The tempeh reuben isn't my creation. There's this place in Boone called the Boone Bagelry that makes this. It's a great sandwich, nice and filling, and tasty on top of that. It's a completely grilled sandwich, kind of like a grilled cheese sandwich, only with sauerkraut and tempeh. But what is tempeh? Basically it's a cake of fermented soybeans mixed with another grain (rice and millet are the most common), with a nutty sort of flavour and a nice chewy texture. It's generally sold as a frozen block, and can be hard to find in national-chain supermarkets, so a natural foods store or health food store is your best bet. Its origins are as an Indonesian staple food. As far as vitamins etc. go, this is one of the best foods for vegetarians - it has good amounts of calcium, B vitamins and iron, three things that vegetarians are often lacking in their diet. It also contains all the essential amino acids and lots of protein. It can be marinated for grilling or eaten on its own, cooked or "raw". In short, it's one of the best substitutes for meat in anyone's diet.

You will need: rye bread, swiss cheese, tempeh, sauerkraut, a large skillet or stove-top griddle (I prefer the latter), some butter, vegetable oil, spicy brown mustard (not yellow mustard!) and thousand island dressing.

To make, first make sure that the tempeh is thawed (it is usually sold frozen, but can be kept in the fridge for several months). Just soak a package of it in warm water for a while till it's not frozen anymore. Then lay down a little tiny bit of vegetable oil and butter into the skillet to melt; you don't need much. Slice the block of tempeh into inch-wide-or-so strips; you can also use a piece that is as big as the bread you are using, it doesn't matter much. You'll want to grill this until it becomes dark golden brown on the top and bottom, flip it as necessary.

While the tempeh is cooking, you'll want to open a can of sauerkraut (if you know how to make sauerkraut, by all means, use the homemade stuff!) and get out a little with a fork. You'll want enough to cover a piece of rye bread. Make sure it's sitting in some oil/butter mixture, and let it cook. It should be a light-to-dark golden-brown when it's done cooking. While all that's going on, get out your two pieces of rye bread and very lightly butter both sides of each, and lay them butter-side-down on the griddle or skillet.

Once your tempeh is completely cooked on one side and nearly done on the other, lay down a few pieces of swiss cheese on top, and then put the sauerkraut on top of that. This will melt the cheese nicely. Your bread, once it is golden-brown on both sides, is done. Take them off the griddle and put them on a plate. Put some spicy brown mustard on one piece, spread a little thousand island on the other. Then get the tempeh/cheese/sauerkraut and lay it on top of one piece of bread, top it with the other. Slice it in half (I go down the diagonals, but that's probably just my years of restaurant work talking), and serve with chips or fries (or crisps and chips).

Substitutions? Well, this one restaurant I worked at had a turkey reuben. Just substitute some deli-sliced turkey (from the deli, not the pre-packaged nasty meat!) for the tempeh and you're golden. Of course, the traditional meat in here is corned beef, so if you're a traditionalist who eats meat, corned beef it is. You don't have to use both brown mustard and thousand island, but I like them both, so that is how I make it. I imagine you could also marinate the tempeh in something, I don't know what, this sandwich has a good flavour all on its own.