Make It Yourself Monday: homemade seitan

As I mentioned previously, I wanted to do a post about making your own seitan. I really don't know why it took so long to post it, or even come up with the idea to do a post about it. We eat seitan on a regular basis, it's kind of a remnant of the time when we had to live very frugally out of necessity when we didn't really have money. Seitan is insanely cheap to make, it's probably the cheapest protein, even beating dried beans. The only downside is that it's not suitable for those with gluten sensitivity/celiac disease. Fortunately, we can just tolerate gluten normally. Even though we don't have to live insanely frugal anymore, I've kept a lot of frugal practices that just make sense to me, and making my own seitan is one of them. 

 This is what seitan looks like (for those new to vegetarian cooking)

So, here's what you need for a big batch of seitan: 

Flour 

Water

And a whole lot of patience 😅

Start off by mixing 2 KGs of white, all purpose flour with approximately 1 liter of water- it could be a bit more or less. Knead it like you would knead a regular bread dough. If it's too sticky, just add in a bit more flour. 

After kneading for at least 10 minutes (kneading well is essential as the dough has to develop the gluten), leave it to rest in a bowl, cover with a damp tea towel. Leave it rest for at least 3 hours. 

Then after 3 hours, take out the dough (it's probably become slightly stickier, but that's ok) and put it in a colander in the sink. Now it will become a bit repetitive, but I'm ok with that. You'll need to rinse the dough under the tap. As you're rinsing your dough, knead gently, just to make sure all sides of the dough are being rinsed equally. 

In the beginning, it will look like this: 

Then after a while, it will look a bit more like this: 

The only way I can describe it really are brains 🤣 As you keep rinsing, the rinsing water becomes less white (like milk coloured) and more white transparant. Keep rinsing until the water is totally clear. By then, the dough has more of a spongy consistency, rather than looking like brains. 

Then it's time to cook your seitan. There are various ways to do this, but I prefer to cook the seitan in a broth. I've also tried to steam it, which is fine too, but it will really stick to the steaming basket and has a bit less flavour, since the seitan gets most of its flavour from the broth. So to cook it, put the seitan/dough in a pot and cover it with cold water, then add salt and whatever seasonings you like. You can keep it simple using salt, pepper and some bay leaves, or you could really go fancy. It's all a matter of preference. Put it on low heat for 45 minutes, it should be simmering and not boiling. The lower the better. After 45 minutes, when it looks like this: 

You just leave it cool down in the broth, preferably with the lid on the pot. This takes quite long and for this reason, it's not advisable to make seitan to use that very same day. I always make seitan in advance. When cooled down completely, get your seitan out of the broth and process it further. I usually cut it in small chunks, similar to meat, and then fry it or cook it. You could also make bigger cutlets, and I've read that some people grind it, similar to mince (but I'm yet to try that!). 

The other day, I made a simple pasta with small chunks of seitan, a jar of red sauce that I canned last summer and some vegetables that were in the fridge and needed to be used up. Everyone loved it! 

• Seitan is very versatile, you can use it in about everything you'd use meat. Some suggestions; pulled seitan, seitan cutlets, pasta and rice dishes, stews, soups, and many more.

• Keep in mind that this recipe is for quite a big batch; for our family, we use it for two main meals, and even then it's still a big quantity per meal. Since seitan freezes very well, just portion how you'd prefer it for your family size. Or just halve the quantities. 

• Also, don't throw away the seitan broth! It's quite tasty and can be used as any other broth.

• Don't waste money on whole wheat flour for this recipe. Since all the starches are going to get rinsed out, using whole wheat is kind of pointless. 

The screaming blender

As a very frugal household, we're always looking for ways to cut back on spending money unnecessarily and more important, not wasting anything unnecessarily. That includes everything from food, to clothing, to appliances and transportation. Sometimes the solution is very simple, sometimes it takes a bit more of research and work, or we might have to pay someone to do it - but even with that extra cost, it's still worth it, as we're preventing things going into the landfill. 

