I recently entered the contest for 
And, though I didn't win the contest, I did get a very nice mention and a nice little bonus from my contest entry. @Lenasveganliving requested a copy of my recipe for my entry for Gourmet Vegan Reuben featuring......drumroll please...Celeriac! So, here goes!
This recipe first appeared on my blog at https://www.atmemestable.com/magic-celeriac-part-three-three-gourmet-vegan-reuben/
Enjoy!!
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Back in my "BV" ("before Vegan") days, I loved that juicy, savory goodness that is a Reuben Sandwich. For me, there was just something inherently comforting about eating a Reuben. This Gourmet Vegan Reuben gives me all that and more...kinda like getting a big hug from an old friend!
No mass-produced, testtube created Vegan fake meat for this sandwich! The star of this Reuben is that whole-food rock star, Celeriac. Thin slices of Simple Celeriac Roast, featured in an earlier post, lay the foundation for the juicy goodness of this Gourmet Vegan Reuben.
I was pretty sure that I could duplicate the seasoning combination for a good pastrami Reuben. But what about the color? Imagine my joy when I ran across a technique on making celeriac cold cuts by those awesome folks over at Wicked Healthy Food! Using their technique, I got that classic red pastrami color to go with the classic pastrami flavor.
Beet juice to the rescue! An odd-looking concoction, I must admit. But, bear with me, this really works!
It's all about the seasoning, baby! Pile it on!
Out of it's "beet bath", these Celeriac slices are just waiting for its next punch of pastrami powered flavor!
Bring it on, baby, bring it on!
It's in there!
Spicy goodness!
Smoked Paprika!
Tumeric!
Black Pepper!
Just to name a few!
Rub it in, rub it in! This Celeriac Pastrami is all rubbed down in spices and waiting to take on its star role in the reuben!
This Vegan Pastrami is the total bomb! It will make your taste sing!
Every great Reuben deserves a great dressing! And this Gourmet Vegan Reuben really delivers the goods.
I'm not a big fan of the Russian dressing traditionally used on a reuben sandwich. I'm a Thousand Island girl myself. And since a good basic Thousand Island Dressing is just three simple ingredients, that's what I went with for this awesome deli sandwich. It paired perfectly with those flavor popping slices of Celeriac pastrami.
This Gourmet Vegan Reuben is getting dressed for the party. Slather that dressing on to some good quality Rye bread. I picked up this bread at a great local bakery. Check out the bakeries in your neighborhood for some great bread. Or, if you have to, most larger grocery chains have a decent fresh-baked bread section.
If you're cutting out the gluten, never fear, you can indulge in this taste treat too. Just sub out the bread for gluten-free or make your own gluten-free bread.
Yes!
Yes!
Yes!
Gotta have that tangy sauerkraut!
I'd like to say that I made my Vegan Cheese, like the queen of Vegan Cheese, Miyoko Schinner. But, alas, I topped my beautiful Gourmet Vegan Reuben with some vegan cheese purchased at the market. Though not homemade, it did the job quite nicely!
Spoiler alert! This sandwich is not low-fat!
This.
Is.
Comfort.
Food.
So,go ahead and grill up those babies to golden goodness!
The taste of this Gourmet Vegan Reuben is unbelievable! It's flavor popping goodness all over the place!
Yes, I ate both delicious, Gourmet Vegan Reuben's...all by myself!
Don't judge me!
Once you get a taste of this big, bold sandwich you'll understand why I couldn't stop at just one!
Pull up a chair...sit down...chow down!
Juicy!
Savory!
Goodness!
This Gourmet Vegan Goodness really brings it!
Say yes to the yum!
The Magic of Celeriac: Gourmet Vegan Reuben
This juicy Gourmet Vegan Reuben boasts big, bold pastrami flavor. Spicy. Savory. And, oh so satisfying! This is whole food, plant-based comfort food y’all!
Author: Benita Walker Gibbs
Ingredients
1 Simple Celeriac Roast, thinly sliced (check out the recipe at https://www.atmemestable.com/magic-celeriac-part-one-three-simple-celeriac-roast/)
8 slices Good Rye Bread
2 T. Vegan Butter (or olive oil, if preferred)
1 cup Sauerkraut, drained (and rinsed, if desired)
4 slices Vegan Cheese (I used Daiya Provolone Style Slices)
Beet Juice Marinade
1 medium beet, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup water
2 T. Cracked Black Pepper
1 T. Crushed Coriander
1/2 T. Mustard Powder
1 /2 T. Vegan Brown Sugar ( I use Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Organic Light Brown Sugar which you can find at most local markets)
1 T Smoked Paprika (if you don’t have any smoked paprika on hand, just use regular paprika)
1 T Garlic Powder
1 T Onion Powder
Pastrami Rub Seasoning Mix
1 T Pickling Spice (I used McCormick brand. But again, use what you have on hand. Or, if you’re really enterprising, make your own pickling spice mix using cinnamon, allspice,mustard seed, coriander, bay leaves, ginger, chilles, cloves, black pepper, cardamon and mace.)
1/4 tsp whole allspice, crushed
1 T. Organic Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp smoked salt
1/2 tsp crushed black pepper
1 T. Montreal Steak Seasoning (I used McCormick brand and this is entirely optional. Once again, you can make your own seasoning mix. You can find a good recipe here.)
Thousand Island Dressing
1 cup vegan mayonnaise (I prefer Just Mayo brand)
1/4 cup organic ketchup
2 T. sweet pickle cubes (If I have homemade pickles on hand…yes, I sometimes make my own pickles..I use these. But, alas, I was out of homemade pickles. So,being a Carolina girl, turned to good ol’ Mt. Olive Sweet Pickle Cubes. I can always count on consistent quality with their products. But, use whatever brand you have and like.)
Instructions
Prepare Marinade and Marinade Celeriac Slices
Place beet and water in blender and blend until completely pureed. (If you’re feeling super industrious, press the pureed beets through a sieve to remove any solid pieces. Personally, I skip this step because the Celeriac slices are going to be rinsed anyway.)
Place prepared Celeriac slices in a large bowl. Pour beet juice over slices and sprinkle remaining marinade ingredients over mixture.
Gently stir mixture to combine. Make sure all Celeriac slices are coated.
Cover mixture and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
Prepare Thousand Island Dressing
Put all ingredients in small bowl.
Gently stir with a fork to thoroughly combine.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to grill your Reubens.
Finishing Pastrami Slices
Place marinaded Celeriac slices in colander. Rinse and return to bowl.
Sprinkle Celeriac slices with all the Pastrami Rub Seasoning Mix.
Gently massage the spices into the Celeriac slices. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.
Building Your Reuben:
Divide your vegan butter in half. Over medium high heat, melt half the butter in a large cast iron skillet.
Place bread slices into skillet and grill the bread (ONE SIDE ONLY) until golden brown.
Remove bread slices onto a cutting board and place grilled side up.
Generously spread each slice of bread with Thousand Island Dressing.
Top four slices of bread with a good ol’ pile of prepared Celeriac Pastrami. (“Good ol'” is Southern speak for “pile as much Pastrami on your sandwich as you can reasonably can without triggering some smarty pants declaring “dang girl!, is that a Reuben made for two?”)
Top the Celeriac Pastrami with sauerkraut and then cheese;
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt remaining vegan butter and grill both sides of each Gourmet Vegan Reuben until golden brown and the cheese melts.
CHOW DOWN AND ENJOY!!
Until next time, this is BenitaG and I would love and appreciate your upvote and if you'd follow me!
Thanks for stopping by!!!