Does this count as a same-day post? I haven’t been to bed yet. I don’t want to slip up and miss a day before January is even finished. I say this with the bold assumption that anyone is even going to notice. (Ha – I just noticed this thing is posting 11:50, when it’s actually 12:50. So it would at least appear that I’m ahead of the game!)

I have a class on Monday at the Cookbook Company, which I’ve been trying to plan today. The topic: healthy everyday meals. Although it’s a ridiculously broad subject, for some reason everything I come up with seems so obvious.

So one of my favorites, that seems to be different and popular and I’ve had several email requests for since mentioning it on the radio, is this curried shrimp I make using marmalade and peanut butter. It sounds reminiscent of those meatballs you make with ketchup and grape jelly, or chicken baked in Coca Cola. But really, it’s not that trashy. And I have a bunch of homemade marmalade in the fridge I’ll tell you about when it’s not 1 o’clock in the morning.

Curried Peanut Shrimp

Throw the shrimp and marinade into a baggie in the morning and you’ll have dinner almost ready when you come home from work. Sometimes I simmer the whole lot, sauce and all, in a large sauté pan and serve it over rice to catch the sauce.

1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp-1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp. curry paste
1 tsp. sesame or canola oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. chili sauce or sambal olek
1/4 tsp. salt
Pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined, with the tails left on

Combine everything but the shrimp in a bowl or jar and whisk or shake until smooth. Pour over the shrimp in a container or zip lock bag and marinate in the fridge for an hour or overnight.

When ready to cook, spray a large nonstick sauté pan with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the shrimp and cook for a few minutes on each side, just until they turn pink. (If you want, you could thread the shrimp onto bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water. Place on a grill rack or broiler pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray and cook for about 3 minutes on each side.) Simmer the reserved marinade in a small saucepan for a few minutes and serve alongside the shrimp for dipping. Serves 4.

Per serving: 159 calories, 5 g total fat (0.8 g saturated fat, 1.8 g monounsaturated fat, 1.8 g polyunsaturated fat), 13.2 g protein, 16.5 g carbohydrate, 86.2 mg cholesterol, 0.4 g fiber. 27% calories from fat.