Vegetarian Means Vegan, Right?

Actually vegetarians tend to differ from what Vegans consider themselves to be. The exact reasons for why, evade me at the moment.

I eat plenty of vegetables but also enjoy eggs so I think this means I may be a vegetarian but I am not a vegan because eggs are not on their menu. I need to watch my calories and weight.

Veganism, if I may, seems to be more like a religion than just a healthy eating regime. I think the term is applied to not only eggs but even to wearing things that may have once been alive, like leather.

I have no feelings on this one way or another and think our life choices are just that, our life choices.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Grilled Chicken Specialties

By Marcus Worthan

Grilling can be difficult if you do it only over the weekends. It needs so much of practice and experience to master the act of grilling. Properly cooking a chicken requires timely grilling. Let us discover some important techniques which might come at your service while grilling a chicken.

In case you have an iron gate, then it becomes important to brush it with olive oil. If olive oil is not at hand, you can use vegetable oil also. Brushing helps in preventing the chicken from sticking to the grill.

Once you have placed your chicken on the grill, do not forget to time the grilling period. A chicken overcooked or undercooked is not anybody's choice. The easiest way to grill a chicken is on a low heat. It may approximately take 45 mins for the chicken to cook properly. The preparation time may vary depending upon the hotness of the grill.

Do not slice your chicken again and again to check whether it has been cooked from inside or not. Instead use a meat meter. Meat meter prevents you from this tedious job and helps in preventing the loss of moisture from the chicken. Set your meat meter at around 170 degree F for a boneless chicken and on 180 degree F if your chicken has bones. And the ones cooking on a BBQ gas grill can create wonders by just keeping in mind the numerous factors affecting the cooking time.

Be careful not to remove the chicken from the grill immediately after the cooking. The aroma is irresistible, but let it rest before you dig your knife to cut it into pieces. This prevents the outflow of fluids responsible in keeping your chicken soft.

You can also add some balsamic vinegar for that extravagant taste. For a Mexican touch, try using avocado in tomato sauce. Grilled chicken with rosemary and caramelized lemons are one of my personal favorites. In a Mexican style the chicken gets a full treatment for maximum flavor. Over the night, it is brined and the chopped rosemary and lemon slices are slipped beneath them before going on the grill. The lemon slices are first caramelized in skillet. This sweetens their flavor and gives cooking chicken a head start. When the chicken is removed from the grill, the lemons provide a sweet taste making the chicken instantaneously fit to eat. So the next time you plan to party outdoors, let your cooking charm flow. Cheers!

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