Vegan Tempeh Reuben Bowls
Let’s start with the important part: this dish was one of my favorite things I’ve made in quite a while. It’s a fairly simple dish, but both the textures and the flavors are layered and complex. I often cringe when I set a beautifully plated dish down in front of Courtney and he immediately proceeds to take his fork and mix it all together, but with this dish I think that’s actually a decent strategy. I personally prefer to make individual “representative sample” bites, and savor this dish more slowly.
Having been trending more meat heavy over the last several months, I recently revisited my vegetarian Pinterest board. I was inspired by the bright, vibrant things that jumped out at me. Having just made a meat-heavy, mayo-laced version spin on the Reuben, this dish caught my eye (although frankly, other they don’t have much in common beyond sauerkraut and awesomeness). So I called e-mailed my mom and invited her over for dinner (as I often do when making something awesome and vegan) and we enjoyed these Reuben bowls with Courtney’s latest home brew: a cherry kriek he brewed at her request.
While those cabbage rolls are fun once a year, these vegan Reuben bowls have 200 fewer calories, 45 fewer grams of fat, no cholesterol, 1,905mg less sodium, 19g more fiber and the exact same amount of protein. (Note: 48g more carbs). And they’re equally awesome. Which would you rather be eating on a regular basis? I hope Trader Joe’s carries sauerkraut year round?
Vegan Tempeh Reuben Bowls
Adapted from the Muffin Myth
Ingredients:
- 2 x 225g packages tempeh
- ½ cup vegetable broth or water
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- ⅓ cup soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup red wine
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- ½ tsp cracked pepper
- ⅓ cup tahini paste
- 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ cup water
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup sauerkraut (or more if you like)*
- 2 dill pickles, sliced*
- 1 large medium beets, grated
- 2 cups cooked whole grains**
- 4 cups leafy greens (I like a mix)
*I love this brand from Trader Joe’s which already has pickled cucumbers in it. Otherwise, you can add dill pickle slices separately.
**I used one cup of barley (1/3 cup dry) and 1 cup of quinoa (1/3 cup dry) but you can also use farro, bulgur, brown rice, or any other mix of grains.
How-to:
- To make the marinade, combine the broth, oregano, garlic, soy sauce, olive oil, red wine vinegar, red wine, cloves, and pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil over medium heat, reduce, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Slice the tempeh into cubes and place into a shallow bowl or container. Pour the marinade over the tempeh slices, cover, and refrigerate for one day or overnight*.
- You can make the lemony tahini sauce while the tempeh is marinating, and keep in the fridge overnight. Whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, water, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- When you’re ready to bake the tempeh and make the bowls, preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
- Strain the marinade off of the tempeh, and arrange the cubes on the baking sheets. Bake for 20-30 minutes, turning the cubes once halfway through. Remove the tempeh from the oven and set aside.
- To assemble the Reuben bowls, divide the leafy greens amongst 4 bowls or lunch boxes. Add the tempeh, sauerkraut, grated beets, whole grains, and pickles.
- If serving immediately, drizzle with a bit of tahini sauce. If packing for lunches, pack with a small container of sauce tucked alongside.
Makes 4 bowls
Makeagainability: definitely!
*As per usual, I didn’t read the recipe ahead of time, so I only marinated for an hour. It was still fantastic!
