Shrimp Tacos

Talk about spicy shrimp with a creamy dressing and crunchy toppings, all wrapped up in a fresh corn tortilla. I love the contrasts of hot and spicy, tempered by a creamy dressing, then enhanced with a crunch. The combination is my idea of a mouthwatering delight. It's must work well, because it's also been declared as delicious by my personal taste tester, who swears he likes neither cabbage nor avocado. This must be so good that while the cabbage and avocado are big enough to be seen, they seem to be hiding in plain sight. (Don't tell my taste tester what's in this!)

Ingredients:

1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
1 red or green pepper, thinly diced
3/4 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 green onions, both white bulbs and green stems, sliced
1/2 cup cilantro

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
juice of one lime
3 Tbs tomato salsa
1/4 jalapeno pepper

1 lb shelled, deveined shrimp (3-4 large shrimp per taco)
1/2 tsp chilpotle chili pepper
1 tsp chili powder

8 corn tortillas

2 avocados, sliced

Directions: Prepare cabbage mixture by combining cabbage, peppers, onions, and cilantro in a large bowl. Prepare yogurt mixture by combining yogurt, lime and salsa in a small bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp to pan, sprinkle with chili pepper and powder. Cook until pink, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp, sprinkle them with pepper and chili powder. Cook until shrimp are pink, about 2 minutes per side. Heat tortillas while the shrimp cook by covering them with a wet paper towel and heating in the microwave for 30 seconds, check to see if they're hot, microwaving for an additional 30 seconds if they need to be hotter. Assemble the tacos by placing 1 tablespoon of yogurt sauce in each tortilla, topping with 3 or 4 shrimp, then with 1/4 cup of sliced cabbage, another drizzle of yogurt sauce or salsa, and several slices of avocado. Serve.

Serves 4, two tacos each.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Use the green stems of your green onions or scallions! They include many phytonutrients not found in the white parts of the onion. Green onions have a milder taste than most onions, and are easy to grow if you grow them in a small garden plot at home.