Filled with maple-dijon marinated baked tempeh, melted cheese, creamy avocado, and tangy sauerkraut, this sandwich deserves a spot next to all the beer, sausages, and pretzels in your Oktoberfest celebrations!
Another name for this sandwich could be a California reuben thanks to the avocado and healthy ingredient swaps – but that name sounded way too summery for how this sandwich tastes. One of Bry’s favorite lunch foods is a classic reuben: salty corned beef, swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing all of which is place between two slices of rye bread and grilled. Clearly not the healthiest option on the menu.
The first, and in my opinion, the most obvious place to start when making food healthier is with the protein. Both the reuben classic of corned beef and the Oktoberfest staple sausages are loaded with sodium and saturated fat. So instead, I went with tempeh, which is an awesome plant-based protein source made from fermented soybeans (I know, it sounds strange but its so wonderfully chewy and nutty).
I would never mess around with cheese. The cheese stays. However, if you’re vegan, simply take the cheese out or sub in a vegan cheese alternative (make sure it melts well!). Mashed avocado (mixed with lemon juice) subs in for the Russian dressing as it provides the wonderful creaminess but with a healthy dose of monounsaturated fats.
The key to this sandwich is the sauerkraut. It brings a mouth-watering tanginess to the whole sandwich and makes this sandwich worthy of eating alongside a German beer. I was always wary of trying it as I hate pickles! But I found that sauerkraut provides all the wonderful vinegar flavor without the weird pickle texture.
Oh and I really wanted to use a dark, German bread but could not find a loaf in my nearest store. Instead, we used When Pigs Fly low carb whole wheat bread. I think it did a good job standing in as it was on the denser side and had a nice chew. But feel free to use any bread of choice 🙂
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