High Fructose Corn Syrup Free Mediterranean Brown Rice Salad with Tomatoes, Olives & Cucumber
Bright, herby, and loaded with fresh vegetables, this Mediterranean grain salad is the kind of dish that tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time to meld. Every single ingredient here is whole and unprocessed — brown rice, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, Kalamata olives, red onion, and fresh herbs — so there's no need to squint at a label hunting for sneaky sweeteners. The dressing is a simple shake of extra virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, oregano, and cumin, which means you're getting real, clean flavor without any of the corn-derived additives that hide in so many bottled dressings. Avoiding high fructose corn syrup can feel tedious when packaged convenience foods are everywhere, but this recipe sidesteps all of that by building everything from scratch with pantry staples. The nutty chew of long-grain brown rice holds up beautifully against the crisp cucumber and briny olives, giving you satisfying texture in every bite. A handful of fresh parsley and optional mint lift the whole bowl with a pop of green freshness that feels genuinely restaurant-worthy. Make a big batch on Sunday and you've got a ready-to-go lunch or side dish for days.
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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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