I really wanted a reuben sandwich last weekend, but:
a) I didn't want to have to buy rye bread
b) sauerkraut is revolting
c) thousand island is chock full of high fructose corn syrup and chemicals
First things first - bread
I found a rye bread recipe that looked delicious from Smitten Kitchen, but I didn't want to put in the work. So, I modified it a bit and used "my" no knead dutch oven bread recipe, but used 1/2 tsp of yeast, 3/4 cup of rye flour, and 2 1/4 cup of whole wheat, 2 tblsp of caraway seeds, and 3 tblsp of vital wheat gluten. The salt and water amounts remained the same. The rye flour ($.34) and vital wheat gluten ($.23) I get from the bin section of the grocery store. The caraway seeds ($.14) I found in the bulk spice section.
I followed the no knead recipe with the flour substitution and addition of the caraway seeds, and it turned out great! Pretty flat, but great.
Second - sauerkraut. Barf, barf, barf!
I substituted sauerkraut with homemade coleslaw. I shredded cabbage and carrots in my food processor, and added a tiny bit of homemade mayo, a sprinkle of evaporated cane juice (natural sugar I get from Costco), celery seed, salt, pepper, and a splash of rice wine vinegar.
Third - thousand island and it's HFCS filth
Easy enough to make your own! I used this recipe and it was a hit. I'm not a thousand island fan myself, but Troy said this was "amazing". It was simple to throw together. I used a few squirts of organic ketchup instead of the tomato paste. I had no desire to open a can of tomato paste to only use 3 tblsp. I also used dill relish because sweet relish should only be saved for the devil - it is disgusting and has no place in this world.
I slapped this all together with some provolone (we had it, and I forgot to buy Swiss at the grocery store), and thinly-sliced pastrami, and we ate in perfect silence as we gobbled our sandwiches and crispy brussel sprouts. Jack looked at us like we were crazy as he ate his PB&J.
This version of reuben sandwiches will likely be making a once a month (at least) appearance on our meal plans!