Vegan Reuben with Corned Beef Seitan
Dear everyone out there who was offended by my vegetable-based corned beef hash in March: let me make it up to you. This corned beef seitan should please even the biggest weirdo corned beef purist. What you do with this knowledge is up to you, but I strongly suggest making a reuben.
Sorry I didn’t use rye bread; I hope it doesn’t kill the fact that this sandwich is otherwise pretty dang authentic. I didn’t have any on hand, and as I’ve said a million times, I don’t really believe in buying bread since it’s so easy to obtain for free. If you’re really want to win my heart, though, you’ll make some bread from scratch, and envelop this delicious seitan with it and a hearty serving of homemade kraut. Yum.
For the record, I really don’t know what the hell corned beef tastes like. But this recipe makes for some seriously tasty seitan. And I’m not just saying that because it’s topped in sauerkraut (one of the greatest foods on the planet)! That’s right, kids: this recipe includes all the same spices and flavorings as traditional corned beef, minus the animal corpse.
Corned Beef Seitan
1¼ c wheat gluten
½ tbsp mustard
½ tbsp pepper
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cloves
½ tsp red pepper
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp allspice
1 c cold water
½ c kidney beans, mashed
2 tbsp oil
½” ginger root, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp tomato paste
Preheat oven to 325°. In a small bowl, mix together dry ingredients, wheat gluten through allspice. In a medium bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Combine the wet and dry mixtures together until well-blended, and knead the mixture for a minute or two to condition the gluten. Shape dough into a 9-10″ log and roll tightly (double-roll, if you have to!) in aluminum foil, twisting the ends to seal. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, rotating once. Let cool fully; slice, and serve. It’s easier to make thinner slices if you chill the log in the refrigerator for a couple of hours first.
To assemble a vegan reuben, lightly butter one side of each of two slices of rye bread. Layer corned beef seitan, thin slices of vegan mozzarella, and a copious amount of sauerkraut, and a drizzle of Russian dressing, if you like, between the un-buttered sides of the bread. (You’ll now have a sandwich with the outsides buttered.) Fry sandwich, one side at a time, in a covered frying pan on medium-high heat, until each side is golden brown and the cheese has melted a bit (pressing down on the sandwich once or twice while it cooks helps). Slice diagonally, eat up, and reflect on how much your life rules.
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I’m totally curious about reuben as I’ve never had one. I should finally make it. And your corned beef seitan sounds so good!
Whoaaa! I’ve never even been tempted to try a reuben or corned beef (even in my omni days), but that recipe sounds ridiculously delicious!
WOAH. That sandwich looks ridiculously delicious. As soon as I saw the picture my jaw dropped to the floor, YUM! I love a good reuben but I haven’t made one in years. Thanks for your recipe!
OMG! That looks amazing! I’ve always wanted to make my own seitan but just haven’t gotten around to it. This recipe may just push me over the edge and give it a try. Thanks!
I love vegetarian reubens! I usually make mine with tempeh, but it would be nice to have a change with seitan. Still, I’m sort of scared of wheat gluten in its natural form–never yet used it.
Wow, that looks awesome! I can’t wait to try it. Thanks for the recipe
I love making seitan this way – in the oven as opposed to simmering in broth – because the texture produces phenomenal meat substitute. I have NEVER added beans to the mixture though and I think that’s a fabulous idea! I can’t wait to try this!