Vegan Reuben Sandwich w/ Pastrami Beets, Apple Fennel Slaw, and Dairyfree Swiss Cheese Sauce

Difficulty: 4/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 1/3 (3 being spiciest)

Prep & Cook Time: 70 minutes
Servings: 4 sandwiches

The Challenge: Vegan Reuben

A vegan reuben 100% from scratch (sans the rye bread…) OMG. Further, we don’t use any seitan, no packaged cheese, no cashews, and a completely amazing take on pastrami! This will be the best thing you’ve ever put in your mouth…I guarantee.

Welcome to going NEXT LEVEL with vegan cooking. Are you ready?!

Let’s start with the star of the sandwich - PASTRAMI SPICED BEETS. That’s right we’re going to turn beets into sandwich meat. How the helll?! Well, we start by first rolling the beets in a pastrami spice mixture of coriander, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic. We bake them up until super soft, then slice it thin - deli-meat style.

Instead of sauerkraut, I like a reuben with a slaw (GASP). Why? The crunch. Soft sauerkraut on soft beets … soft sandwich. The apple + fennel add a nice crisp element as well as have a tartness and depth of flavor that add complexity to the beets.

Further, we got to have the classic swiss + Russian. Grr…more things non-vegan. Yeah right! This swiss cheese sauce I whipped up can stand on its own and is an amazing dipping sauce that you will LOVE. Its a perfect warm tangy cheese to balance out the sandwich. And lets not forget a homemade dairy-free and 100% vegan Russian dressing to top it all off and add that tang!

Sheesh this thing sounds AMAZING. And oh it delivers… Get ready. Get set…Go ahead and make the best damn sandwich you ever ate.

Warning: This dish is really delicious. You may experience longing for it for many days after you eat it. Additionally, this is a longer recipe since we bake the beets for an hour, so allot 70-80 minutes to start and complete it. BUT I SWEAR TO YOU IT IS WORTH EVERY SECOND.

Let’s get into it!

Ingredients:

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Pastrami Beets

• 3 medium-to-large red beets, washed + peeled

• 2 tbl olive oil

• Spices: 1 tbl coriander, 2 tsp dry yellow mustard, 2 tsp coconut sugar, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp granulated garlic, 1 tbl black pepper

Apple Fennel Slaw

• 1 medium organic green apple (something tart like Granny Smith)

• 1 fennel bulb

• 1 lemon, juiced

• 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

• 1 tbl olive oil

• salt + pepper, to taste

• 1 tbl shallot, diced

Russian Dressing

• 1/2 cup vegan mayo

• 1 tbl shallot, diced

• 2 tbl organic ketchup

• 1 tbl prepared horseradish (buy it in a bottle or plastic from your grocer / just regular horseradish)

• 1/2 tsp hot sauce

• 1/2 tsp liquid aminos (or vegan Worcestershire if have)

• 1/4 tsp paprika

• salt + pepper, to taste

Swiss Cheese Sauce

• 1/2 cup russet potato, washed, peeled, and cubed

• 1/4 cup brazil nuts

• 1 garlic clove

• 1 tbl white miso paste

• 1/2 tbl dijon mustard

• 1/2 lemon, juiced

• 1 tsp tapioca flour

• Spices: 1/2 tsp white pepper (1/4 tsp black pepper), large pinch of salt, large pinch of onion powder

• 1/2 cup dairy-free milk (prefer flax, rice, or soy … something that has little to no flavor)

Other

• 8 slices of large rye bread

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Equipment You'll Need:

Mixing Bowls . Sharp Chopping Knife . Measuring Cups + Spoons . Cutting Board . Large Boiling Pot . Small Bowl . Small Castiron Pan . Food Processor . Medium Frying Pan

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Before You Cook:

• Don’t chop ahead of time - you’ll have time while the beets cook

• Preheat oven to 375F

1. To start, peel your beets and rub with the olive oil with your fingers.

2. Next, mix together the spices for the pastrami rub that will go on the beets. Rub them into the rub and get a thick layer on the beets. Repeat, wrap in parchment paper and add to 375F oven. Bake for 60-65 minutes until very tender.

3. While the beets are cooking, we’ll prepare everything else. Whisk together the Russian dressing ingredients. Cover and set into fridge.

4. Next, chop your green apple into very thin 1/4 inch slices or use a mandolin to cut. Dice your fennel into long bite-size chunks. Use the whole bulb.

5. In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the slaw, set in fridge.

6. Next, bring a medium-to-small pot of water to boil. Add the potato + brazil nuts. Boil for 10 minutes.

7. Next, add potato + nuts to a food processor with the remaining cheese ingredients. Blend until smooth (about 10 seconds).

8. Add the sauce mixture back to the medium pan and cook on medium-low heat for 8-9 minutes, stirring every couple minutes. By this time, your beets should be done or close to done. If your beets have more than 10 minutes left, wait to start the cheese until the beets have 10 minutes of cook time left.

9. Using a mandolin or sharp knife, slice the beets to a 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick. This will create a very thin soft almost meat like beet round.

10. To construct, spread on the cheese sauce (don’t be shy) on rye bread (I recommend toasting it first), layer on about 9-10 beet rounds, add 1/4 the apple mixture, and then layer on russian dressing on the other piece of bread.

11. Enjoy!

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Vegan Reuben Sandwich w/ Pastrami Beets, Apple Fennel Slaw, and Dairyfree Swiss Cheese Sauce A vegan reuben 100% from scratch (sans the rye bread…) OMG. Further, we don’t use any seitan, no packaged cheese, no cashews, and a completely amazing take on pastrami! This will be the best thing you’ve ever put in your mouth…I guarantee. Welcome to going NEXT LEVEL with vegan cooking. Are you ready?! Let’s start with the star of the sandwich - PASTRAMI SPICED BEETS. That’s right we’re going to turn beets into sandwich meat. How the helll?! Well, we start by first rolling the beets in a pastrami spice mixture of coriander, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic. We bake them up until super soft, then slice it thin - deli-meat style.   Aggregate rating will show here Serves 4 sandwiches Ingredients: Pastrami Spiced Beets, Apple Fennel Slaw, Vegan Russian Dressing, Dairyfree Swiss Cheese Sauce, 8 Slices Rye Bread,