I thought long and hard about the first recipe I wanted to put on my blog. I knew two things: first, I wanted my first recipe to be 100 percent vegan, and  secondly, I wanted it to be a recipe that was undeniably delicious.  When I threw this sandwich together for the first time a few years ago, I got rave reviews from a friend. Although it isn’t that similar to a traditional rueben, it is, hands-down, a simple, mouthwatering sandwich.  So aside from the fact that I am still very much in the midst of unpacking, I took some time today to wash pots and pans and throw together a rueben.

My Favorite Vegan Rueben

The first time I had a Vegan Rueben was at Katz’s Delicatessen in Houston.  I honestly have no recollection of what was on the sandwich, except that  avocado seemed to replace the corned beef. I have no idea how similar this is to Katz’s Vegetarian Reuben or how it compares in ingredients or taste (I couldn’t even find it on the online menu), but this is one of my favorite vegan recipes – ever.  Be warned, this sandwich can be a bit  messy, but the flavor and oh-my-gosh factor makes up for “thousand island” dressing you’ll probably have on your hands  Enjoy! 

Yield: 2 Sandwiches

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Ingredients

• 4 Slices of Good Bakery Bread
• 2 Tbsp. Veganaise
• 1 Tbsp. Ketchup
• 1 Tbsp. Mustard
• 1 Tbsp. Pickle Relish
• 1/2 Cup of Sauerkraut
• 1 Small Tomato
• 1 Avocado
• Earth Balance

First off, mix the “thousand island” dressing by combining the veganaise, ketchup, mustard, and pickle relish together in a small bowl.   Next, heat a small pan and melt a tiny blob of Earth Balance in the pan.  Before you put the sandwich together, thinly slice the tomato and avocado. The thinner the slices are, the better the sandwich stays together.  Now, assemble the sandwich: bread, dressing, sauerkraut, tomato, avocado, dressing, bread.  Transfer the sandwich to the pan, and cook until it is slightly toasted on both sides.  Slice and devour!

I hadn’t had a reuben for a while, but the sandwich was just as good as I remembered; I would take this sandwich over a burger any day – seriously. And now, I have to get back to unpacking. T-minus 5 days until I start my third year of law school!