Mustard Free Vegan Fresh Freekeh Cucumber Salad
Freekeh — smoky, nutty, and satisfying — is the kind of grain that makes a salad feel like an actual meal rather than an afterthought. This bowl pairs it with crisp English cucumber, juicy cherry tomatoes, and a generous handful of fresh parsley and mint, so every bite is bright and herbaceous. The dressing is a simple shake of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, cumin, and black pepper — clean, punchy, and completely free of any hidden condiments that can sneak mustard into an otherwise safe dish. That matters more than people realize, since vinaigrettes and spice blends are some of the trickiest places for mustard to hide. Here, you control every ingredient from start to finish, so there's no guesswork. A scatter of pomegranate seeds at the end adds a little jewel-like sweetness that takes the whole thing up a notch. Serve it at room temperature or slightly chilled — either way, it's the kind of salad that disappears fast.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the freekeh
- 1 cup whole-grain freekeh, rinsed
- 2 cups water
- ¼ tsp salt
For the salad
- 1 english cucumber, diced (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 scallions (green tops only), thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 ½ lemons)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For serving
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the rinsed freekeh, water, and 1/4 tsp salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the freekeh is tender and has absorbed all the liquid, about 20–22 minutes.
- 2
Remove the pan from the heat and let the freekeh steam, covered, for 5 minutes. Spread it onto a large mixing bowl or sheet pan and let it cool for at least 10 minutes, until no longer steaming.
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