There are two bitter ironies in the culinary/social year; Christmas and party dresses, and barbeque season and bikinis. Why are we surrounded by invitations to eating and drinking festivals at the two times of the year when we want to look good in smaller amounts of clothing? Well there isn't much we can do about it; what's the point in being super slim and gorgeous and sat at home on your own?

If you go to a barbecue this weekend, you may eat a serving of potato salad, a grilled burger, 2 sausages in a bun, a tablespoon of Helmans Mayonnaise, a serving of Pringles (no that doesn't mean the whole box, just a handful) a scoop of pistachios and a can of beer, you will go home with 1185 calories and 62g fat in your tummy. If you have another can of beer and a Magnum ice cream the number soars to 1600 calories (78.5g fat).

Woops!

You can see how it starts to add up. I don't know about you, but I have seen people eat considerably more hot dogs and drink rather more beer than that; the average US barbeque would total 2260 calories, 126 grams of fat, and 109 grams sugar. That is more than a whole days calories at one sitting. Big woops!

However, if you ignore all of the health warnings associated with incinerating your dinner outside, the barbecue can be a much healthier affair;

Ignore ready prepared marinades which can contain additives and large amounts of salt and fat, and experiment with your own; use tonnes of fresh herbs, garlic, chili, olive oil, honey and lemon and lime juice; pound it in a pestle and mortar and coat everything in it, leaving the flavours to infuse.

Swap sausages and burgers for skewers of prawns, mackerel baked in tin foil, skinless free-range chicken breasts, or lean steaks. Make vegetable and tofu kebabs with big chunks of mushroom, onion, tomatoes, courgette and pepper (fry the tofu a little first).

Swap bowls of crisps and snacks for dips; homemade hummus or natural yoghurt mixed with finely chopped onions, cucumber, chives and salt and pepper, and serve with strips of pita, carrot, pepper, celery and cucumber sticks. Make a scrummy salsa to add to fish, meats or use as a dip by finely chopping red onion, tomatoes, coriander, garlic and fresh chili, and dress with lime juice.

Ditch the pale and pasty burger buns and rolls for pita, tortilla wraps, (go for organic as many others contain hydrogenated fats) granary rolls, or just leave them out; there is no law saying you have to wrap everything in bread.

Make a potato salad swapping mayo for natural yoghurt (no-one will notice if you season with salt and pepper and chop in some onion, garlic and herbs). Try my scrummy fat-burning coleslaw; cut up red cabbage, red or spring onions, chunks of apple, grated carrot, avocado, baby spinach leaves, chopped chives and mix up with low-fat natural yoghurt (I also add chopped fresh chilli and raw garlic).

Instead of a heavy pudding make a huge fruit salad, or serve giant wedges of chilled watermelon. For the kids make ice lollies out of smoothies, or slit a banana length-ways and push in 2 squares of green and blacks dark chocolate, wrap in tin foil and bake over the coals, serve with half-fat crme fraiche.

A barbecue is the perfect social occasion on a beautiful summer day; make your outdoor meal an excuse for some seriously healthy eating! Until next time, happy scoffing.

Author: Vikki Scovell

Vikki Scovell BA(hons) PG DIP is a fully qualified Personal Trainer and Fitness Coach. She is a qualified Nutrition Adviser, GP Referred Trainer and runs successful Community and Corporate Exercise classes and events. Vikki is a consultant in Healthy Eating and Exercise initiatives to schools in the independent sector and publishes School and General Healthy Living newsletters. Vikki believes passionately that everyone can make small changes to their lifestyle to ensure that they live happier, longer and healthier lives. She lives in Bristol in the U.K. with her partner Jeremy and two young children Apple and Honey. For enquiries for nutritional advice, personal training, corporate wellness and general enquiries visit http://www.getfitter.net to view newsletters online visit http://www.getfitternews.moonfruit.com, and for exercise videos, demonstrations and more visit http://www.fitbite.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vikki_Scovell

Technorati Tags: barbecue, bbq, eating, food, healthy

It is one of life's oddities that we take a lot of trouble refrigerating meat, keeping food sealed and washing our hands before touching it, only to throw out the rule book when we have a barbecue. The meat is left out in the sun waiting it's turn to be cooked, exposed to the elements and there is no washbasin to be seen.

Another oddity is that it is men that do most of the barbecue cooking: 7 out of 10 according to the American Dietetic Association (http://www.eatright.org) in a survey. They also found that only 44% of these men washed their hands when cooking at the barbecue. Shame on us men! Why is it that, more often then not, it is women who get to do the day-in, day-out drudgery cooking, while men suddenly muscle in for those special occasions? Is this right, or am I imagining it?

Anyway, back to food hygiene. I am not suggesting that we plumb washbasins into our back yards but I would suggest that at least the following two precautions are still maintained.

