My Favorite Reuben Sandwich

It is about time to celebrate St Patrick's Day and my family loves corned beef. I love cabbage so generally we are all happy. Put the two together on a few slabs of toasty bread and you have a reuben sandwich. Modify this by leaving off the corned beef and it becomes a low pro reuben. It is rare to find a PKU'er that does not have a taste for savory foods. This is a salty sandwich that is easy to adapt for the low pro diet.

These are a comfort food for me because I remember eating them as kiddo. I always looked forward to the juicey sandwich that often fell apart as I munched on it. The sauce would drip out and it was one big delicious and gooey mess.

If you are having a party these sandwiches are great to serve up and fun to put out all assembled. Add a green salad and side of brussels to make a well-balanced meal. The sandwich is fun to make. You have to find a good piece of corned beef (or my favorite technique is to delegate that to my mom). Our neighborhood farm has the most delicious sauerkraut. When not in a reuben, I enjoy eating this heated up and plain. The sauerkraut is both low in phe and nutritious. It is loaded with calcium and promotes digestion because it has naturally occurring probiotics. Taste-wise it is salty and gives me flavor I am craving.

The Low Protein Reuben

1. Butter the sides of two slices of bread. I recommend homemade bread. I used the bread machine recipe linked here.

2. Grill both sides of bread until toasted evenly.

3. The first layer is your favorite low protein cheese. I do prefer the slices to the shreds for this recipe.

4. Place a scoop of sauerkraut over the cheese.

5. Add one tablespoon of Thousand Island salad dressing.

6. Place the other slice of toasted bread over the sandwich. Return to the grill and heat through.

7. Serve with mustard to dip in. A spicy mustard is my favorite.