Fabulous Fusion - Guest Post by Marilyn R.Wilson, author of Life Outside the Box

Fabulous Fusion – Yam Pad Thai

by Marilyn R. Wilson, freelance writer, editor, author

          I am a recipe-a-holic, always on the hunt for interesting new ideas from the newspaper, social media, friends and through web searches.  The sheer number of possibilities are astounding and they help pull me out of the daily cooking rut. 

    Growing up in the mid-west, dinner was pretty simple. Meat, potatoes and cooked frozen vegetables. We moved to California in my tween years, just about the time convenience foods were becoming more popular. Recipes for casseroles featuring one pound of hamburger and a can of Campbell's Creamed Soup (Chicken, Mushroom, Celery or Cheddar) became a regular at our table.  Occasionally we made tacos with one of those store kits. Meals were utterly predictable.

          When I moved out on my own, I had virtually no cooking experience. I needed to learn the basics, but craved to try my hand at more exotic fair. I bought cookbooks, signed up for a subscription to Bon Apetit Magazine and dove in.  There were many disasters, but slowly I learned. Adventurous dishes were, and still are, my preference. In recent years this interest turned my focus to fusion fare. One of my hands down favorites is Yam Pad Thai.

          I no longer remember where I first saw this recipe, most likely in the morning newspaper. It was published under the title Warm Sweet Potato Salad, but the interesting combination of roasted yams, peanut butter dressing and crisp bean sprouts had a friend boldly offering a new title – Yam Pad Thai - and it stuck. There really is a similarity that is hard to miss.

          This dish is best served warm with the roasted yams gently added just before serving. You can also offer it at room temperature if you want to finish cooking before guests arrive. But leftovers are still fabulous the next day served right out of the fridge. Enjoy!

YAM PAD THAI

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2 lbs.                    Deep Orange Yams peeled and cut into ½” chunks

1T                         Vegetable Oil

½ tsp each                  Salt and Pepper

1                           Small Red Pepper, seeds and stem removed, then sliced

1/2 cup              Fresh, Crisp Bean Sprouts

1/2 cup              Green Onions, sliced

2 T                        Chopped Peanuts

Dressing -

1/3 cup              Peanut Butter

2T each              Fresh squeezed Lime Juice and Mayonnaise

1 tsp each                   Chipotle hot sauce**, sugar, and minced ginger root

½ tsp                   Minced Garlic

**Note – Some of my family don't like spicy food, so I substitute chipotle salsa for the hot sauce.

Toss yams with oil, salt and pepper. Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with PAM. Add yams and roast for 40 min turning once. Cooking time will depend on your oven and the size you cut the yams. DO NOT OVERCOOK as the yams will mush when mixing with the other ingredients. Let cool 5 min.

Whisk the dressing ingredients. Toss red pepper, bean sprouts and green onion with dressing. GENTLY mix in the roasted yams. Sprinkle with peanuts. Serve warm, at room temperature or cold the next day.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

          Marilyn Wilson is a freelance writer, editor and author of Life Outside The Box: The Extraordinary Journey of 10 Unique Individuals. Over the last decade she has interviewed and written on the lives of over 150 people from all walks of life,  has co-owned an innovative fashion magazine from 2007-2012 and since 2006 has worked with Raine Magazine in NYC where her current role is International Associate Editor. Interviewing is a true passion for Wilson who believes it is the stories shared by REAL PEOPLE living REAL LIVES that will define our generation.

Website – www.marilynrwilson.com

Blog – www.oliobymarilyn.com

Twitter - @oliobymarilyn

NOTE: Readers Muse thanks the author for this most unique guest post! Thank you for sharing the fantabulous recipe with us!