Vegetarian Reuben Sandwiches with Homemade Seitan

Maybe it’s just me, but I never knew you could easily make your own Seitan.  I love the stuff, but I just bought it every time I wanted some.  Well, after looking into vegetarian Corned Beef alternatives for St. Patrick’s Day I came across a recipe for Vegan Seitan Corned Beef.  With a little tweak on the seasonings and the use of real cheese (*this is the only non vegan item), I made these delicious Vegetarian Reuben Sandwiches.  I was really impressed with how easy Seitan was to make and how much came out of the recipe (leftovers for days!).  Plus, I was able to buy the ingredients at the normal local grocery store – and most of them I had in my own cabinet already.  If you are like me, and you love the bright sauerkraut/Russian dressing combo, this sandwich is for you!  Here’s what you’ll need…

2 cups of Vital Wheat Gluten Flour

2 TBS. Dried Minced Onion

2 TBS. Paprika

2 TBS. Fennel Seed (ground)

2 TBS. Carraway Seed (ground)

1 TBS. Salt

1 tsp. Ground Cloves

1 tsp. Ground Black Pepper

1 TBS. Dry Mustard

1 Bay Leaf

1 TBS. Whole Mustard Seeds

1 cup Vegetable Broth

½ cup Olive Oil

2 TBS. Molasses

1 TBS. Vinegar

 

Rye Bread

Sauerkraut

Russian Dressing

Swiss Cheese

 *you will need cheese cloth and string as well*

Vital Wheat Gluten is found in the natural foods baking section in your local grocery store.  Once opened, store in the refrigerator.

While mixing ingredients, bring a large pot of water, bay leaf and whole mustard to boil.

Whisk together gluten, onion, paprika, fennel, caraway, salt, cloves, black pepper, and mustard.

In a separate bowl, whisk together veggie broth, oil, molasses, and vinegar.

Mix both sets of ingredients together.  The wheat gluten will start to activate and get stringy almost immediately after adding the liquids.  Some recipes call for kneading the mix 10-15 times, letting rest for 5 minutes and then repeating.  Because this is a loaf though, you can get away with only mixing with a spoon.

Form into a loaf shape (about 1 inch thick), place on a cheese cloth and loosely roll into a flat rectangle.  You want to leave a little room for the loaf to grow as it cooks.

Tie each end with string (like a piece of candy).

Place into boiling water, cover and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

After removing from pot, strain off any excess water, cut away cheese cloth and slice for sandwiches.

Assemble the sandwich: Seitan, 1 TBS. Russian dressing, Swiss cheese (as desired), and about ¼ cup of Sauerkraut.

Heat flat top griddle (or saucepan) with a little bit of oil and grill sandwich until bread is brown and crusty and cheese is melted generously.  Let rest a few minutes, slice and enjoy!