A fellow blogger talked about how her immersion blender finally got replaced after 27 (!) years. That's a long time! What's funny was that she talked about how her blender each time she used it was making a noise as if it's screaming. How is that funny? Well, a few years ago our blender needed a repair. Although it worked again, the downside is that now I can't take the two parts apart (which makes washing up more of a hassle), but it's still functioning, so for the time being I'm not replacing it by a new blender. But here's the thing- since the repair, our blender also screams! And I always thought that our blender was a funny one and the only one that actually could scream 😂 Apparently, blenders are starting to scream as they're aging. 

I do love our immersion blender and use it a lot: for soups and sauces, but also for making mock tahini, even mayonnaise. In fact, I blended some sauce today. I guess there will come a day when our blender is beyond repair. Until that day comes, I don't really mind having a screaming blender and I'll keep using it this way.  🙂

My go-to cake recipe

Friday is the most important day for us, so I always like to make the day a bit more special. One of the ways I do that is by food- making our main meal a bit more elaborate, or just making one of my family's favourite food. Another thing is baking. I like baking something specifically on Fridays, and it's become a bit like a family tradition at this point. It doesn't really need to be very fancy, but just baking something like a cake or cookies is highly appreciated. 

Our favourite cake is what I regularly make. It's a simple recipe and doesn't really need kitchen equipment. I've been using this recipe for well over a decade and I don't even know anymore where I got the recipe from, really. And I don't really have a recipe written down because it's all in my head 😆 but that's about to change! I thought to share it here with my readers. 

For one round cake pan (I think it's ø28 cm, but you can also use a rectangle shape or even casserole pan, etc), you'll need: 

1 cup of granulated sugar

4 medium sized eggs, or 3 large eggs 

1 cup of neutral oil (canola, corn, soy, peanut... just anything that would fall under vegetable oil I guess) 

1 cup of milk 

1.5 tablespoons of my "homemade" vanilla sugar but you can use regular vanilla sugar or vanilla extract (for us it needs to be alcohol free so we don't use extract)

2 cups of all purpose flour (scooped, not spooned) + 1.5 tablespoons of baking powder 

Mix the sugar and eggs using a whisk. They don't have to be very fluffy or pale, just whisking for a minute or so is enough. Then add the oil, wisk again. Then the milk and vanilla sugar. Then scoop two cups of plain all purpose flour and measure 1.5 tablespoons of baking powder. I use a small sieve for the baking powder as it tends to have clumps sometimes, it makes it easier to devide it evenly in the batter. 

Whisk very well and mix until there are no more clumps visible. Now your cake batter is ready! 

I bake it at 180° c (360 °f) for one hour. I must add that my oven doesn't heat up like other ovens do, so 150° c (310 ° f) would come closer to the real temperature needed for this cake. 

Let it cool down before slicing, then enjoy with a nice cup of coffee or tea 🍵 

 

Some very affordable meal ideas

Lately I've been kind of binge watching budget cooking videos. And I've noticed thar with an exception of a few of them, their approach is usually a bit negative, using words like "surviving" and "poor man's meal". Now I know that those words don't have to be taken negatively necessarily and it really depends on the context. But still, especially for those struggling and watching those videos hoping to get some tips, it's not very uplifting, almost like rubbing it in the face of those having to live on such strict budgets. After all, those vloggers will go back to their old budgets once their "challenge" is over. Looking back at the situation we were in ourselves, I'm glad I didn't approach our being on a tight budget as surviving. It's just what it was and I was really trying hard to make the best of it. 

What also bothers me is that a lot of these vloggers assume that a very tight budget means unhealthy, processed foods, such as instant ramen. Now I know this is true for some people, but for me, this is just kind of conforming the prejudices there are about cheap food. It would be much better to see those vloggers actually teaching how to actually eat more healthily on a tight budget. There are a few that do that, but honestly, the majority of them are just there for the likes and views and the more dramatic their "challenge" gets, the more attention it means for them, so actually teaching others is not quite in their own benefit. 

So I decided to offer some ideas for very frugal meal ideas for those that don't want to be eaten ramen noodles everyday (nothing wrong with having them from time to time, though!) I wanted to compose a list with very budget friendly meals, the "struggle" kind of means if you will.

