Dinner in 25 minutes: Surf and turf paleo tacos

Lettuce leaves stand in for tortillas in this paleo version of tacos. The surf here is shrimp; the turf is lean ground beef. The protein pair sit atop an avocado mash garnished with fresh vegetables.

Makes 4 servings

24 peeled, deveined, raw, tail-on medium/large shrimp (about 1 pound)

Kosher salt, fresh-ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Tunisian spice blend (may sub a Mediterranean seven-spice blend or equal parts toasted and ground coriander, cumin, and caraway seed)

3 tablespoons coconut oil

1 pound lean ground beef

2 pinches chili powder

Flesh of 2 small ripe avocados

1 lime

1/4 medium red onion

Leaves from 6 stems cilantro

12 cherry tomatoes

16 small romaine lettuce leaves

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1.

Season the shrimp lightly with salt, pepper, and the spice blend.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the shrimp and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, turning as needed until just opaque. Transfer to a plate.

3. Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Season meat with a pinch of the chili powder and a good pinch each of salt and pepper. Once the oil shimmers, add the ground beef; cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring to break up clumps. Drain/discard the fat.

4. Meanwhile, cut the avocados in half, discard the pits; scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl. Cut the lime in half; squeeze in the juice. Cut the onion into small dice, then add. Coarsely chop three-quarters of the cilantro and add. Drizzle in the remaining tablespoon of oil, then season with salt and pepper and the remaining pinch of chili powder. Mash into guacamole.

5. Cut the tomatoes in half. Remove the ground beef from the heat.

6. Separate the lettuce leaves and stack two sets of 2 on each plate. Top each with equal amounts of the guacamole, ground beef, shrimp, shredded carrot, cherry tomato halves, and the remaining cilantro leaves. Serve right away.

- Adapted from Nom Nom Paleo.

Per serving: 420 calories, 46 g protein, 11 g carbohydrates, 23 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 250 mg cholesterol, 240 mg sodium, 6 g dietary fiber, 2 g sugar