Carrageenan Free Quinoa Avocado Salad with Turmeric Lemon Dressing
This vibrant grain salad is a celebration of fresh produce and bold, golden flavor — the kind of bowl that looks impressive but comes together with minimal fuss. Creamy diced avocado, juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumber, and a double hit of fresh herbs make every forkful interesting, while dry-roasted pumpkin seeds add a satisfying crunch. The real star is the turmeric lemon dressing, whisked together from olive oil, fresh lemon juice, zest, ginger, and garlic — bright, warming, and completely homemade from start to finish. For anyone navigating carrageenan concerns, the challenge is often hidden in store-bought dressings, pre-seasoned grains, and packaged convenience foods where that additive tends to sneak in. This recipe sidesteps all of that by building everything from scratch with whole, recognizable ingredients — nothing processed, nothing with a suspicious label. Letting the quinoa cool before tossing keeps the texture light and fluffy rather than gummy, and folding in the avocado last protects those tender pieces from turning to mush. It's the kind of clean, satisfying meal that works equally well as a weekday lunch or a crowd-pleasing side at the table.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the salad
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2 cups water
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 english cucumber, diced
- ¼ cup red onion, finely diced
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup dry-roasted pumpkin seeds
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1½ lemons)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- 1
Combine the rinsed quinoa, water, and ¼ tsp salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, until the water is fully absorbed and the quinoa tails have unfurled.
- 2
Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the quinoa steam, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork, and spread onto a large plate or sheet pan to cool for at least 10 minutes, until no longer steaming.
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