Monthly Archives: March 2011

More effective than caffeine for getting my blood pumping

Sometimes I hear something on the radio that makes me want to pick it up and throw it across the room, something that makes my blood  boil.  Of course, the news that encourages such behavior is not the radio’s fault — it’s just the messenger.

Case in point from listening to NPR yesterday morning, news that Republicans are reversing the green initiatives in the Congress building.  According to a brief NPR report, and this source, House Speaker John Boehner tweeted “The new majority – plasticware is back,” in reference to plastic utensils replacing biodegradable utensils in the building’s cafeteria.

(The fact that the “green initiatives,” put in place under the Democrat-controlled House, still used a form of disposable utensils, albeit biodegradable, is a whole issue unto itself.)

Anyway, in the name of good investigative reporting, I went to Speaker Boehner’s Twitter feed, and did not find said tweet.  Did he (or his handlers) realize that such a comment could be a PR disaster and retract it?  Was it never said?

Regardless of what was or was not tweeted, the party now in control of the U.S. House of Representatives is demonstrating their ignorance and blatant disregard for the earth.  These are the people who are leading our country.  And I can’t blame the radio.

Finger-licking good vegetarian reubens

I’ve experimented with various ways to make vegetarian reuben sandwiches over the past few years.  The simplest: make as usual, just eliminate the corned beef.  The thousand island dressing and sauerkraut provide plenty of flavor (and salt!) — combine that with melty Swiss cheese and some good bread (rye or whole wheat), and you have a pretty delicious sandwich.

However, our new favorite version does include a corned beef substitute — tempeh.  This does not taste like corned beef, but it provides some nice additional texture, flavor, and protein to the sandwich.

Finger-licking good vegetarian reubens (Makes 4 sandwiches)

  • 1 package tempeh, prepared per the directions here
  • homemade Thousand Island dressing (see below for recipe)
  • 1-2 c. Sauerkraut (homemade or store bought)
  • 8 slices of Baby Swiss
  • 8 slices of whole wheat bread (or rye, if you like, but we enjoy these on our homemade wheat bread)
  • butter, softened (but not melted)

Butter outsides of bread, then assemble sandwiches with cheese, tempeh slices, and a small amount of dressing.  (Save the sauerkraut and more dressing for after the sandwiches grill, to prevent soggy bread.)  Grill the sandwiches in a large frying pan over medium-low heat until cheese is nice and melty, and bread is lightly toasted, flipping to grill both pieces of bread.  After grilling, and just before eating, add sauerkraut and more dressing.

Have your cloth napkins ready — a good reuben should be nice and juicy.

Extra points for color with purple cabbage sauerkraut

Thousand Island dressing

  • 1/2 c. mayonnaise or plain yogurt
  • 1/4 c. ketchup
  • 1 T. finely chopped onion
  • Dash of Worcestershire sauce
  • Finely chopped dill and/or sweet pickles

I definitely ad lib on this recipe — no measuring involved.  Start with the quantities above, add finely chopped pickles as desired, and then adjust until you have the flavor and consistency you want.  I am spoiled because I make this with our super-flavorful homemade ketchup, but it should work with the any variety.