By: Betsy Banks

You've heard the adage about never going grocery shopping while hungry, right?  It's very good advice!  A growling stomach is very useful, however, during menu planning.  If you catch me at just the right time between lunch and dinner, a million mealtime possibilities leap to mind.  It just so happens that, right now, it's precisely that time between lunch and dinner!  So, without further ado, I'm offering my dinner plans for the next four weeks to you.  Though I try not to serve re-runs frequently, you'll find that a few favorites from earlier menus do appear; these help keep the Teenage Food Critic happy.

(Note:  If, like me, you follow a low-carb eating plan, you might wish to omit the items indicated by an asterisk.)

Recipes for items in bold follow.  (Others will appear in upcoming columns.)

• Cider-glazed chicken with browned-butter-pecan rice* (http://tinyurl.com/3uwoz7w), green beans almandine
• Rosemary lamb kebabs, barley pilaf*, roasted asparagus
• Tangerine-glazed chicken skewers, cilantro-lime rice* (http://tinyurl.com/2dy8cky), green salad with tangerine sections and citrus vinaigrette
• Spicy shrimp with Asian peanut dipping sauce in lettuce cups
• Chicken black-bean chili, cornbread*
• Coconut chicken soup (http://tinyurl.com/bnx2yd)
• Chicken saltimbocca, roasted new potatoes*, green salad
• Portobello "pizza, " green salad with Italian dressing, crusty Italian bread*
• Pasta e fagioli soup, crispy polenta rounds*
• Kung pao shrimp, brown rice*, pineapple
• Smoked brisket, chipotle baked beans, chile-lime cole slaw
• Grilled flatiron steak and polenta*, roasted corn on the cob
• Crispy cod fillets with remoulade, hash brown potatoes*, cole slaw with spicy mustard-seed vinaigrette
• Tequila shrimp enchiladas (for low-carb, omit tortillas), black bean salad
• Crustless spinach quiche, green salad with citrus segments and vinaigrette
• Poulet au vinaigre (http://tinyurl.com/4e7f4mu), buttered noodles*, sautéed Brussels sprouts
• Tomato-roasted red pepper soup with Parmesan, crusty Italian bread*, green salad with red wine vinaigrette
• Mushroom-artichoke frittata, bread*, green salad with balsamic vinaigrette
• Herb-crusted roasted rack of pork, rosemary-garlic potatoes*, sautéed mixed mushrooms, green salad
• Asian chicken salad with wonton crisps
• Spicy orange beef, brown rice*, Szechuan orange green beans
• Asian glazed drumsticks (http://tinyurl.com/3fzclar), Oriental "noodle" salad
• Oven-fried chicken with almonds, potato salad*, corn on the cob
• Raspberry-balsamic pork chops, brown rice, roasted broccoli with smashed garlic (http://tinyurl.com/yko625y)
• Hot and sour soup, pan-steamed vegetable dumplings with dipping sauce
• Seared scallops, oven fried potato rounds*, Napa cabbage and sesame slaw
• Salsa shrimp salad

Larry's Tangerine-Glazed Chicken Skewers

From Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill by Bobby Flay and Joanne Schwartz (1999 Hyperion)

Serves 8

For the tangerine glaze:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 shallots finely diced
• ½ teaspoon cascabel chile powder
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 cups tangerine juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Fresh lemon juice to taste
• Honey to taste
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until almost smoking in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the shallots and cascabel powder and cook until the shallots are soft, 3 to 4 minutes.  Raise the heat to high, add the vinegar, wine, tangerine juice, and sugar, and cook until reduced to a syrup.  Strain into a small mixing bowl and season with lemon juice and honey to taste.  Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  May be refrigerated for 1 day; use at room temperature.  Makes about 2 cups.

For the citrus marinade:

• ¼ cup fresh orange juice
• ½ cup fresh lime juice
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
• 1 tablespoon pasilla chile pepper
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ cup olive oil

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl.  May be refrigerated for 1 day; use at room temperature.  Makes about 1 ½ cups.

For the chicken:

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, halved lengthwise
• Citrus marinade
• 32 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 2 hours
• Kosher salt
• Tangerine glaze

Place the chicken thighs in a shallow baking pan or baking dish and cover with marinade.  Refrigerate, covered, 2 hours, no longer.

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to high.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off any excess.  (Discard the used marinade.) Thread one skewer through the right side of each chicken thigh and one through the left, so that the meat will stay flat on the grill, and season with salt.  Grill until cooked thoroughly, about 4 minutes on each side.  Remove the chicken from the grill and brush liberally with the tangerine glaze.  Place the chicken skewers on a large serving platter.

NOTE:  cascabel, ancho, and pasilla chiles are available at Hispanic or gourmet markets (try Penzey's!) or from Kitchen Market, 218 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10011, 212-243-4433.

Spicy Shrimp with Asian Peanut Dipping Sauce

From Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill by Bobby Flay and Joanne Schwartz (1999 Hyperion)

Serves 8

For the peanut dipping sauce:

• ¼ cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon peeled and coarsely chopped fresh gingerroot
• 2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 2/3 cup shrimp stock or clam juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
• ¼ finely chopped sliced green onion

Combine the peanut butter, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, lime juice, vinegar, stock, and honey in a food processor and process until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.  Spoon into a medium bowl, fold in the chopped cilantro, and sprinkle the green onion on top.  May be refrigerated, covered, for 1 day; serve at room temperature.  Makes 2 cups.

For the spicy shrimp:

• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 chiles de arbol or hot Asian chiles, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh gingerroot
• 6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
• 48 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine the oil, lime juice, chiles, ginger, garlic, and cilantro in a large shallow pan or baking dish.  Add the shrimp and toss to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, no longer.

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to high. 

Remove the shrimp from the marinade, shaking off the excess.  (Discard the used marinade.) Grill until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

To serve, arrange the shrimp on a large serving platter and accompany with a bowl of the peanut dipping sauce.

Kung Pao Shrimp

From Weight Watchers Take Out Tonight!  (2002, Weight Watchers International)

• ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
• ¼ cup sake or rice wine
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon chile-garlic sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Asian (dark) sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 1 (8-ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained

Combine the broth, sake or rice wine, soy sauce, honey, chile-garlic sauce, cornstarch, and sesame oil; set aside.

Heat a nonstick wok or large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles.  Swirl in the canola oil, then add the shrimp.  Stir-fry until just opaque in the center, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate.  Add the scallions, ginger, and garlic.  Stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the broccoli florets and bamboo shoots; stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes.  Add the broth mixture and the shrimp.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens, about 1 minute.

Per serving (1 ¼ cups)>:  188 calories, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 135 mg cholesterol, 661 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 19 g protein, 78 mg calcium

Betsy Banks

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