Corned Tofu (Mock Corned Beef)

The Chicago Diner has a wonderful Radical Reuben sandwich with an incredible vegan seitan corned beef. The sandwich is perfect in every way except, of course, that it is not gluten free. I stole some of their recipe ideas to create my own vegan gluten-free mock corned beef made of tofu. The trick here is to bake the tofu in a large flat sheet instead of a block which creates the texture of sliced corned beef. I also use pickle juice as the secret corned beef flavoring, but I include my own recipe for pickle juice so you don’t have to buy a jar of pickles every time you make the recipe.

Use this recipe for your New Years Day mock corned beef and cabbage, your reuben sandwich with homemade sauerkraut, or your deli-style corned beef sandwich piled high and smeared with an artisanal mustard. Add a crisp dill pickle spear, and you’re in heaven.

INGREDIENTS

• Homemade Pickle Juice
  • 1 cup white distilled vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp dried dill weed
  • 1 tsp mustard seed
  • ½ tsp black peppercorns
  • 1 clove garlic
• Corned Tofu
  • 1 block tofu
  • ¼ to ½ cup homemade pickle juice
  • 2 tablespoons tamari
  • 2 teaspoons beet root powder or ¼ cup beet juice
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon caraway seed
  • ¼ tsp dried dill weed
  • ¼ tsp fennel seed
  • ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • ¼ tsp mustard seed

INSTRUCTIONS

1. PICKLE JUICE: Add all ingredients together and simmer for five minutes. Let mixture cool and store in an airtight container overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F
3. Grind spices for tofu in mortar and pestle.
4. Add tofu, liquid ingredients, and ground spices to food processor and process until the mixture is smooth and uniform.
5. Scoop the tofu mixture onto a piece of parchment paper in an oblong shape. Cover with another piece of parchment paper and roll out until the mixture is evenly flattened to ⅛ to ¼ inches thickness either by pressing over the top sheet of parchment paper with a cookie sheet or by rolling out with a rolling pin.
6. Place parchment paper with flattened tofu on large cookie sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes until the tofu is firm. Make sure not to overbake. Peel off the top layer of parchment paper. Let tofu cool and slice into desired shapes.