This special recipe for Yam and Pecan Salad is made delicious with a spicy lime vinaigrette. It’s sure to become a fall favorite!
This isn’t your typical, ho-hum salad recipe! If you really love yams and pecans, then this is a salad you should try. Yams are roasted with red pepper, and pecans are skillet cooked with spices. All of these flavors are made more delicious with the tangy vinaigrette. It’s so yummy!
Ingredients needed:
- yams
- red bell pepper
- vegetable or canola oil
- mustard seeds
- cayenne pepper, ground cinnamon and ground cumin
- pecan halves
- freshly squeezed lime juice
- sesame oil
- salt
- red onion
- fresh cilantro
How to make Yam and Pecan Salad:
The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
Are Yams and Sweet Potatoes the same thing?
What’s the difference? In markets in the U.S., the light skinned potatoes are usually labeled as sweet potatoes and the copper skin/orange flesh potatoes are usually labeled as “yams.” Both of them are actually two different varieties of fresh sweet potatoes. It’s confusing, isn’t it? You’ll want to use the orange flesh true yams for this recipe.
Serve this yam and pecan salad with a fall-themed dinner such as orange cranberry glazed pork tenderloin, smoked pork chops with maple baked apples or gouda stuffed chicken with apple pan sauce. Enjoy!
Favorite Fall Salad Recipes:
- Mixed Green Salad with Oranges, Dried Cranberries and Pecans
- Cranberry Spinach Salad with Gorgonzola
- Harvest Fall Salad Recipe
- Mixed Green Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
- Pear and Apple Salad with Gruyere and Toasted Pecans
If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.
Yam and Pecan Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound yams, unpeeled, but well scrubbed
- ½ medium red bell pepper, cut into thick strips
- ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground cumin
- ⅓ cup pecan halves
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup thinly slivered red onion
- 2 to 3 sprigs cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray, or line with parchment.
- In a large saucepan, cover the yams with plenty of water and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, then drain. Cut the yams into rounds, about ½ inch thick.
- On the prepared baking sheet, arrange the sliced yams and red pepper strips in a single layer. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the yams are easily pierced with a fork.
- Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the mustard seeds, cayenne, cinnamon and cumin; stir fry for 2 minutes, or until the spices begin to pop. Add the pecans and stir fry for 2 more minutes until the nuts have browned a little on both sides (don't burn them). Remove from heat and reserve the spices in the pan.
- Remove the yams and red peppers from the oven. Using a spatula, carefully transfer them onto a serving plate, making a single layer.
- Drizzle the lime juice and sesame oil over the yams and sprinkle with salt. Scatter slivers of red onion on top. Using a spoon and a rubber spatula, scrape the contents of the frying pan (pecans, oil and spices) evenly over the yams. Let the salad rest for 10 to 15 minutes, then garnish with the chopped cilantro and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
