Artificial Food Coloring Free Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad with Tomatoes, Olives & Cucumber
Bright, fresh, and loaded with Mediterranean flavor, this grain salad is the kind of dish that tastes even better the next day after everything has had time to meld together. Every single ingredient here is exactly what it looks like — whole grains, real vegetables, briny olives, and a zippy lemon-oregano dressing made entirely from scratch. That matters more than you might think, because packaged dressings, flavored rice mixes, and even jarred olives can quietly sneak in synthetic dyes that have no business being in your food. Here, the vibrant color comes entirely from cherry tomatoes, cucumber, fresh parsley, and a squeeze of real lemon — nothing artificial required. The dressing comes together in minutes with olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, and dried oregano, and it coats every bite of nutty brown rice beautifully. It's a satisfying, make-ahead friendly meal that works as a light lunch, a potluck contribution, or a hearty side — and you can feel genuinely good about every ingredient in the bowl.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the rice
- 1 cup long-grain brown rice
- 2 cups water
- ¼ tsp salt
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the salad
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 english cucumber, diced (about 1 ½ cups)
- ½ cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- ¼ cup red onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh mint, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the brown rice, water, and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover tightly, and cook until the water is fully absorbed and the rice is tender, about 40–45 minutes.
- 2
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes, then spread it out in a large mixing bowl and let it cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
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