Before I became vegan, I never would have thought about having a Reuben sandwich without corned beef or Swiss cheese.

Now I use tofu as a meat substitute. It’s made from soybeans, which are high in protein. Tofu also is a great source of calcium and helps lower your bad cholesterol.

The rest of the sandwich is packed with vegetables. We like to use red pepper, tomato and avocado, but you can try whatever you like.

The key part of this sandwich is the sauerkraut. It is high in vitamins A and C, and filled with antioxidants.

Our teenage children love this sandwich, but our little ones not so much. Hey, that’s why there’s peanut butter and jelly, right?

By the way, the sourdough bread really makes this recipe work.

Be adventurous. Try a Reuben without the corned beef and cheese and enjoy that vegan thing.

VEGAN REUBEN SANDWICH

Extra-firm tofu

Sourdough bread

Red pepper, roasted if you like

Avocado

Tomato

Sauerkraut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take the extra-firm tofu, squeeze the water out and cut into quarters and then into thin slices. Fry in a pan over medium heat with a small amount of coconut oil until it starts to brown.

Put two slices of sourdough bread for each sandwich on a cookie sheet.

For each one, on one slice of the bread, layer red peppers and thinly sliced avocado. On another slice, layer a slice or two of cooked tofu along with a couple of tomato slices.

Cook in the oven for about 10 minutes or just until bread starts to become crispy and the other items are warm.

Remove from the oven, add sauerkraut to one side, put slices together and serve.

Jeff Peterson anchors the news from 5 to 7 a.m. on CBS 13 and from 7 to 8 a.m. on FOX 23 and is a vegan.