Reuben Sandwich with a capital S

I bought Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day a couple months ago. It's awesome, and the pictures make my mouth water, but I hadn't made anything from it yet. Until today, of course. On an impulse last week, I bought sauerkraut and pumpernickel bread from the grocery store thinking of the One World Reubens from the cookbook. Something about toothy seitan and sour-crunchy sauerkraut got my tastebuds in a tizzy. But today when I started making them I realized I didn't have all the ingredients. So I made the seitan with a couple cheats, substitutions and flavour tricks. The sauce too--it was supposed to include a half or dozen or things I didn't have, so I fudged it with mayo and hot sauce, giving my version an almost neon pink hue. Then of course I forgot to add the sauce before I grilled the sandwich, so the slice next to the sauerkraut got soggy. However, I managed to hold off eating this gorgeous veGANwich until I took a picture and then was able to dig in. It was everything I dreamed it would be. The reuben is one of those sandwiches that definitely lets you know you're eating an entire meal. It's not a sandwich, it's a Sandwich. Even if you make a mockery of the original recipe ingredients, respect the reuben--and then eat the hell out of it.