Phyllo Tempeh Reubens
Ingredients
For the Sundried Tomato Cashew Spread:
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil drained (about 8)
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
For the tempeh filling:
- 1 lb tempeh
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pc medium yellow onion diced medium
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- Fresh black pepper
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1/2 a lemon)
To assemble:
- 1 1/2 cup Sauerkraut
- 1 lb 13×18 sheets phyllo dough thawed
- Olive oil for brushing
Instructions
For the Cashew Sundried Tomato Spread:
- Soak the cashew in water to get them as creamy as possible. Just place them in a bowl and cover in water for at least an hour. Drain when ready to use. It’s a good idea to do this a day in advance so that it comes together quickly when you’re ready.
- Add drained cashews and sundried tomatoes to a food processor and pulse to chop everything up. Drizzle in water and puree until completely smooth. Place in fridge until ready to use. This thickens a lot as it sets.
For the tempeh:
- Crumble tempeh into bite sized pieces, place in a small saute pan and add enough water to cover, plus a splash of soy sauce (about a tablespoon). Cover and bring to a boil. Let boil for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In the meantime, saute the onion in the olive oil for about 7 minutes. Add the caraway, garlic and black pepper and saute for a minute more.
- Toss in the tempeh and saute for 10 minutes or so, until nicely browned. Mash the tempeh a bit while you’re cooking it. Drizzle in the soy sauce and lemon juice, and mix well. Taste for salt.
Assemble:
- Remove tempeh from the pan and place in a bowl. Let it cool just to the point where it has stopped steaming. Give it a toss every now and again to help speed it a long, it should be about 15 minutes.
- Mix 1/2 a cup of the cashew spread into the tempeh mixture and mash it up. Taste for salt and pepper.
- Ok, now we’re going to form the triangles. Now, everyone has a different way of folding phyllo. I suppose there is no wrong way, so long as you end up with a triangle shape that fully envelopes the filling. This is how I do it, but you can also look up videos on how to roll phyllo triangles for visual examples that may be more helpful than written ones. One thing though, I never use as much oil as they do in those videos. I prefer a light brushing to prevent sogginess or ripping the phyllo. On with it then!
- Have a clean, dry surface with plenty of elbow room at the ready. Pour some olive oil into a small bowl and have a pastry brush handy. Also needed are the tempeh mix and the sauerkraut and have a large baking sheet brushed with olive oil nearby. Unwrap phyllo dough and lay it out flat. Slice the stack in half widthwise (across the waist.) A pizza cutter works great for this!
- Now we’re going to layer 3 sheets. Carefully place one sheet in front of you lengthwise. Brush with a little oil and layer another piece of phyllo on top. Brush with oil and layer one last phyllo sheet and brush with oil.
- Place 1/4 cup tempeh filling in the lower right side of the dough (figure 1).
- Place a dollop of the cashew spread on the tempeh (about 2 teaspoons), and a big spoonful of sauerkraut on top (about 2 tablespoons).
- Then fold the left side over the filling so that you have a long rectangle (figure 2). Brush lightly with olive oil. Now begin folding the triangles.
- Fold the lower left corner up to form a triangle (figure 3). Now fold over two more times, until you have a triangle. Tuck any extra dough under the triangle. Place on baking sheet and brush with a little more olive oil.
- When you think you’re pretty close to finishing all of the triangles, preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Bake triangles for 15 minutes, until lightly golden. Flip over and bake for 12 to 15 more minutes. They should be varying shades of golden brown.
- They taste great just out of the oven or at room temp!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