Rice and beans 

This is a classic and probably the meal people think of when it comes to food on a very tight budget. And probably for a good reason; it's easy, affordable and, depending how you make the meal obviously, so tasty. It's also a go-to for people with various dietary restrictions, unless they can't eat beans for some reason. You can keep it very simple with a bag of dried beans, some basic seasoning and the cheapest rice if that's all your budget allows, to a bit more of an elaborate meal with a more fancy kind of rice, other types of seasonings, and add a bit more healthily in the form of vegetables. Or even add a side of meat/fish if the budget allows that (I usually don't add meat to pulses, as they are already a replacement for meat in and of itself, but that's just me). 

Eggs 

I was hesitant to add eggs to the list due to the increased price of eggs nearly everywhere in the world but most notoriously in the US (where the majority of the readers of this blog are from). But, I figured that since egg based meals are still cheaper than meat based meals, I'd still include it. Especially if you eat the eggs to replace the meat, rather than to have eggs and meat (sometimes you've got to set your priorities!). There are so many egg based meals out there, but to name a few: shakshuka (which is called ojja in Tunisia), anda gravy (also known as egg curry), khagina (Pakistani scrambled eggs), Tunisian tajine, food young egg... It doesn't even have to be a "real" existing meal, you can just add an egg (or two, if the budget allows it) to any meal that lacks some flavour/protein. Wether it's boiled, fried or poached, just add egg to rice, pasta or a sandwich and there you have your complete meal. It's as easy as that. It's good to note that on a very tight budget, and in today's economy, it's probably best not to have eggs daily but to alternate between eggs and other, cheaper,options. 

Seitan 

This is something a bit sentimental to me, as I was raised on a vegetarian diet. In the 1990s and early 2000s, there were very few meat alternatives like the ones common today. What we did eat a lot, was tofu, tempeh and seitan. Tofu and tempeh are both soy products, but seitan is a bit different; it's made out of wheat gluten. Personally, I liked seitan most. The only thing is that seitan, when store bought, can be really expensive. Which is a bit weird in my opinion as it's just one ingredient (or two, if water is counted as an ingredient...) and very easy to make! Later I found out that seitan can be easily made at home; not even with the more expensive vital wheat gluten, but just with all purpose flour. All in all, seitan is the least expensive meat alternative out there, even beating beans. Assuming that one KG flour costs half a dollar/half an euro, and one KG of flour made into seitan yields 3 to 4 portions. So that's just over 12 cents, for one person's portion of protein. Not bad at all, especially on a very tight budget. This does involve some work obviously, but it's doable, especially when you're making a double batch. I'm planning on doing a post on how to make seitan, for those interested in doing so. 

Anyway, back to meal suggestions. Seitan is as versatile as chicken or even more I'd say. It doesn't have a strong flavour in and of itself, so it really absorbs a lot of the flavours that you cook the seitan with. For this reason, it can be used in anything from pasta dishes, to hearty soups and stews, to rice dishes and sandwiches- the options are limitless really. Some suggestions: pasta with seitan, marinara sauce and vegetables, rice with seitan and sautéed vegetables, mashed potatoes with vegetables and a side of fried seitan, seitan sandwiches, loaded soups (a nice broth, some pasta or potatoes or any other starch, small chunks of seitan and beans, and of course nicely seasoned). As I said, the options are limitless. I usually just throw in some seitan to whatever leftovers there are in the fridge. 

