High Fructose Corn Syrup Free Turmeric-Ginger Lentil & Cucumber Salad
This vibrant salad is earthy, bright, and layered with flavor — the kind of bowl that feels nourishing without trying too hard. Simmered lentils form a hearty base, soaking up a golden dressing built from fresh lemon juice, grated ginger, turmeric, and cumin, all whisked together with good olive oil. Cool cucumber half-moons, fresh parsley, and sliced scallion greens keep things crisp and lively, while dry-roasted pumpkin seeds add a satisfying crunch in every bite. Every single ingredient here is whole and unprocessed, which means there's no sneaky sweetener hiding in a bottled dressing or a flavored seed packet — just real food doing all the work. That's actually one of the trickier parts of eating this way: packaged dressings and condiments are notorious for slipping in corn syrup derivatives, even in savory products. Making the dressing from scratch with pantry staples sidesteps all of that completely. Serve it slightly warm, at room temperature, or straight from the fridge — it holds up beautifully either way.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the lentils
- 1 cup green or french lentils, rinsed
- 3 cups water
- ½ tsp salt
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 ½ lemons)
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
For the salad
- 1 english cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons
- ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 3 scallions (green tops only), thinly sliced
- ¼ cup dry-roasted pumpkin seeds
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the rinsed lentils, water, and 1/2 tsp salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape, 20–25 minutes. Drain any remaining water and spread the lentils on a large plate or sheet pan to cool for 10 minutes.
- 2
While the lentils cool, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, turmeric, grated ginger, garlic, cumin, black pepper, and 1/4 tsp salt in a small bowl until the dressing is uniform in color and the oil is fully emulsified.
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