Justin’s Buffalo Tempeh Reuben
A good sandwich can be a pretty big deal. An average sandwich needs some sides to complete the meal. But a good sandwich? A good sandwich is a meal in itself. Justin and I both love sandwiches, and we both especially love a good Reuben sandwich. The other day we both had a major craving for tempeh Reubens. Justin decided to get creative in the kitchen and came up with this amazing buffalo tempeh Reuben recipe.
This recipe mixes classic Reuben flavors with some kick. There’s the smoky tempeh, the tangy “thousand island” sauce, gooey melted cheese, the salty tartness of sauerkraut, and the heat of buffalo sauce and pickled jalepeños. On their own all of these ingredients are good. Brought together between two slices of toasted bread? This is an amazing combination!
Continue reading to learn how to make Justin’s Buffalo Tempeh Reuben.
Justin created these sandwiches and is happy to share the recipe here on Logical Harmony. Plus, having to shoot a photo for this post meant that we had to make them again. We will find any excuse for a good sandwich in this house!
What you will need to make two of Justin’s Buffalo Tempeh Reuben:
- 3 Tablespoons dill relish
- 2 Tablespoons vegan mayo (we like Just Mayo)
- 2 Tablespoons buffalo sauce (we use Frank’s – the “natural butter flavor” is vegan!)
- 1 Tablespoon ketchup
- 1/2 small white or yellow onion, sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- Buffalo sauce
- Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
- 8 oz package tempeh (Cut in half, then cut each half into 3 slabs)
- 4 slices toasted rye bread or multi-grain sourdough bread
- Shredded vegan cheddar cheese (we like Daiya shreds)
- Sauerkraut
- Sliced pickled jalapeños (we like the Sweet Creek brand – it’s even organic!)
How to make Justin’s Buffalo Tempeh Reuben:
- To make Justin’s Buffalo Island Dressing, combine the relish, mayo, buffalo sauce, and ketchup in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- Evenly spread Justin’s Buffalo Island Dressing on each slice of toasted bread. Save the rest for dipping!
- Add your desired amount of “cheese” to 2 of the 4 slices of bread. Place these two pieces of bread into your oven and broil them until the cheese is melted.
- Once the cheese is melted, removed the bread from the oven and add a layer of sliced jalapeños to the melted cheese.
- Add desired amount of sauerkraut to the cheese/jalapeño bread slices.
- Next, saute the onions and garlic in a frying pan over medium heat until transparent. Remove them from the pan and put them on top of the slices of bread without the sauerkraut.
- Add the tempeh slabs to the same pan and cook until hot with patches of golden brown, be sure to flip the tempeh. (You may need to add a tiny bit more oil).
- While still in the pan, add a few splashes of Bragg’s to each slab of tempeh, then flip each slab and repeat – it’s better to add too little Bragg’s than too much. Immediately add a splash of Frank’s Buffalo Sauce to each slab – flip and repeat. Let the tempeh cook for about 10 seconds on each side then removed from the heat.
- Place 3 tempeh slabs on top of the cheese/jalapeño/sauerkraut bread and top with the onion/garlic bread.
- Tweet, Instagram, Facebook pictures of you eating the best sandwich of your life! And tag us so we can see!
If you try this recipe, please let me know. I love getting comments on the recipe posts and please tag @logicalharmony, @justinatlogicalharmony or #logicalharmony on Instagram or Twitter if you share a picture.
Photos by Justin M.G. Mendez
This looks so good! Totally going to have to try it!!