The first one is that, even though it can be difficult to arrange, it is an absolute necessity that cooked meats never come into contact with raw meats either directly or via utensils, plates, bowls, trays or cutting boards. This is a very easy mistake to make, especially if you are not the usual cook of the house.

The other precaution is to try to keep wasps and flies away. You may know that their main purpose in life is to spoil your barbecue by diving at you and your guests and depositing some nasty germs - from nearby rubbish tips or animal dung - onto your food; and there is always the risk of being stung by a wasp.

A little tip is to avoid wearing yellow, as they are attracted to it. Of course, if there is someone you don't like very much, you could make a point of inviting them, but telling them to wear only yellow clothes (just say it is part of a role-playing game you have laid on). The unwanted guest can act as a decoy, attracting all the wasps and flies, while the rest of you enjoy yourself.

As this is a particularly nasty thing to do to anyone, an alternative is to lay out some yellow objects in a circle around the barbecue area. For example, you could wrap 10 bricks in bright yellow paper and place them evenly in a circle at a radius of, say, 8 feet from the picnic/barbecue area. Drop some treacle on each. They will act as decoys and reduce the threat of wasps and flies.

An even better way is to save some time by buying a few fly & wasp traps from Arkay Hygiene at www.eeeee.co.uk As well as attracting wasps and flies, they will keep them trapped at least until you have finished your feast. Then you go and release them at your old boss's house.

Author: Vernon Stent

Please note that Vernon has a wicked sense of humour and asks that you do not release any flying insects at anyone's house! Fly & Wasp Traps for the garden can be found at this page

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vernon_Stent

Technorati Tags: barbecue, food hygiene

Everyone loves a barbecue, including vegetarians. Barbecues (BBQs, barbies or braais depending on where in the world you are) are almost perfect social gatherings, where you and your favourite people hang out in the fresh air, shoot the breeze and prepare to eat delicious food. Any occasion can be celebrated with a BBQ:

Major (or minor) sports events

Birthdays, wedding anniversaries, home comings, going away

The fact that it's Friday or Saturday, or Sunday, or Monday ...

BBQ aficionados develop specialised techniques that they swear by, and won't deviate from, under any circumstances. Some incorporate marinades or spice cocktails, others will only use wood, or only charcoal, while others combine the two. Wood users can be further subdivided by the wood they choose. Hickory, maple, apple, cherry and oak are favourites as they add to the flavour of the food cooked. Conifers also contribute to the flavour, but in an undesirable way and are generally avoided.

Outside gas grills or barbecues are used quite frequently in the UK and US, but tend to be shunned by Southern Hemisphere countries (Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa). They're viewed as too easy and clean, and they don't impart the full smoky flavour that is the essence of a good braai.

The phrase, "You don't know what you're missing", is one that vegetarians hear all too often when it comes to outdoor cooking. Meat eaters think that they own the BBQ market and pity those who can't appreciate a good piece of meat fresh from the barbie. In fact, people dread inviting vegetarians to a BBQ because they don't know how to feed them. Vegetarians, meanwhile, roll their eyes and quietly go about sorting themselves out.

The truth is that you can cook anything on fire. Vegetable skewers, made from aubergines, courgettes, mushrooms and sweet peppers, are easy to make, and taste divine when barbecued. Instead of roasting veggies, take the same mix, wrap it in tinfoil and stick it on a fire for 40 minutes and you'll think you've died and gone to heaven. Even brussel sprouts, that much maligned vegetable, get a new, smoky twist that make them out of this world edible.

Experiment with marinades and spices that can be applied to vegetables as well as meats. When it comes to vegetarian barbies, your imagination is your only limit, and if you're truly stuck, try some old standbys: stick a corn cob and a couple of potatoes (sweet as well as regular) on the grill. Your veggie guests will appreciate the effort.

Braais needn't only be reserved for main meals and savoury dishes. Grilled pineapple and brown sugar is delicious, so is BBQ'd banana, you can even leave them in their skins. Serve with a little ice-cream and you're laughing. What could be easier?

For fun in the sun (and rain) you can't beat a good barbie. So raid the fridge, light a fire and tap into the good life.

Recommended sites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbecue

http://vegetarian.about.com/od/cookingtipstools/qt/vegbbq.htm

http://www.toptastes.com/features/grill/veg.htm

Author: Sandy Cosser

Sandra wrote this article for the online marketers DeckPro deck and patio builders Leaders in the field of decking and patio construction.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandy_Cosser

Technorati Tags: barbecues, barbie, bbq, outside gas grill, vegetarians

How To Clean Your Grill

When purchasing your barbecue grill, think of it as an investment rather then just another item for your outdoor entertainment. You should expect this item to become a large part of your outdoor activities for many years to come. But like any other investments, proper maintenance and care is needed to ensure that your barbeque grill will work for you for many years to come.

