Portobello Mushroom & Tempeh Reuben with Red Cabbage Kraut on Marble Rye

I nearly embarrassed myself the other night at dinner with a friend as I professed my undying love for, of all things, cabbage. You see, the waitress had just put before me a beautiful Thai salad with cabbage and peanut sauce. I heard myself launch into this crazy-sounding monologue about the stinky vegetable, but could not stop myself. "I love cabbage so much, blah, blah, blah, kraut, sauteed, blah, blah, cabbage & dumplings, slaw..." As I finished up, a hush suddenly fell over the table, then Chris finally spoke: "I, uh, have never, uh, heard anyone talk about cabbage in that way before." I knew it was time to shut up and eat my cabbage.

So here we have it kids, one of TCV's favorite sandwiches in the whole world: The Reuben. The ingredients are simple, but the the result is magical...probably because of the cabbage.

For the marinade:

1/4 cup of vinegar

1/4  cup grainy mustard

1 garlic clove minced

1/4 cup of water

1/4 cup of olive oil

Mix throughly, then pour over the mushrooms & tempeh. Let stand for 30 minutes.

For the sandwiches you will need:

Kraut -- lots of kraut (I like the red cabbage kind, but any good quality kraut will do.)

4 rye bread slices

4 Swiss cheese slices

1/2 block of tempeh sliced

3 portobello mushroom caps (sliced)

Throw the marinated mushrooms and tempeh on the griddle. Cook for 10 minutes while watching to make sure they do not burn. You want soft mushrooms and crispy tempeh.

For the Russian dressing:

1/4 cup of dill pickles (diced)

1/4 cup vegan mayo

1 squirt of ketchup (for color and sweetness)

Mix ingredients throughly.

Once the mushrooms and tempeh are cooked, remove them from the griddle. Turn griddle to medium, and slide rye bread onto the griddle. Assemble the sandwich: Russian dressing, slices of mushrooms & tempeh, Swiss cheese, kraut, and top with another slice of rye. Toast the outside of the bread on the griddle while warming the sandwich through. Remove. Slice in half. Bless it. Eat it.