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Istanbul Sofra, Pittsburgh, PA

Many different restaurants have occupied the space at 7600 Forbes Avenue in Regent Square. One of the busiest intersections in Pittsburgh, it would …

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Guacamole Recipe

Guacamole Recipe

I’ve recently been spending some time in the kitchen perfecting my guacamole recipe- give this a try and let me know how it works for you!

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Mango Salsa with Strawberries and Pineapple

Mango Salsa with Strawberries and Pineapple is simple to make, and delicious. This particular salsa goes perfectly on grilled fish, and chicken. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, simply lap it up with some fresh tortilla chips!

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Fresh Garden Tomato Salsa

Fresh Garden Tomato Salsa

Every year I plant tomatoes in my back yard. The past two years my yield has been fantastic. This season the tomatoes were robust, and perfectly sweet.

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Tuna Tartare

Enjoy this recipe for heart-healthy Tuna Tartare with family and friends!

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Vegetarian Quiche

it is finally that time of year when cool season leafy green crops are coming in waves again. but, even as a mainly herbivorous minded eater, i can only tolerate so many salads. luckily, i have a diffusion process that i call quiche eating. my garden is still inundated with rainbow colored stalks of swiss chard, kale, and spinach. these plants are cold hearty and can tolerate temperatures as low as fifteen degrees which is great news for my belly and lucrative for local farmers. i work with and for farmers- greens are never lacking in my kitchen. while my original recipe is made with spinach, i have been experimenting with the other green things that seem to be reproducing up here in growing zone 6b! think turnip greens, beet greens, and kohlrabi greens. this recipe is versatile and lends itself to experimentation which is one reason that it has been part of my repertoire for a decade.

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Vegan Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is an edible seed with a low glycemic index. Its nutty, substantive qualities make it an ideal meal, or side dish. This recipe is extremely easy to make, delicious and quite healthy.

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Avocado Dressing

Avocados are one of my favorite foods- their rich, creamy texture is a delight to experience. I came up with this dressing recipe as an alternative to ranch dressing.

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Vegan Brown Rice Pasta

In my never-ending quest to avoid refined carbohydrates, I’ve come across a few tasty, healthier alternatives- one of them is brown rice pasta. Brown rice pasta cooks differently than regular- it takes twice as long, and often produces excessive amounts of starch in the form of cloudy, bubbly water. This water often overflows from the pot, and is a mess to clean up. Tonight I experimented with cooking the pasta twice. I started with a pound of brown rice pasta. The pasta was placed in a large pot of salted, boiling water, cooked for 4 minutes, then drained. I then re-boiled the pasta in a fresh pot of water for 5 minutes. The end result was a less-starchy product. Try this procedure when cooking brown rice pasta- cooking times may vary depending on pasta shapes.

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Chilean Sea Bass Recipe

Chilean sea bass is a naturally buttery fish with a soft, elegant texture. Arugula pesto is peppery, and provides a great flavor contrast for the fish. This is an easy recipe to prepare, just be careful not to over-cook your fish!

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