Leaving you grill messy after each use will not only make it harder on you when you finally do clean the grill, but it will also drastically decrease the lifespan of your grill. If you grill sits dirty, you increase the risk of rust.

While some maintenance and cleaning is specific to the type of barbeque grill your own (gas, electric, charcoal or smoke barbecue grill), the majority of maintenance that should be carried on does not change from grill to grill.

Step 1- Gathering The Necessary Items

You will need some common household items on hand when it comes time to clean your barbeque grill.

Brass wire grill brush Steel wool pads, preferably that contains soap already. Mild dish soap Sponge or dishcloth Spray cooking oil Dry baking soda Aluminum foil

Step 2- Brushing Your Grill Off

The first thing that should always be done to your grill is a routine brushing. Using your brass wire grill brush (or other brush suitable to your type of grill) you should brush off all the surfaces. By routinely brushing your barbeque grill, you will prevent any type of buildup. If buildup from food is left to long, it can become increasingly difficult to remove, and can end up causing problems such as rust.

Step 3- Spray Cooking Oil

Once you are sure that your grill is free of all buildup and debris, and that your grill is completely cooled off, you will want to spray it down with a light layer of cooking oil. Spraying it down with cooking oil will prevent your barbeque grill from rusting. It is especially important to make sure you barbeque grill is completely cold, as spraying cooking oil on a hot surface may cause the oil to heat up and ignite, which could be potentially dangerous to you and your barbeque grill.

Step 4- Use Baking Soda and Aluminum Foil on Your Grill Baking soda is a very nice cleaning and polishing agent. Once you have removed any extra debris and buildup, lightly scrubbing your barbeque grill with baking soda will give it that extra shine, similar to the day that you brought it home from the store. This can also be used on handles and knobs to remove any extra buildup tat cannot be taken off with a wire brush.

Aluminum foil can also be used to keep your grill looking nice. Gently rub the aluminum foil on your grill, and you will notice that it removes grim and buildup. This is a cheap and inexpensive way to clean your grill.

Step 5- Clean Your Racks

The racks in your grill are especially important as this is where the food touches when it is cooking. You will have to use the wire brush to remove as much buildup as possible. Once you remove as much as possible, start washing the racks with dish soap. If the racks are really dirty, you may also want to use the steel wool pads. Be sure to completely rinse off all soap and residue before cooking on these racks again.

By: John Salmon

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

To learn about barbeque tips and how to barbeque ribs, visit the How To Barbeque website.

Technorati Tags: barbecue grill, cleaning barbecue grill

For a patio to become an effective outdoor dining and living area that will be conducive for outdoor lunches, dinners and for parties, a patio has to be able to accommodate not only tables and chairs but also a cooking appliance such as a barbecue. A good patio barbecue design requires careful deliberation and thought.

If you want to create a versatile and functional barbecue-cum-patio area in your house, there are some key factors you must consider. First, you should determine what your vision for the area is. Will it be used primarily for entertaining guests during parties or as a quiet and private nook where the family can get-together on weekends or special occasions? Will it be used as play space for children or for sunbathing? Do you want a patio barbecue design that that offers partial or full privacy from your neighbors? What type of features would you like to have in your patio barbecue?

When you find out the answers to the abovementioned questions depending on your needs, this can help you decide what type of patio you want. You can also decide on what type of materials you will be using. For barbecues, you can use either concrete or brick. There are also concrete grills that are inlaid with brick for added appeal and durability. Concrete is generally more durable but brick is more attractive. Another excellent material you can consider is decorative concrete, which gives you the durability of concrete and the beauty of other materials such as brick or slate.

Other materials you can consider include natural stone such as limestone and bluestone. These stones provide a timeless beauty but are generally more expensive and require careful installation. Of course, you can always use these stones as a form of investment, especially if you are planning to sell your home in the future, as it will definitely increase the value of your home.

You can design a barbecue grill that doubles as a storage area for barbecue equipments as well as a fireplace or fire pit that will be quite useful during the winter months. Some companies offer consultation and construction services of concrete or brick barbecues. Others provide a complete service, from patio barbecue design to execution.

If you have limited experience in building your own barbecue, it is always better to consult a professional, for better results. You can work with your landscape architect or consultant to create a patio barbecue that will complement and harmonize with your home. Just make sure that your patio barbecue will conform to your local zoning laws. More importantly, make sure that your patio barbecue design will fit your families living, dining and entertainment needs and preferences excellently.

Author: Albert Lee

For patio design ideas, visit http://www.patiodesigns101.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Albert_Lee

Technorati Tags: barbecue, Design, Patio