Monday, August 16, 2010

Tempeh Reuben Wraps Amy Style



When I was younger, and before I was a vegetarian, I loved the reuben sandwiches my Mom used to make...the tangy saurkraut, the salty beef, the sweet 1000 island dressing, and gooey cheese...I was on cloud 9 eating those!  But, since my eating habits have changed, and I will no longer go near corned beef, I hadn't had one in a while, except for the occasional tempeh reuben in a restaurant.  I had never attempted making one at home, but last night I had a hankering for one and decided to try my hand at it!  But of course, my tempeh reuben would be non conventional...whole grain wraps instead of toasted bread...red cabbage in balsamic I roasted in the oven instead of cooking on the stove in place of the usual green cabbage kraut.  Tofu based 1000 island dressing, not containing mayonnaise, the tempeh of course instead of the beef, and no cheese, because I wanted this meal to be vegan.  Would I miss the cheese?  Well turns out I didn't!  They were delicious, and although they were far from the original, just as wonderful! Try out this vegan version of tempeh reubens if you would like a new twist on the classic!

Tempeh Reuben Wraps Amy Style
Serves 2

Dressing:
1 12 oz pkg silken tofu
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup plus 2T tomato paste
2 Tbsp agave nectar
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup pickle relish

Tempeh and Marinade:
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup tamari
1 Tbsp agave nectar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp peanut oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cabbage:
2 cups red cabbage, sliced
peanut oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
sea salt

2 whole grain 10 inch tortillas
2 large romaine lettce leaves

To make dressing, combine all ingredients except pickle relish in a food processor, and process until smooth.  Stir in pickle relish and set aside in the fridge (this recipe makes much more than needed for the wraps, but keeps in the fridge for about 2 weeks).  To make tempeh, combine all marinade ingredients and tempeh in a large bowl with a flat bottom, and toss together.  Let marinate at room temperature for at least an hour.  Heat oven to 475 degrees, and line 2 baking sheets with foil.  On one baking sheet, place tempeh, and bake for about 7-10 minutes on each side, until starting to brown.  Toss cabbage with just enough oil to coat, and spread out onto other baking sheet, then roast for about 15-20 minutes until soft and starting to brown and crisp.  When tempeh is done baking, remove from oven and set aside until ready to assemble wraps.  When cabbage is done baking, toss with balsamic vinegar and a little sea salt. When ready to assemble wraps, spread about 2-3 Tbsp dressing on each tortilla in the upper portion.  Top with tempeh, then cabbage, and a lettuce leaf.  Roll up, and enjoy!

5 comments:

Claudia said...

A very clever and taste-filled creation. I am not a vegetarian but would happily eat that.

Lauren said...

this looks really good. I've never had tempeh. I'll have to try it out. I'm not vegetarian but I am looking to find different proteins to try out. I love how creative this is. thanks!

May Ling Wu said...

Always was wary about veggie sandwhichs just condiments? But your's looks great!

Epicurean Vegan said...

These look and sound amazing and I LOVE tempeh. Thanks for the recipe!

Anonymous said...

What a great spin on a reuben! i think I would enjoy this more than one with meat anyways!