[Meatless Monday] Cuban-Inspired Tempeh Sandwiches

Back in the days when I ate meat on the regular, the Cuban sandwich was one of my favorites. Number one: it's hard for me not to love a sandwich that involves pickles. That, plus all the other textures and flavors (and two types of pork?!) come together into something quite taste-bud thrilling.

There's a restaurant in Asheville I was hoping to go to during our trip, particularly because they served a tempeh cuban sandwich (with LOCAL tempeh!). With too little time and room in our stomaches, we unfortunately never made it there. Luckily, though, the concept is super easy to execute at home!

My version starts by marinating slices of tempeh in Cuban & citrus spices. It's then grilled and layered with pickles (dill), cheese (gruyere), and mustard (brown) in between slices of whole wheat bread. I know a lot of what makes a Cuban sandwich a "real" Cuban sandwich is the bread, but this is an example of when I let practicality trump authenticity.


In my opinion, the real necessity to this sandwich is buttering, pressing, and grilling the bread to form a dense, dark crispy-crunchy exterior.



Ahem...I achieved this affect by pressing sandwiches with small tart dishes. Of course, I'm simply utilizing the meatless-eating skill of improvisation It's invaluable. Learn it.


This version doesn't quite include the rich smokiness or contrasting textures of pork and ham, but the basic flavors are definitely present. And, meat eaters, rest assured: it's also just as filling! I'm partial to serving sandwiches devoid of veggies with a side of GREEN (roasted broccoli? a citrus-y salad?), but serve these with a side of sweet plaintains and...

Can you hear the wind blowing through the palm trees yet?

Cuban-Inspired Tempeh Sandwiches
A Pursuit of Sweetness Original Recipe

Servings: 4 sandwiches

Tempeh Marinade (Adapted from here):
2 tablespoons orange juice (I used clementine because it's what I had)
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup light-tasting olive oil
1/4 cup onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cinnamon
Two shakes of liquid smoke

1 block tempeh
8 slices of bread
4 ounces swiss or gruyere cheese, shredded and divided
Pickles, sliced
About 2-3 tablespoons yellow or brown mustard
Butter or buttery-spread

• Prepare marinade in a plastic bag. (Assuming your tempeh comes in a rectangle with 4 servings) Cut tempeh into two equal squares, and then in half thickness-ways, creating four thin squares. Place tempeh in bag with marinade and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

• Remove tempeh from marinade, and cook on a preheated (grill) pan or Foreman grill until browned on both sides. Keep grill/pan hot for grilling and pressing sandwiches.

• To assemble sandwiches, spread mustard on the inside of each slice of bread and butter on the other. On mustard, place one piece of grilled tempeh, one ounce of shredded cheese, and a layer of pickles. Cover with another piece of bread, butter side up. If using a Foreman grill or panini press, place sandwich on hot grill and press firmly until brown and cheese is melted. If using a stove-top pan, place sandwich on hot pan and press top of sandwich with a tool of your choosing (spatula, plate, foil-covered brick...). Flip and cook until both sides are brown and cheese is melted.