
optional:
dash of liquid smoke
dash of powdered mustard
chopped parsley
chopped pickles or cucumbers

Sandwich:

Two slices rye bread
4 0z seitan, lightly cooked with seasonings of choice (I like liquid smoke)
1/4 cup sauerkraut
1 slice vegan swiss or mozzarella cheese
2 tbl above mentioned russian dressing
vegan fat: liquid lechitin, olive or nut or seed oil, vegan butter product

1) Warm up a skillet or pan on your stovetop on medium low heat.
2) Slather bread with vegan fat
3) Throw bread onto skillet. Lightly grill each side.
4) Take bread and assemble: seitan, sauerkraut, vegan cheese, and russian dressing.