High Fructose Corn Syrup Free Quinoa Avocado Salad with Turmeric Lemon Dressing
This vibrant grain salad is everything a warm-weather bowl should be — fresh, filling, and packed with color from creamy avocado, juicy cherry tomatoes, and crisp cucumber. The real star is the turmeric lemon dressing, a bright, golden blend of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, ginger, and garlic that ties every ingredient together without a drop of sweetener in sight. That matters more than you might think, because bottled dressings are one of the sneakiest places hidden corn syrup derivatives tend to show up. Here, every component is whole and recognizable, from the fluffy quinoa base to the dry-roasted pumpkin seeds folded in at the end for a satisfying crunch. Fresh parsley and mint add an herby lift that makes the whole bowl taste surprisingly lively. It comes together in straightforward steps — cook the quinoa, whisk the dressing, toss everything together — and the result is a salad that feels restaurant-worthy without any of the label-reading stress.
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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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