Family Favorite

Oh, I remember the first time I served a Reuben to my kids...the nose-snubbing you would not believe they gave it! Now, it is a family favorite that they all rave about. You'd think they just received a new video game or something.

I make my Reuben with my Corned Seitan recipe. The seitan recipe is enough for 12 sandwiches. Seitan freezes very well, so making once will feed you many times.

If you want to have the pink color that corned beef has (which is caused by the addition of saltpeter - a nitrite and hence questionable, anyway), after slicing the seitan thin, soak it in a can's worth of beet water. It picks up the color but there is no beet-y aftertaste.

Thousand Island dressing is nothing more than veganaise, pickle relish, onion and ketchup.

For those who are leery of sauerkraut, do not forget that fermented vegetables are truly healthy for the body. Good sauerkraut - I make my own - is nothing more than cabbage and salt, maybe some caraway seeds. Not even water should be added since the cabbage is fermenting in its own liquid.

Cost Breakdown
bread: $2
sauerkraut: $1
1,000 Island : $1
Daiya: $3
seitan: $2
Total to make 5 sandwiches:


  1. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I usually do mine with tempeh but seitan seems even more like the real thing. Thanks for the recipe.

  2. You are more than welcome. Reuben used to be a favorite of mine and it is great to be able to still have it :)

  3. Oh, yum! I think you have started something now, looks like I know what we are having for dinner!

    Aren't kids funny? I made pak choi chips one day, my little guy was just mowing through his when he caught me watching him with the "happy mommy just discovered her kid is eating a green vegetable" face, asked what it was then staunchly declared he didn't like them. Children.

  4. Been there! I now actually avert my eyes when they are eating something too good to be true, otherwise that is exactly what happens. Too funny!

    Pak Choi chips sound good!

  5. Nice blog...good luck and have a nice day :-)

  6. It is yummy! Give it a try, VeganCraftastic!

    Thanks, Robert!

  7. That's amazing. If you'd have shown me the picture without an explanation, I'd have never guessed. What about the Swiss cheese? Do you ever put a vegan substitute for that? How would you get the same flavor or even close?

  8. I put Daiya Mozzarella (a vegan cheese sub. that melts and is stringy like dairy cheese) on it. The tang that should come for the Swiss is achieved nicely by the relish in the Thousand Island and the Kraut. The cheese is really minimal and we can even do without it; the flavor of the seitan, dressing and the Kraut really make this sandwich great.

  9. This looks really good! I've never made a Reuben before and now I really want to give it a try!

  10. I will post a recipe for it, Koci. It is worth the effort, especially if you freeze what you don't use in sandwich portions and then have it to make when you crave it.

  11. I'd like to place a cyber order please. One Reuben and a warm spinach salad, please. Oh boy oh boy.

  12. No problemo, GiGi! Shipping will be $3,768, please. The sandwich and salad are on the house :)