Scraps and Snippets ~ Vegan Reuben Makings and Reuben Casserole

Took this to my church potluck and omnivores scarfed it down. One of my chief omnivore targets, the anti-veganist eater ever, raved about the reuben casserole at his table. Two of his table mates knew it was mine. They said, "Kelly made it, it's Vegan." His eyebrows shot up and he said, "Dang, why'd you have to go and ruin it for me." So. Just sayin.... this is pretty good. 

You can use the Thousand Island, sauerkraut and browned Pastrami Tempeh and make traditional Reuben sandwiches with Rye bread, too, and just serve the cole slaw on the side. You can add Vegan cheese like Daiya to the sandwich, but I don't know that it would add a lot to the flavor.
 

Thousand Island Dressing:

1/4 Cup pickle relish (I used sweet which made this sweeter, I'll try dill next time)
1/4 Cup ketchup
1/4 Cup mayo (Vegan)
1 pinch salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce (Vegan, check label)
 
Pastrami Tempeh:

2 Pkgs tempeh sliced
1/2 Cup olive oil
1 TBSP pepper
1/2 TBSP smoke seasoning (I used Trader Joe's grind your own).
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (check label)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder

Marinate the tempeh slices or pieces for at least an hour. Brown in hot pan.

Coleslaw:

2 packages of cabbage slaw or 1 each of cabbage slaw and broccoli slaw
1/4 Cup olive oil
1/2 Cup vinegar (I used half apple cider and half rice vinegar)
1 1/2 TBSP sugar
2 pinches of salt

Rye Bread Croutons:

1/2 to 3/4 loaf rye, pumpernickel, or marble bread cut into chunks/squares.
1 to 2 TBSP olive or other oil of choice
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder

Chop rye or marble rye bread into small chunks. Toss in a large ziploc. Drizzle with oil. Close and shake the bag. Reopened and sprinkle garlic powder in bag. Close and shake again. Dump on a pan, Stick in the oven (don't need to preheat). Bake approximately 1 hour at 275. Stir every 15 minutes until dried out.

Reuben Casserole:

9 x 13

Large can sauerkraut, drained.
1/2 batch of reuben tempeh
Rye Bread croutons
1/3 Batch Cole Slaw
Thousand Island Dressing

Slightly grease 9 x 13 pan
Preheat oven to 350

Put drained sauerkraut in bottom of casserole. Top with browned tempeh. 
Bake for 20 minutes.
Spread Thousand Island dressing over tempeh. Sprinkle half the croutons over the dressing. Layer on the cole slaw. Top with rest of the croutons and more Thousand Island if desired.