Other pulses

While rice and beans may be the most famous pulses-and-starch meal, it's obviously not the only one. There are many other legumes/pulses to perfectly match a starch. Lentils, for example, are very versatile and as an added bonus, much easier to prepare ad they don't require soaking time, plus their cooking time is less. Some well known lentil dishes I can think of: koshary (Egyptian dish with rice, pasta and lentils), dhaal (south Asian lentils served with rice or flatbread), mujaddara (Levantine rice and lentil dish), lentil soup (in its many, many varieties), l3ades (north African lentil stew, served with bread) mercimek köfte (Turkish lentil "meatballs"). These are just a few of the many lentils dishes out there. Sometimes, just a bit of online searching is enough to find yet more dishes you've never heard of: 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpHGeH3bWu8&pp=ygUaYmVyeWwgc2hlcmVzaGV3c2t5IGxlbnRpbHPSBwkJxwkBhyohjO8%3D

And then there's also the humble chickpea- probably my favourite of all! I use chickpeas a lot. I mostly cook Tunisian meals and there's a lot of chickpea based meals in Tunisian cuisine, such as couscous with lamb, chickpeas and raisins (the lamb is obviously expensive but can be left out), lablebi (a winter breakfast dish made with chickpeas, broth and stale bread), barley and chickpeas soup, and even Tunisian pasta usually contains chickpeas. They can be added to pretty much any dish. And homemade hummus is also one of our favourites; I usually make a big batch and then freeze smaller portions. Chickpea flour is a pantry staple for us and can be used in many ways. Believe it or not, but Tunisians even make cookies with chickpea flour. 

Pasta 

Pasta must be on this list! I think there's no starch more versatile than pasta, not even rice. Due to the many varieties and shapes, you can make about any meal with pasta, even "rice-y dishes" by simply using orzo instead of rice. The options are limitless, and you can choose from so many shapes, combining different vegetables, protein, and sauces. And make sure to not just stick to Italian foods. Who said one cuisine could have patent on a certain kind of starch? Italian cuisine is lovely, not trying to put it down- it's just that there are many other countries using pasta too in their own unique way. Or just make up your own recipe- even better! 

I was intending to do a recipe post but this turned out to be more a list of suggestions, so stay tuned as I'll try to do a "struggle meal" series with very cheap recipes. 

Fried rice with egg, onion and pepper - easy and cheap!

Recent frugal happenings

Let's do one of these posts again 🙂

It's been quite a productive month, frugality-wise. It's not even always intentional, but I'm just taking advantage of the summer, with the hot temperature and produce in abundance. 

Free things: 

We got a bag of prickly pears twice- once from my father in law and the other was from my brother in law. My family loves prickly pears (and so do I, but unfortunately I'm allergic to them... )

We also got a few melons, very tasty ones. It's been hard to find very nice (soft and sweet) melons lately so I definitely enjoyed those melons. 

A relative from Europe brought us some goodies such as Gouda cheese and chocolate bars. It's been so long since I had Dutch cheese! After such a long time, it seems like it even tastes better than it did ever before. 

Reusing/repurposing: 

Our cat found a cardboard box that wasn't used in which she's sleeping everyday now. It's become her favourite spot in the house! I put a small blanket in the box to make it a bit copier for her. 

After organizing my wardrobe and putting quite a lot clothes in a 'donate bag', I cut some clothes that were worn out into rags, to use instead of disposable paper towels. This saves us a lot of money as well as it being way more environmentally friendly. 

I saved up some food package materials, such as pasta and rice bags, to use to freeze foods later, as well as small yogurt containers. The yogurt containers here are very small, containing just 100 grams of yogurt, but I like using them for my homemade garlic paste, among other things.

Saving energy: 

Due to the hot weather, we're taking only cold showers. "Cold" is relative, as the pipes are outside and so the water still heats up enough to have a comfortable shower. 

Used only cold water for the washing machine as well. And obviously cold tap water for the dishes.  

There have been some cooler nights, so didn't use the fan during those nights. The air conditioning is never switched on during the night. 

Cooking, preventing food waste:  

As always, I cooked a lot of homemade meals, of which some were double batches so the only thing I had to do was to reheat the food. 

We also had mostly homemade bread. And homemade treats. 

I made citronnade a few times with lemons from our tree. 

I cooked up watermelon rinds, used up a lot of leftovers, used some leftover cookie dough to use it up and make something new out of that, saved some not very good tasting buttermilk so I can make biscuits with them (hopefully tomorrow). Saved goat and chicken bones in the freezer (they're still not enough for bone broth, but I'm being patient!)

