Vegan Seitan and Mushroom Reubens

I’ve never had a conventional Reuben. In fact, I’ve never had corned beef, which I’m told is the main ingredient in a conventional Reuben. So, when I made my first attempt at a meatless Reuben, a while back, I went with seitan, which is the most realistic beef substitute I could come up with. I’m not sure if this applies to corned beef. What does “corned” even mean when it comes to meat? I don’t think corn is actually on the ingredients list, but I could be totally wrong about that. Well, after I posted that recipe I came across an abundance of tempeh Reuben recipes on the web. Maybe tempeh is a better substitute for corned beef? I suppose I’ll never know for sure. I toyed with the idea of switching to tempeh for this version of the Reuben, but in the end seitan won out. You see, I’ve actually made this sandwich a lot. It’s a household favorite at this point, and completely revamping it just seemed wrong. At some point when I’m feeling adventurous I’ll try a tempeh Reuben, but for now I’m sticking with my old favorite.

Now let’s talk about what I did do differently. As usual with my newly improved, veganized recipes I was seeking some inspiration, as I didn’t just want to throw some commercial vegan cheese on there or omit it completely and call this a recipe makeover. I had to make it better somehow. Avocado did the trick! I honestly wasn’t sure about it at first, whether or not avocado would complement the seitan/onion/mushroom “meat,” but oh, it was so much better than cheese! It made the sandwich rich…actually decadent, and highly satisfying. Not bad for replacing dairy with some healthy plant-based fats, huh?

One other thing. Don’t be freaked out by the purple sauerkraut in my pictures. It’s nothing special. I mean it is special – it’s delicious, but it’s the same as any other sauerkraut, just made with purple cabbage. I thought it would look pretty in my photos. Free free to used whatever color sauerkraut you like when making your own reuben.

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Vegan Seitan and Mushroom Reubens

Course Entree

Servings 2

Author Alissa

Ingredients

For the Dressing

• 1/4 cup veganaise or mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp. ketchup
• 1 tbsp. pickle relish
• a few dashes of hot sauce optional

For the Sandwiches

• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion sliced
• 1 cup sliced baby portobello mushrooms
• 8 oz. package of seitan sliced into thin strips
• 1 cup sauerkraut
• 1/2 of an avocado sliced
• 4 slices of rye bread

Instructions

1. Whisk together all dressing ingredients and set aside.
2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sautee until it begins to soften, about three minutes.
3. Add mushrooms and sautee until they begin to soften, about another three minutes.
4. Add seitan and continue to sautee until onions and mushrooms are well cooked and a few pieces of seitan begin to crisp up.
5. Heat sauerkraut, if desired, in microwave or on stove top.
6. Meanwhile, toast your bread  and slather each slice with dressing.
7. Divide seitan mixture among bread slices, along with sauerkraut and avocado slices to make two sandwiches.