A couple of weeks ago, I discovered this “English muffin” recipe and have been enjoying it with cream cheese and Low Carb Curried Peach Preserves, as miniature avocado-cilantro-and-tomato sandwiches, and as the bread for Grilled Cheese. The recipe is every bit as simple as it claims to be and I would highly recommend it for any number of uses!
I decided to tweak the recipe (because it’s a compulsion and I have a very hard time NOT tweaking) to revamp my Little Reubenesque Sandwiches and bring them to my monthly potluck.
Meat Eaters, Non Meat Eaters, friends with Food Allergies, people-who-don’t-care-for-Reubens, and people who LOVE Reubens all raved about the breadiness of the Not-Really-Bread, and the yumminess of the sandwich.
These little sandwiches are SOOOO good! They hold-over well and travel well, so you food prep several for the week! How jealous would your friends/coworkers be to see you produce these elegant sandwiches from your lunch bag, multiple days of the week?!? You’ll be living like a fit-n-trim high-roller!
I have made a couple minor alterations to my original Little Reubenesque Sandwich recipe, and have included links to my recipes for fermented ketchup, home-made vegan mayo, fermented red cabbage, and the newly altered 3 minute paleo “English muffin”. There are varying degrees of elaborate lengths you can go to construct these sandwiches (and yes, they can be made “full size”, but I like to make them tiny so everyday can feel like a special Tea Party).
The fundamental components that are necessary for this mind-blowing creation are: Sauteed Onions and Mushroom Filling, Sauce, Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut, and some kind of bread.
Sautéed Onions and Mushrooms:
2 large yellow onions, sliced to thin ribbons with layers separated
3 Tbs vegetable/olive oil
3-5 clove garlic, minced
3 bay leaves
1 ½ tsp paprika
¾ tsp caraway seeds
1 tsp smoked sea salt
2 Tbs kombucha or cider vinegar
1 Tbs Soy Sauce or Liquid Aminos
¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
-3 cups sliced fresh crimini or baby portabella mushrooms (if this dish is being prepared for people who are adamantly anti-mushroom, substitute 1 ½ cups ¼” sliced extra firm tofu, or simply triple the amount of beets)
Instructions:
Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat setting. Add all the ingredients (minus the onions, garlic and mushrooms) to the hot oil and stir until aromatic.
Add onions and fresh garlic and toss to coat evenly. Saute until soft and clear, then use fork or tongs to pull out the onions and set aside, leaving the drippings and approximately ½ cup onions in the skillet.
Immediately add mushrooms to same skillet the onions just came from.
Toss to coat with the drippings and spices, then arrange the mushrooms so as not to crowd, allowing them to brown nicely.
Sprinkle with salt before turning over all the mushrooms and browning the other side.
Remove skillet from heat once mushrooms have browned on both sides, reintroduce the sauteed onions to the skillet and let the flavors “marry”
Sauce:
-2/3 cup mayonnaise or vegan mayo, or home-made vegan mayo
-2 Tbs ketchup (make your own low carb fermented ketchup!)
-3 Tbs finely diced dill pickles
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients and place in the refrigerator to chill.
Additional Ingredients for Sandwiches:
-12 of my 3 Minute Paleo “English Muffin” (or 40 slices of cocktail rye bread)
-10-12 slices swiss cheese or vegan swiss cheese, cut into bread sized squares
-2 cups sauerkraut, drained (my Fermented Red Cabbage works beautifully)
-2 Tbs vegan butter or oil for coating the bread.
*I like to assemble only half of the sandwiches at this point, and freeze the extra onions and mushroom mixture for future sandwich use without as much prep work*
Instructions for Assembly:
Heat oven to 450*. Thinly spread butter or oil on one side of every piece of bread (if planning to freeze ingredients for later, only butter the bread intended for sandwiches during this cooking session, and freeze the rest of the loaf) and space them on baking sheet(s), greased side down. Put a piece of cheese on every piece of bread. Spoon 1-2 Tbs of the mushroom/onion mixture onto the cheese (try to make sure all onions are making contact with cheese. The cheese is very helpful in holding all the components of the sandwich together.)
You have now laid out both halves of the sandwich, “open faced”. Move baking sheets(s) into the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes, until the cheese is soft and holding the veggies, and the bottoms of the breads are toasted. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Make a ton of Little Reubenesque Sandwiches at once by grilling them open-faced in the oven…. your house will smell like a FOOD DREAM!!!
*If you are going to eat some of the sandwiches now, go ahead and assemble them while still hot. If planning to save for later, allow trays to completely cool before proceeding.
Pile sauerkraut (approximately 1-2 Tbs for each mini sandwich) on half of the breads. Spread a blob (1/2 Tbs) of sauce on top of the other breads. Place the grilled onion bread on top.
This is a great time to finally use the festive toothpicks you’ve been hoarding to keep all your little sandwiches nice and tidy (optional)! If stacked neatly in a sealed container, these babies stay fabulous for at least 5 days. Warm them up as needed, or delight in them cold. Viola!

nutritional estimates for the revamped Little Reubenesque Sandwiches, on 3 Minute Paleo “English Muffin”