I also dehydrated a lot parsley and mint. Hopefully it will last about a year. I'll probably dehydrate some more mint, as we use that for tea during the winter when there is no fresh mint available. 

Bargains: 

Found peaches for a very good price and now I miraculously ended up with a big pot of peach jam 😂

Chickpeas were also for a very good price- much cheaper than a few weeks ago. At the refill store they don't really do sales on purpose, but sometimes it's just that the price suddenly drops- or increases. So we now have 4 kg of dried chickpeas, which hopefully will last us a long time. 

I thrifted a very nice skirt in my size. 

The prickly pears are still a bit green 

Dehydrated parsley 

Our cat in her cardboard box ❤️

Always be prepared

As I'm writing this, we're recovering from quite a long blackout. It started quite early- when we woke up for fajr (morning) prayer today at 04:00 AM, we found that our bedroom fan wasn't working so we figured it must be a blackout. That happens quite regularly, as in a few times a week, especially during the summer. But we didn't anticipate that it would be the longest blackout yet to experience. Assuming the blackout didn't start at 04:00 but, say, half an hour before that, and the electricity came back at 11:45, we were roughly 8 hours without electricity- possibly even a bit more. Since we experience blackouts every so often, I honestly don't really panick. Yes, it's annoying especially if you can't use a fan, or air conditioner when it's warm. 

I'm actually more concerned with the fridge. Even though the fridge is quite full and the two top shelves are nearly a freezer temperature during the summer, still, 8 hours is a long time for a fridge to be without electricity, especially in this heat. The same goes for the freezer. I've learned to be prepared for a blackout by storing a lot of bottles in the freezer. Usually it's broth, but if there's room left the gaps are just filled with bottles of water. Those bottles can go straight into the fridge in case there's a blackout. I put a few bottles in the fridge, just in case, and it probably did help, as those 8 hours powerless didn't seem to affect the temperature a lot. We did try not to open the fridge unless strictly necessary, so that helped too. Fortunately, I wasn't planning on using the washer or oven today, so that wasn't an issue. Another way we prepare ourselves for these kind of small calamities is to have an alternative source of light. Even during daytime, our house doesn't have that much sunlight, as our house was built to be insulated against the heat- not so much against the cold or to let sunlight come in, just like pretty much all houses here. We usually need to use lamps, especially in the kitchen.  Today it happened to be a cloudy day so that definitely meant we needed more light. Apart from our phones, we bought a lamp that can be charged either by electricity or by solar power (there's a tiny solar "panel" on the lamp). It's a very strong light so that comes in very handy. Much easier than candles. So even during daytime blackouts, we need to think about light, but obviously during nighttime blackouts that's even more of an issue. 

Water being cut off is more rare than electricity blackouts here, but still it does happen, especially since there is water scarcity. In our city it doesn't happen as much as in oather areas, but we've still found ourselves in situations with the water being cut off. Usually that happens a bit gradually, with the tap stream becoming weaker and weaker until no single drop of water comes out of the tap. There have been instances when neighbours had to ask us for water since they didn't have any. Honestly I don't really like asking others unnecessarily, even though I know my neighbours wouldn't mind at all. 

This is why I think it's important to be prepared. And I've noticed that a lot of people, even more so frugal minded people, talk about preparedness. But this preparedness is usually about greater calamities such as possible war or terrorism, wildfires, floods or earthquakes. To be honest, even if there is a chance that would happen, I think it's also good to look at the smaller calamities and it's much more likely we'll have to deal with them at some point. Now I understand that where we live blackouts are more common, but not so long ago, there was a blackout in a huge area in Spain, Portugal and even some areas in Morocco. I bet those people weren't really anticipating that either. It's not a major crisis (in most circumstances, anyway), but it's always good to be prepared. And yes, we should be prepared for bigger calamities, in my opinion, but also for the smaller ones. I would be quite annoyed if there's a blackout and my phone's battery is almost empty. Or our spare lamp wasn't charged. Or we didn't have enough cold water in the fridge. Not insurmountable problems, but still problems I'd rather be prepared for. 

                     Our nifty rechargeable lamp, in the kitchen