So this might not look like much (in fact, it doesn’t), but below is a picture of the best lunch I’ve had in…  months.

What is it, you ask?  It’s a blackened tofu reuben.  When I first moved to Chicago, I often ate/had coffee at Filter, which is now a Bank of America.  Those who have spent time with me in Wicker Park no doubt have heard me complain about always wanting a Bof A in my neighborhood.  Then when I moved to Logan Square, I complained about there not being a better coffeeshop in the neighborhood.  Within months, as if the world was mocking me, my favorite coffee shop in my old neighborhood was closed and replaced with the bank I’d always longed for.  Awesome.  Rather than dwell on the anti-gift of the Magi, I try to just block it out.

The point, to the extent that there is one, is that Filter had, if memory serves me correctly, two delicious sandwiches.  One was a tofu reuben, the other was a blackened tofu wrap.  The reuben was a standard sort of reuben, though of course with tofy instead of corned beef or whatever.  The blackened tofu wrap was good, though in addition to the tofu there was a lot of lettuce and some dressing I didn’t particularly care for.  Whenever I was going to lunch there, I always had to choose.  I loved the blackened tofu, but I also love sauerkraut.  My choices were split relatively evenly.

Today, when getting ready to make my lunch, I had a sudden flashback, perhaps brought on by the smell of coffee brewing.  I thought of those two sandwiches and thought struck me like a match.  “Why not make a blackened tofu reuben?”  The answer: no reason whatsoever.  I proceeded to make the above-pictured sandwich, and it was delicious.

Before starting, however, I had to figure out how to make blackened tofu.  I found a recipe online, modified it, and then I lunched.  It takes awhile, so I don’t really recommend it unless you’re cooking sandwiches for 4 or 5 other people or you really love the idea of a blackened tofu reuben.The recipe I stole from can be found here.  This recipe calls for pan-frying the tofu, which I don’t like to do, so I modified it a litle bit.
Ingredients:

• 1 lb extra firm tofu, drained, sliced into ~1cm wide slices.  You should be able to get ten or 12, I think.
• 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder or onion flakes
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorn
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/3 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Sauer Kraut
• Bread (I used pumpernickel)
• Cheese (I used pepper jack slices)
• Mustard (Or not.  But what doesn’t mustard improve?)

Prehear the oven to 400 or so.  I put my oven at 400, but I don’t really trust its thermometer, so who knows what I really cooked at.

You can replace the ingredients however you like.  Personally, I didn’t use the onion powder or garlic powder, because I didn’t have any.   I doubled the amount of cayenne, and  I also replaced the thyme with tarragon and added cumin, also because that’s what I had in the cupboard.

Pour the olive oil onto a baking sheet or pan.  Take the tofu slices andlay them in the pan slides them around in the oil, then flip and repeat.  This will get a nice coat of OO on them so the spices will stick.

Divide the spices roughly in half.  Align all the tofu so there’s no space in between them, then sprinkle half the spices over one side.  (By putting them together in the pan, you won’t lose any of your spices.)  Flip the tofu and sprinkle the other half of the spices over the uncovered side.  Spread the tofu evenly on the pan.

Bake for 10 minutes.  Flip the tofu and bake for an additional 10 minutes.  Keep an eye on this part, cause, like I said, my oven isn’t all that trustworthy so who knows how it would translate to other machines.

After this, take the tofu off and lay on some paper towels or something to mop up an extra oil.  Place two slices of tofu (or more, depending on the size of your bread, I guess), top with some sauer kraut (careful that you’ve drained most of the water out of it or your whole sandwich will get mushy), add a slice of cheese on the top, then your bread.  Stick it back in the oven at 400 or whatever until you can see the cheese melting.

Serve with plate and napkins.  Maybe a glass of water.  I had it with coffee, which I frankly don’t recommend.